1. MABE 602
To Sir with Love
“To Sir with Love” is a movie that talks about what is meant on becoming a teacher –
that teaching is not just a choice we make but a calling that we ought to answer. It was a story
played by a black man, Engr. Thackeray, who accepts teaching position in a “rough” school in
London while searching for an engineering job related to his degree. His colleagues warned him
about the attitudes of the students that he was about to teach. As he arrived at school, he seemed
to be culturally shocked. He witnessed the things that students are not supposed to do. Having
been trained as an engineer he probably not familiar with the styles, techniques and/or strategies
in teaching but still he went on to face the challenges that he may encounter. His duty is to teach
the senior class of North Quay in London where, as the movie portrayed, students are free to do
what they want – smoke, dance inside the classroom, make disturbing noise, insult teachers, put
teachers in danger and even treat teachers as if they did exist in their classroom. As time went by,
he started to implement his own disciplinary actions and tried to treat them as adults. He taught
them the essentials in life and even exposed the learners outside the school. Then on, he started
to gain their respect and started to build intimate relationship. He even started to penetrate into
the depth of his learners’ life. For all the bad experiences that Engr. Thackeray had with his
students he still have the passion to teach them and despite their strict moral code in terms of
race relations between “whites and blacks” he still have the heart willing to love them. Engr.
Thackeray received the letter informing that he was hired to work as an engineer and he felt glad
about it. And when the time came that he and his learners have to separate ways, he was
surprised and touched when one of his students, in behalf of all, offered a song showing their
gratitude for having him as their teacher. One of them gave him a gift with a quote “To Sir with
Love” that made him walked away and cried in secret. Things happened unexpectedly and he
decided to discard his great opportunity to become engineer. He didn’t mind what and who else
will be his future students may look like, all he ever wanted is still to become an engineer –
engineer who helps build students’ strong foundation in life, makes wall for them to lean on, and
paves the road in preparation for their future. After all, he was called to become a teacher.
“Teaching is not a choice we make; rather it is a calling that we have to answer”
The movie was indeed very inspiring. As teacher, I have been encountering problems that are
also common to all teachers. There were even some times that I felt very uneasy when problems
seemed to be impossible to deal with. I don’t know why I chose teaching as my career although
there are more courses offered in many different institutions. But that doesn’t bother me much.
What I am trying to ask about myself before is that “Am I really called to become a teacher?”

2. I cannot give assurance that I will become teacher forever. It depends on the situation. In some
reasons, I love teaching because I love dealing with kids. While watching the movie “To Sir with
Love” I ask myself this question “what if my students were like of that Engr. Thackeray? Will I
survive?” and after watching it I found the very exact answer, it was a “YES”. If Mr Thackeray,
a graduate of engineer, survived with those kinds of students even if teaching is not in line with
his chosen course how much more I who finished the course related to teaching. I was really
challenged then to pursue what I have started. It made me proud that I am a teacher knowing
that, like Engr. Thackeray, I can touch and change lives. There’s a lot of thing that I like about
Engr. Thackeray, it was his love towards his students, his unselfishness, his passion in teaching
and his courage despite the warnings given by some of his colleagues, and lastly his willingness
to sacrifice his personal desires for the benefits of others.
Submitted by: Eric E. Silandote