The movie An Apartment for Peggy (director George Seaton) was made in 1948. This movie is a good example of how a professor changes his teaching ways and views on education. Professor Barnes has been retired for 8 years and is planning to commit suicide because “life is becoming repetitious and dull.” He feels that he has contributed all he can to life, that he has seen and done all he could. However he meets Peggy and she changes his outlook on teaching and living. In this movie teaching is viewed as an act that is done to students. The only person active in the classroom is the professor. Learning is viewed a passive activity much like with Richard Rodriguez and learning by rote. “...education is largely a matter of acquiring knowledge already discovered.” (Rodriguez p.89)
This movie takes place after world war two and Peggy and her husband, Jason, are looking for a place to live while he is in school to become a chemistry teacher. The GI Bill of Rights states that they should have adequate housing . Peggy meets Professor Henry Barnes and ends up moving into his attic with her husband.
Peggy learns that one of her friend’s husband is stepping out on her and Peggy gets an idea. She realizes that she and the other wives need to cross the bridge to educate themselves to help ensure a strong marriage. Though these wives were not entering the workforce they needed to cross the bridge into the public world to educate themselves. They needed to have this education in order to have “intellectual” conversations with their husbands.
The idea Peggy has is to have Professor Barnes “teach” the wives about philosophy. What happens is that as Henry lectures, the women start to ask questions. Then a lively conversation starts among the wives and Henry realizes that he was “never an educator just an instructor.” Other professors were watching this unfold and wanted to teach these wives as well. The professors saw how teaching could/should look. So more classes were added for the wives to partake.
There are many themes that run throughout this movie that make me think of the readings I have done for this class. In The Schoolhome questions were raised about how women would cope or remain if they entered the public world. Though the movie doesn’t have the women entering the workforce it does have them become educated and asking the why. I believe that as the wives start asking the why there is the likelihood for them to grow away from their husbands. That wives would start seeing their world in a different light. Some wives may even want to attend college and enter the workforce. At the minimum many want to be “educated.”
Again from the Schoolhome, is the theme that schools/classrooms should be an extension of the ideal home. Professor Barnes allows this to happen when authentic conversation occurs when he is “teaching.” He makes the connection to the women about what they know to the “great” philosophers. From this point the wives really open up and realize that they want to learn more. So Professor Barnes invites the women to start reading books that they had never heard of to learn more.
Another theme in this movie is that Henry feels that the younger generation is losing its traditions. Unlike Richard Rodriguez who feels put out by losing his traditions, Henry sees that much is gained by this younger generation as they become educated. It is not quite the same because the characters in the movie are not losing part of their ethnicity. However, you can image that it could drive a wedge between the educated men and the women who are asking the why.
One scene from this movie shows a young couple trying to get their baby to sleep. They are having difficulties because of the loud music a group of professors are playing. The wife wants the husband to go speak to his professor. However, the husband feels that he can’t rock the boat because the professor may change his grade.
In this movie professors are regarded as all knowing and all powerful. However, when the husband, Jason, speaks about becoming a chemistry teacher he comments that people feel that you become a teacher if you can’t become anything else. He wants to teach to help people learn. There is a conflicting message about educators in this movie. The professors are there to instill their knowledge and teachers become teachers to help students learn.
I like how this movie shows the evolution of Professor Barnes thinking about being an educator, “You have taught me.” He started as lecturer but then realized that education should be about asking the why. Peggy explains to him her point of view on education, not only does information need to be taught but so does honesty and fairness. This circles back the Schoolhome and how schools/classrooms should be an extension of the ideal home.
I enjoyed this movie and appreciated how Professor Barnes evolves. I liked that the movie took a serious subject like suicide and showed why life was worth living and how learning can/should happen throughout a lifetime. I enjoyed watching the group of wives have the lightbulb go on when they are conversing with Professor Barnes. It makes you think of when you are working with a student and they finally “get it.” You feel that great sense of pride for that student The film confirms my belief that educators are not just instructors, we are much more. I believe that I appreciated this movie because of my feelings about how teachers need to be there for their students and how teachers need to connect with their students and their parents. Though becoming a college graduate was never discussed in my family is was just assumed. I can understand why Peggy felt the way she did about her husband finishing school. That by having a degree he would be seen and feel “educated” and that he would have a rightful place in the workforce. Though today’s world a college degree does not guarantee a successful career, college still helps students ask the why.
From watching this movie and being in this class I can see the steps more clearly on what a teacher should be. I think taking the time and meeting with parents is important. Understanding what they want out of a teacher and expressing what you can give as a teacher is a step that should be taken. It is necessary to see all students as individuals. Creating a warm and safe learning is important. Also, knowing who I am and what I want to achieve in the classroom is another step that needs to be taken.
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