7 Teaching Skills from “To Sir With Love”

7 Teaching Skills from “To Sir With Love”

Have you watched the movie “To Sir With Love”? It is the best movie about teaching that you will ever watch. 

It is a classic movie about Mark Thackeray (Sidney Poitier), who takes a job in London’s tough East End to make ends meet while continuing to look for a job as an engineer. The movie portrays Thackeray’s journey as he sets out to mold the mind of his students, but the reality is more like a wild rodeo. Thackeray teaches us a crucial lesson: there is no behavior to manage; it is about building relationships. 

The movie is an intense Continuing Professional Development course with 7 major skills every teacher needs to know to build positive relationships with their students. 

So wait no more, and while you are waiting for the corn to pop, here are the 7 Teaching Skills from “To Sir With Love” .

1- Dress to Impress

Thackeray is a consistent man, starting with the way he looks. Tailored suit, tie, and shiny shoes—He dresses to impress and impressing he does as described by his colleague: Big, broad, handsome, clean, intelligent, looking like he stepped out of a bandbox.

Why is this important? 

He creates a clear distinction between him and them. 

He shows that non-negotiables are not only for his students but also for himself. 

He shows that he has self-respect and that he respects them. (read more about the importance of choosing the right clothes to work). 

I am the one to criticize if I fail to maintain the standards I ask of you.

Mark Thackeray

2- Own your Classroom

As soon as Thackeray enters the classroom, he lays down the law. Whether he claps his hands or gives them the look, he does not start his lesson before the students are silent. 

You are going to listen when I speak, and when I am finished, one of you may have your say without interruption.

Mark Thackeray

At a turning point, Thackeray loses his temper when he discovers sanitary pads burning in the classroom’s crate. He angrily orders the boys out of the classroom and excoriates the girls for their disgusting, “sluttish” behavior. There is a time for kind words and a time to assert one’s authority.

If you must play these filthy games, do them in your home and not in my classroom.

Mark Thackeray

Why is this important? 

A classroom is a learning environment, and the leader of this learning environment ought to structure it, to set boundaries. This is not about managing behavior, but about introducing yourself to your students and setting clear expectations to create a safe environment. This is about telling them who you are, what you are made of, and on which basis you will interact with them. After all, the classroom is your territory, so you must make it yours; only then can you lead your students to own that very room. They will probably not follow your rules right away, but if you are consistent with your expectation, they will eventually do. (Read more about the importance of owning your classroom).

3- Make a seating plan and enforce it

The unruly mob considers the classroom as their domain, but Thackeray is adamant and resolute in taming them. He does not allow them to sit where they want.  

Take your proper places.

Mark Thackeray

Why is this important?

A key element to building relationships with students starts with the seating plan: divide and rule. As a teacher, you are in control; the classroom is your space, and the seating plan is your creation. Eventually, the intention is to create a positive learning environment and improve student focus.

4- Teach Self-respect

In one of the most iconic scenes of the movie, Thackeray comes back to the classroom after the sanitary pad incident. He comes back with a different mindset and starts laying out the new rules, but Pam interrupts him explaining to everyone why she is late. 

There are two ways to enter a room; one is like an adult, a lady with dignity. The other is like a brat. Mrs. Pam has just shown the second way. Perhaps you would care to demonstrate the first.

Mark Thackeray

Pam was taught an embarrassing public lesson.

Later on, Thackeray wins the heart of his students when he decides to address them as adults.

The young ladies will be addressed as misses. The boys by their surnames.

Mark Thackeray

He also encourages young men to take hygiene more seriously and is not scared to speak harshly.

I’ve seen garbage collectors who are cleaner.

Mark Thackeray

Why is this important? 

When students have self-respect, they are less likely to tolerate mistreatment or engage in self-destructive behavior as they develop a positive self-image. It eventually leads to better decision-making skills and greater resilience when facing challenges, a key to preparing our students to enter the adult world. 

5- Be a Mentor and Listen to your Students

Throughout the movie, Thackeray personifies tough love. He truly cares for them.

At first, he aimed to help them academically, but he is attentive to their needs and prefers to engage in focusing on life skills and preparing them for the real world. This way, Thackeray has managed to create a safe environment and imposed himself as the adult his students can rely on. 

When Seales’ mother passes away, he doesn’t know where to go and finds his way to the classroom, the only place he can feel safe and find comfort. 

Thackeray takes the time to get to know each of his students as individuals and tries to understand their motivations and challenges. He shows empathy and compassion towards them and tries to build a sense of community in the classroom.

Not only does he listen to his students, but he also gives away a bit of his personal life when they become curious about him. For teenagers who come from rough homes and working-class families, finding out that the well-dressed and well-spoken Thackeray was born a poor boy, washed dishes and cars to earn pennies, and that English is almost a second language to him allows them to connect with him. 

You’re like us, but you ain’t, I mean you’re not. It’s kind of scary but nice.

Pegg

Why is this important:

Many students face personal and social issues. By taking on the role of a mentor, you can help them develop confidence and skills that could help them navigate through adulthood. With genuine regular interactions, you will build a strong and meaningful relationship based on respect and have a positive impact on the students’ personal growth. 

The point is, if you are prepared to work hard, you can do almost anything.

Mark Thackeray

6- Hold your Students Accountable

Thackeray holds his students accountable for their actions and doesn’t hesitate to discipline them when necessary. However, he does so in a way that is respectful and helps the students learn from their mistakes.

After Potter threatened to hit his PE teacher with a stick, Thackeray encouraged him to apologize. And yes, the PE teacher did wrong, but at that very moment, it is Potter who is at risk of having to deal with the law. 

I am not concerned with his behavior but with yours. Are you going to use a weapon every time someone makes you angry? Do you think you behaved like an adult?

Mark Thackeray

Why is this important:

Holding students accountable fosters a culture of achievement and promotes a positive learning environment. It also prepares young adults for adult life, where they will have to become responsible and have to answer for their actions. 

You will be adults in a few weeks with all the responsibilities that imply, so from now on, you will be treated as such by me and by each other as adults, responsible adults.

Mark Thackeray

7- Be as Cool as a Cucumber

One of his most prominent traits of Thackeray is his stoicism. The students try him, play tricks and almost injure him, but he remains expressionless and carries on as if nothing has happened. 

Denham repeatedly and intentionally mispronounces his name (Faggeray) 

Eventually, the boy gets tired of not being able to trigger his anger, and provokes him with boxing gloves. 

Thackeray first refused but eventually agreed. He receives early blows but ends the fight with a massive abdominal punch that knocks the wind out of Denham. 

Thackeray could have used this opportunity to throw a couple of punches and finish Denham, but he controls himself and does not fall into the trap of revenge. 

Why is this important

By remaining level-headed, you can defuse tense situations and model behaviors that promote positive outcomes. You are also less likely to take bad behavior personally or to become overwhelmed by it and instead can respond with clarity and purpose. 

Takeaways

The next time you are running short of ideas for your CPD sessions, make it easy on yourself, play short clips from “To Sir With Love,” and engage in discussions about the 7 skills it teaches us to build relationships with students. We can complain about the behavior of our students, but it eventually comes down to us to find a way to connect with them. After all, we are the adults in the room.