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The Most Hated Teachers in Cinema · HEEL HAVOC

• Gator: All right, welcome back again to Peel Havoc, the show that celebrates the bad, the good of the bad, and of course just all around villains. I was like sometimes misunderstood. If this is your first time, I'm your boy Gator. I come in every Wednesday, Thursday this week because I ain't gonna lie, I was little selfish. I had some technical difficulties with my mic, sent it off, had it fixed, and I was it was on its way back, finally got here, and I had to wait to That was me being a little selfish. But what is a little selfishness if not with a little reward for doing the hard work? Speaking of hard work, back to school part two. Last week we covered the bullies, the people that made life horrible in cinema. Now let's talk about the teachers, the ones that we hated to see because they always reminded us. Of somebody we went to school, one that one teacher that just did not care how good of a job we did, because they hated us because of us being us. And you know exactly right then, you just had a teacher pop into your mind. You know damn well you did. Because we all had that one. That one that just did not like us. For whatever reason under the sun, they didn't. Well, let's look at some teachers and principals and stuff from the ⁓ cinema world. Because we've all had that one teacher. The one who seemed to enjoy handing out detention, the principal that made school feel like prison. Today we're counting down the meanest teachers, principals, and movies and TV and asking whether they were true villains or just a little misunderstood. So let's jump right into it with the number one. Yes, I am talking about Miss Trenchbull. In case you're wondering, that's from Matilda. I was like, ⁓ yeah, she if okay, if you've ever seen Matilda, then you know exactly what I'm talking about and why she's iconic. Because she is the cold standard of evil educators. I mean, this she comes out gold medalist for hammer throw. And she looks like if you met her in a bar and she had a problem with you. You would definitely cheat to win and swing first. Even if you were all against hitting women in general, you would be scared to wait for her to hit you first. I mean, that's who she was. I mean, she just looked mean. She was horrible. I mean, she throws Amanda Thrip by her pigtails, locks children in the the chokey. Public humiliation is one of her ⁓ strategies, as well as intimidation through fear. And of course, the all and all out popular physical abuse. Man, she is horrible. She is mean. She talks down. She hates kids. She runs Cruncham Hall like a military dictatorship. She is like the one person you're watching should never be anywhere around children, educate children or whatever. But why is she a great villain? Because she doesn't believe children deserve respect. She sees them as problems to be controlled. So in my opinion, the heel havoc opinion and the verdict, she's pure villain. She is one when you're watching, you can't you don't care who the other person is. You want them to beat her down. Whether it be a child, adult, whatever. It doesn't matter. You're rooting for the other person. That is a villain there. Yes, it is. Now let's go to number two. The second one on my list is Principal Richard Vernon. That's gonna sound a little weird to a lot of y'all people, but not my forty plus my Gen Xers and my millennials. That is the Breakfast Club principal, in case you're wondering exactly one. So one Saturday detention, just a handful of students, five to be exact, and one miserable principal. Famous quote from that movie, you mess with the bull and you get the horns. Now he just basically got all these people and he just threw them in a room and said, here, do this. Handed them a piece of paper and a pencil. And they did what kids do, what any teenager would do. I ain't gonna lie, I would have done that. Because it was wrong. Just wasted a whole Saturday. ⁓ god, that's a sleep in day. So was he wrong? I mean he believes discipline creates responsibility, the kids are lazy, duh. Authority must be respected. Meh okay. The students see him as a tyrant, but some of his criticism actually lands. So was Vernon, ask yourself this, was Vernon abusive or simply burned out? Because was he just one of those teachers that has lost his will, his spark, whatever, that makes him want to get up and teach and do the right things and actually build kids up versus tearing them down? Because that's all he seems to be wanting to do is just tear them down. All to just lose at the end of the day. And all he was doing is chilling in another room, doing whatever he felt like doing. So That in my opinion, I was like, he's just more of a burnout that doesn't care anymore. That's just going because he doesn't know anything else. Now, I'm gonna touch base with a little bit of Harry Potter where my pothead's out there. Come on now. Harry Potter, Order of the Phoenix, yes, I cannot be talking about anybody else but Dolores Umbridge, possibly the most hated teacher in fiction. Not because she's loud, because she's polite. Everything she does is wrapped in a smile and rules and all these other great things and it's so much pink that's gonna explode. So what's the worst moment she did? She forces students to write with a blood. silences dissent, refuses practical defense lessons, uses fear through bureaucracy. Man, you everybody loved to hate her. I think it was the pink myself. I mean, that was just too much pink for any person in history. When your sugar's pink, that's too much pink. So why is she