I went to the school, Carlmont High School in Belmont, CA in the late 80's/early 90's which is when the teacher Louann Johnson(?) whatever her name is taught there. Having spoken with some people who had her as a teacher she rather exaggerated her 'saving angel' effect, at least on her regular classes & one of the people she features as a chapter in her book "My Posse Don't Do Homework". (not to mention as an Eng. teacher, she didn't write very well.) Anyway, the book further misrepresents the school. Yes, it is a fairly middle to upper middle class area where less economically disadvantaged kids get bused in from EPA (east Palo Alto)- yes, unfortunately as in most of our society it tends to be split on racial lines. However, a. our school looks like concrete bunkers, (I heard they filmed Burlingame High). b. We've never had metal detectors for guns & such. Our school is not some inner-city LA school like it was portrayed in the film. Granted, I experienced the high school from a relatively privelleged side of it, I don't know what that special program that the film concentrates on was like. And for a lot of those kids, their life in EPA was comparable to the stories you hear of inner-city/East LA kinda life. It's like any movie where you know the "real story". Those who don't know the school/area would probably like it since they don't see the errors. As a fictional story about a fictional school, I liked it.
Although it *did* get sort of get close to that stereotype of brave white person coming to rescue the poor Latino/African-American kids single-handedly.
Although it *did* get sort of get close to that stereotype of brave white person coming to rescue the poor Latino/African-American kids single-handedly.