Teach Me!

Uses segments of the motion picture Up the Down Staircase to illustrate the experiences of a novice English teacher in a New York City school. Displays the discrepancy between a beginning teacher's expectations about teaching and the practical realities of a lower class urban school. Shows the chaos of the first day of school, the frustration of filling out forms, the success of a mock court trial, and the teacher's decision to continue teaching., Teaching Film Custodians classroom film of excerpts from the 1967 feature film, "Up the Down Staircase". A novice English teacher in a New York City school discovers that the satisfactions and rewards of motivating disadvantaged students outweigh environmental problems and handicaps. Shows the chaos of the first day of school, the frustration of filling out forms, the success of a mock court trial, and the teacher's decision to continue teaching.