TV Land's Teachers

January 13, 2016

Day 198 as an Oklahoma Teacher

     For a couple of weeks, I saw this promotional video for this show called Teachers which would air on Wednesday nights on the TVLand channel. It's a comedy about teachers who work at an elementary school. Even though I don't mind watching comedies,  I  have decided to provide a weekly analysis of this show. In a time when the teaching profession has been ridiculed, shamed, and demeaned, a show like this one should not be considered for television. This show is a cesspool that makes teachers look dimwitted. So here's the critique of the pilot episode.
     The show begins with two teachers on playground duty. They are just standing there yelling at the kids and also discussing about a date with a drug dealer. After yelling at the kids, they make the remark that these kids are bad, which is ironic in the situation. As the show progresses, the principal tells the teachers that even though the school has no problems with bullying, they are mandated to create a program to stop it. That same day, the teachers talk to students about bullying, and that sometimes bullying can be a good thing or that some statements sound like bullying but are really factual. They discuss examples of verbal bullying making comments about students in the classroom. They make a compliments board where the students are to leave kinds words that other students, but they left insults. They finally come up with STAB, the Stop Teasing and Bullying program. Whenever the students bully someone,  they begin chanting STAB! STAB! STAB!  I'm not even going to discuss the gender-neutral bathrooms. Okay, I will. One teacher takes off the signs to the bathrooms because it is a form of bullying. At the end of the show, the principal asks about what's going on with the bathrooms, and then the camera shows the bathroom with the girl and boy using it.
     I cannot find any redeeming qualities for the characters or the show, but the show does relate to a couple of issues that we have dealt with in education. Forced mandates are a problem. Instead of a bullying program, why not have a program that promotes random acts of kindness or collaboration in the classroom. Why is it that we try to focus on solving the problem using negativity? Even the title of some bullying programs have negative connotations. If we want positive results, we must use positive solutions. It's all about creating a positive, kind, respectful atmosphere and understanding that everyone comes from different families and has different paths to take. The other issue is implementing ideas without think about what's going to happen. We just jump into it without any plan of implementation to deal with the problems later. We are not proactive but reactive in most educational issues.

United we stand; divided we fall.