Lean On Me

Lean on Me In the film Lean on Me, Joe Clark, played by Morgan Freeman, took on the responsibility of being the principle for a troubled inner-city high school. The students at this high school were mainly minority children, faced by issues of poverty, drugs, and racism everyday. The state of New Jersey claimed that this school was heading nowhere but down and that the teachers were unable to teach the children the basic skills they needed to survive in the world.

I feel the causes of the schools poor quality was to the lack of money & funds they receive from the state which lead to poor programming. The children whom attended the school had a lack of motivation and direction. They were unsure as to what they wanted to achieve with their lives. They needed to be inspired by their teachers, and their families. However, as seen in this film, children in the inner-city setting often never find the inspiration and direction they need to succeed. Many of them have parents that do not want to play an active role in the lives of their children.

I feel that in the case of this film, Joe Clark?s authoritarian methodology of administering was very effective. This school and the children who attended it needed someone to ?take charge?, and build it back up to shape. He first kicked out the ?trouble students?, then he cleaned the halls of the graffiti, then he chained the doors to keep the drug dealers out. He gave students confidence and inspiration to succeed. He gave them a common goal, to ?prove the state wrong?. He enforced in their minds that they were not ignorant and they were capable of anything. By insisting they learn the school song he gave them a sense of pride. I feel that Joe Clark did just what the school and most importantly the students needed to ?turn the school around?. In the end, his methods of leadership worked, for the students achieved just what they had set out to do, pass the basic skills test given by the state.

The women who fought Joe Clark?s