different? Because Voldemort uses terror, but Umbridge uses rules. And the paperwork in this case is scarier than magic because you have to follow the rules when you're in school. So naturally, whenever ⁓ the twins fight back with the Glorious flying ⁓ demonstration of fireworks. Man, it was nothing but a pry ⁓ applause, and yes, that was the best. She got what she wanted in the end, or what she needed in the end. Although I don't think she was on the right side to begin with. I think she just took it with a grain, not a grain of salt, but a grain of sugar, and was like, here's how it is. ⁓ god, I hated her so much. I was so happy when she was done. So, and last week we talked about Biff Tannan and being the gold standard number one bully, but let's talk about go back to back to the future with my number four, Mr. Strickland. Now, this is my wild card here. Cause he loved to say slacker. Hill Valley's disciplinarian constantly rides Marty McFly. Yet he's consistent. He treats everyone the same. Not one person is treated with praise or one person treated bad or better than the rest. So was he mean or just tired of teenagers? Or was he kind of Yeah, I was like he was just one of the best and he's seen what the worst brings out in people. I mean, he we've all had that one teacher that was just rules and follow the rules and just loved it reaching out. I had one of my coaches constantly telling someone that he could ruin a wet dream. And the fact is, you always notice and remember these because they don't give up. And they mean it in a yes, mean but playful way sometimes. I don't think he meant slackers and playful way in anyways, but he was definitely ⁓ consistent throughout those films. But let's talk about I know everybody has seen Ferris Bueller's Day Off. And if you haven't, you've been living under a rock, because you should have heard this one. This is like everybody's perfect day wrapped up in happiness and parades and all sorts of stuff. But Principal Ed Rooney. Rooney is obsessed with catching one student, Ferris. ⁓ Ferris Bueller, yes, that's the one. Instead of running a school, which he's paid to do, by the way, he launches a personal investigation. Tracking him down, waiting for him, looking for him. He does not believe for a second that he is actually sick or wanting to be or for any reason. He just wants to ruin it for give him another year just to be mean about it. Now that's not an excuse to skip school unless it's a skip day, then you do what you need to do. But here's the he'll have a question. When does discipline become obsession? And that is a massive question because if you are a teacher or a disciplinarian, if you are obsessed with making one student's life a living hell, or your obsession has become more than anything about just this one person not getting over or having the time of his or her life. Why are you in the ⁓ teaching business? Because it is a business. Huh. But let's like y'all think to yourselves and answer that question. Let's get down to number seven, Mr. Hand, the fasting times at Ridgemont High. Now, here's another one that I put on the list because of the first part, but I really couldn't say about the second one. He's strict, he's no nonsense, and he's got zero patience for Jeff Spagoli. And at first he seems like the villain. He seems like he's going to be the one that you really hate ⁓ throughout the whole thing. But then you see the whole movie, including the glorious pool shot, God bless you. And ⁓ an all-star great cast of young adults. I was like b they have made it a long time on it, but ⁓ by the end you realize that Mr. Hand actually cares whether his students learn. Now, so sometimes caring doesn't look warm as it appears by the end, but he spends the whole spoiler alert by the way, if you haven't seen that, ⁓ he spends the whole evening instead of letting Spicoli go to the party and all this stuff, hangs out with him, makes him read, makes him learn something. Even if it's just one thing, makes him learn. I mean, he actually gave a damn about someone's future. And he knew he was gonna have it harder than the rest. course, you know, Spicoli, if you know anything about this world he probably became a senator or something like that. Now let's get dive back into the Harry Potter world. Now, this is gonna rub a lot of people the wrong way, and I'm curious to see what y'all say. Cause I'm gonna go with Professor Snape. One of fiction's most complicated teachers. He humiliates students, clearly favors Slytherin, which he's the head of Slytherin House, so why not? And he singles out Harry. Now, it appears by all accounts that he does not like Harry from the get go and nobody knows why, what's going on, or anything that's happening, but he's secretly risking his life to protect Hogwarts. I mean Snape is all over the place. I mean like even throwing a Malfoy in the battle in the little duel with Harry. I mean, he is all over just intimidating and destroying Harry Potter. But all of a sudden, turns out he's trying to protect him the whole time. I mean, can someone be a hero and still be a terrible teacher? Because that's really what Snape was. I wouldn't say terrible teacher, just a mean teacher. Let me know in the comments. I'd love to hear it. So, but literally, the scariest teacher isn't the one who gives homework. It's the one who enjoys making students afraid. I mean, can you imagine not wanting to go to a class just because you're scared of the teacher? I mean, the psychology alone of the mean teacher, ⁓ what separates a strict teacher. From a bad teacher. A strict teacher wants you to succeed. A bad teacher