Being a Teacher

I suppose that after writing five journals about films and shows in the past, I (unconsciously) made an “avowal” that I will be writing more of those kinds. I have this weekly browsing of our DVDs and I happen to see a movie that I did not watch yet. It is a French film titled, Les Choristes (The Chorus), starring Gérard Jugnot and Jean-Baptiste Maunier.


Movie Poster: Les Choristes

The movie is about an appalling class, led by a very ‘deceiving’ student (Jean- Baptiste Maunier) who encounters a teacher (Gérard Jugnot) who brought out their own God-given talents. The movie started with the narrator (Pierre Morhange) going back to his hometown because of the sudden death of his mother. There he was surprised by a diary of his past teacher. He reminisced his experiences in his past life. He remembered the harsh system of the school for “difficult” boys, and how Clement Mathieu (Gérard Jugnot) knew how to deal with this kind of students. Mathieu believed in the saying that “Music can inspire even the most evil soul” and that led him to be the favorite of his class. Mathieu met characters that really challenged his beliefs in teaching. He fought with the selfish principal who ‘praises’ the saying “Action- Reaction”, stating that the teachers should react to these difficult boys’ evil actions immediately. However, Mathieu knew in his heart that these children have goodness deep within their souls. He learned how to uncover them: by making them stewards of music. He taught his class how to sing. He made them his own choir and disciplined them like how a father should discipline his children. He made wicked and dirty boys into angels. One of the children who made Mathieu a hard time was Pierre Morhange (Jean-Baptiste Maunier). He refused to be a good boy, even though it is against his true self. He chose to distance himself to music, even though it is his passion. The turn of his story was when Mathieu heard Pierre sing. He sounded like an angel (and he looked like an angel). Mathieu invited Pierre to sing in his choir, and fortunately Pierre accepted the invitation. Pierre, as a soloist, wowed many people with his beautiful singing voice. When they all made a move against the evil principal, they were sent out of the school and continued to follow their dreams.

The movie was really inspiring. After watching that, I began to look back my own, dear teachers who made a big mark on my life. According to Bob Ong’s book, ABNKKABSNPLAAko, “A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stop.” It is true indeed that a successful person is made up of good teachers. And likewise, a vile person is made up of bad teachers. Many people nowadays see teaching as an ‘easy’ job, or as a ‘lesser-of-a-value’ job. Those beliefs are very incorrect! Teachers shaped the minds of Bill Gates, Barack Obama even Michael Jackson. They are all famous people who made a great mark in human history. This movie made stated saying more clear to myself. I can say that after watching this movie, I have not been more appreciative with my own teachers.:-)