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Teacher TV: Sixty Years of Teachers on Television
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Published by Peter Lang Publishing in September 2008. This book examines some of the most influential teacher characters presented on television from the earliest sitcoms to contemporary dramas and comedies. Both topical and chronological, the book follows a general course across decades and focuses on dominant themes and representations. Although, each chapter presents an overview of the all the teachers on television for each decade, the focus will connect some of the most popular shows of the era to larger cultural themes. “1950s Gender Wars: Our Miss Brooks and Mister Peepers” looks at acceptable behavior for men teachers and women teachers on television and offers a context for making links to how gender is socially constructed in popular culture and in society. The racial tensions of the 1960s take a more implicit form on two series and are examined in “1960s Race and Social Relevancy: The Bill Cosby Show and Room 222.” In “1970s Ideology and Social Class: Welcome Back Kotter and The Paper Chase,” both lower and upper ends of the class spectrum are blunted in favor of storylines that are personal and predictable instead of overtly political. The 1980s mark a return to conservatism, and two popular television sitcoms mark the transition by validating educational privileges for elite students in “1980s Normalizing Meritocracy: The Facts of Life and Head of the Class.” The 1990s mark a time of significant change for teachers on television. In “Gaining Ground From Margin to Center: Hangin’ With Mr. Cooper and My So Called Life,” illustrate the mundane and the provocative in teacher depictions on television. In “Embracing Multiculturalism: Boston Public,” this drama serves as an exemplar of the 2000s to examine themes such as race, gender, and sexual orientation while viewing them through a new lens. The final chapter looks at the most pressing problems confronting teachers, students, and inner-city public schools in contemporary life by examining The Wire in depth. We explore arger issues related to depictions of students, administrators, and schools in “What About Students and Schools?” through an examination of race and I poverty, the culture of testing, and dropping out. If you would like to purchase this book please click here: |