wants to control you in the environment you're in. That's the line. One we're gonna get to at the end here 'cause I wanted to throw out a wild card complete at the end. Joe Clark from Lean On Me was strict. Miss Trenchbull was abusive. mister Miyagi challenged Daniel. Dolores Umbridge punished curiosity. So, what does all this say? Intent matters. Now, as we said, the biggest heel turn, Professor Snape. Spends seven books. I mean, how many people were reading or watching the movies, and then all of a sudden he turns out to be the hero that's been protecting Harry all this time? He's looking like a villain, a billion, a villain, ⁓ seven books in, looking like a horrible person. Then you read her realize. May have been one of the greatest heroes all along. How much torture must he have put himself through just to act like he didn't care? So I don't know what y'all let me know. Who do y'all think was the worst ⁓ teacher? Because, in my opinion, not every strict teacher is a villain. They just actually have a different way of doing it, making you want to learn. But every great school villain has one thing in common: they confuse fear with respect. The best educators challenge students because they believe in them. The worst educators punish students because they enjoy the power. And school isn't supposed to be scary. It's isn't supposed to be easy. The best teachers push us, the worst teachers break us. And sometimes the difference between a mentor and a villain isn't how loud they yell, it's why they do it. And that brings me to my final teacher, the one that was not considered a villain by the students, but by the parents. Joe Clark, principal everyone hated, but every school needed. Now, if you haven't seen Lean on Me, Morgan Friedman dominates this movie. I mean, ⁓ like awesome, awesome movie to watch. When Joe Clark walked into East Side High, he wasn't welcomed, he was feared. Students hated him. Teachers questioned him. Parents protested him. But here's the question. Was Joe Clark a tyrant or the hero the school desperately needed? Did he want to make the decisions that everybody else was scared to? Because if Joe Clark became principal today, would he be fired or celebrated? Morgan Freeman played one of the most controversial educators in movie history. He carried a baseball bat. He chained school doors. He expelled drug dealers, yelled at teachers. Yet decades later, many believe schools need another Joe Clark. So in the movie Lean on Me, who was Joe Clark? This is actually based on a true story. Look it up, it has actually happened. Eastside High and Patterson, New Jersey was on the verge of state takeover due to violence, drugs, low test scores, and failing discipline. Clark was brought back to save it. Now here's the heel have it question was Joe Clark the villain of Eastside High or the only adult willing to become unpopular to save it? Because in all a lot of parents' eyes, he was a villain, the person that did his their kids wrong. But a lot of the kids were happy because they were able to learn safely. So why everyone thought he was the villain from the students' perspective perspective? He was terrifying. I mean, carried a baseball bat, screamed at some of the students, expelled hundreds, refused excuses, and embarrassed teachers. On the surface, he looks like the antagonist. He looks like he sounds like he's the worst person in the world. But if your principle had made your life harder, but your future better, would you thank him later? Want you to ask yourself that. What cause one of the movie's most iconic images was Joe Clark carries a baseball bat because ⁓ he through the halls. I mean, even Morgan Freeman's in it. He's like, they used to call me Crazy Joe. Now they can call me Batman. Holding up a bat. Not to attack students, to send a message. Order has returned. It's symbolic, not violent. So how what's the one thing he did at the beginning? One of the film's most controversial moments is Clark removes students involved in gangs, drugs, and violence. Critics said he gave up on kids. Supporters said he protected everyone else. What are your thoughts? I mean, if you have a kid that was expelled, are you gonna just gonna pretend like your son or daughter is just not a a bad apple and let it go on? Or are you gonna say, maybe I failed a little bit as a parent? That's what a lot of parents didn't want to admit. So can saving the majority require sacrificing the few? And this is an incredible ethnic ethical debate. If you had a choice between sacrificing a couple hundred or three hundred or so, whatever, to save a few thousand a couple thousand, to give them better lives, get them better jobs, better educations, would you do it? Or would you just say it's not our problem? Cause Joe Clark doesn't just challenge students, he challenges adults. He tells teachers, do your job. Raise expectations, stop making excuses. His philosophy is simple. Students rise when adults stop lowering the bar. And I know I'm spent a little bit more time on Joe Clark because I liked ⁓ I like the ⁓ thought of a a villain being the true hero. I really do, if you can't tell. ⁓ because he wasn't trying to be liked. He wasn't trying, he was trying to make sure his students graduated and getting the education that they need. I mean, and what do you think about tough love versus fear? Here's a big debate. Did students succeed because they respected Joe Clark? Or they feared Joe Clark. Cuz there's a difference. So, y'all let me know what y'all thought. If you haven't seen the movie, definitely go see it, and then you can make a judgment for yourself. But the real hero moment of the whole place, and if you haven't seen it, spoiler alert: the school must pass the basic skills test. Everyone is watching. If they fail, the state takes over. And at the end, when Eastside passes, it's not just a victory for Joe Clark. It's proof that expectations matter. Real hero moment. You can't deny it at all. Because he just proved that everything he was doing was working. So the real life Joe Clark, like I said, based on a true story. ⁓ He became principal of Eastside High in 1982 and he implemented strict disciplinary policies while also pushing students and staff to believe the school could succeed academically. Like the film, His leadership generated both praise and criticism. Some viewed his methods as transformal, transformational. Others argued that it was too confrontational. So Joe Clark leads through accountability. Basically, he's not saying do this or else. He's saying do this because you can. Do this because I know you are up here. Stop acting like you were down here. ⁓ He doesn't see the worst in people. He's seeing the best, and he's making everybody accountability to be the best person or the best version that they can be. Not every student. Needs the same teacher. So what if? Here's a little twist for you. What if Joe Clark had to become the villain so the students could become the heroes? Think about it. Nobody cheers the principal enforcing the rules until years later. When they realized those rules changed lives, probably saved a few. I mean, there's been a lot of teachers, educators and defected in movies as far as good. Joe Clark, John Keating, Dead Poet Society, Miyagi, Dewey Finn, School of Rock, Aaron Gruel. But Joe Clark kinda leads the top for me because he was exactly, in my opinion, exactly what a situation needed to get it done. They needed the bad guy. They needed someone to blame. Why the students showed everybody what it can be done if you allow us to do it. So can you be a great leader without being liked? Because Joe Clark understood something many leaders struggle with. Popularity isn't leadership. Doing what somebody likes or makes them like you doesn't make it doesn't make you a better leader. It just makes you a politician. For lack of better terminology, in my opinion. But a politician doesn't get everything done that they think they do. They're great at talking, though. And a lot of people love what they say. But while a lot of people love them, like them. Sometimes you got to be that hard nosed to get things done. And sometimes leadership means making decisions that people dislike in the moment because you believe they benefit in the long run. So should y'all tell me if I'm wrong here. Should principals be friends with students? Is strict discipline compatible with compassion? Can you demand excellence without humiliating people? And where is the line of accountability and authoritism? These questions move beyond the movie into real leadership. So let's ha ha let's think about if his methods were moved into today's school. If Joe Clark's methods were used, would they be viewed as necessary? Like, think about it. The school, if you have kids or you've you've gone to school or going to school, how much life would be better if you're a student and all the people that you have to worry about fighting. Gangs, shootings, things like that, instead of no child left behind, how about no child sacrificed? Is Joe Clark's outdated? Okay. Is his ⁓ ways effective, but too extreme? Impossible under today's educational environment. I I mean I believe all ⁓ to be honest, I mean if a principal like this showed up today, he would be voted out, got out so quickly because every child parent out there wants to believe that their child is an angel that could do no wrong and let's face it's people, that is not the case. It just makes you more blind and a bigger idiot than they are. So, in my opinion, Joe Clark may have been hated by parents and some a lot of students, but he wasn't a villain. He was a leader who accepted being misunderstood. And that doesn't mean every decision he made was perfect. His confrontational style remains controversial, and reasonable people can disagree about some of his methods. But his story reminds us that leadership Often measured not by applause in the moment, but by the long term impact on the people you're trying to help. So, that being said, Joe Clark didn't ask his students to like him. He asked them to believe they were capable of more. And sometimes the person yelling at you isn't trying to hold you back, they're trying to push you forward. And maybe the greatest principals aren't remembered for being popular. They're remembered for refusing to give up on students everyone else had already written off. Sometimes you need the bad guy. I know. We're coming on the heel havoc verdict. So that being said, I went through my favorites as far as bad educators, mean educators, and even Joe Clark, who was the bad guy that school needed. I hope you have enjoyed this episode in the back to school. I'm back to work hard for all of y'all, so I'm gonna get back to the grind. Make some new episodes. We got a lot of things coming back. I mean, or coming up that I gotta get involved in. I'm actually go, I was gonna do one about President Snow. But then my wife was like, you can't do that till you read all the books. Well, I'm reading all the books. That way I can make complete sense of this. And I am gonna break a lot of hearts. And I hate to tell you, you're not gonna like it, but you will understand it. Till then. Tune into Hill Havoc every Wednesday and have a great time where here it's good to be bad.