Term Paper: 21st Century Literature from the Philippines and the World (May 2024) PDF

**Term Paper** in 21^st^ CENTURY LITERATURE FROM THE PHILIPPINES AND THE WORLD Submitted by: **Kim Kardashian** Kahayag Student Submitted to: **SHANN KARDASHIAN** Instructor, 21^st^ Century Lit Lebak Legislated National High School Poblacion III, Lebak, Sultan Kudarat May 2024 Table of C...

**Term Paper** in 21^st^ CENTURY LITERATURE FROM THE PHILIPPINES AND THE WORLD Submitted by: **Kim Kardashian** Kahayag Student Submitted to: **SHANN KARDASHIAN** Instructor, 21^st^ Century Lit Lebak Legislated National High School Poblacion III, Lebak, Sultan Kudarat May 2024 Table of Contents I. Introduction...... 1 Plot....... 2 II. Critique....... 6 About the Plot..... 6 About the Character.... 7 III. Conclusion...... 8 IV. Citation....... 9 C:\\Users\\HP Pavilion DM1\\Desktop\\bad-teacher-movie11.jpg **[ABSTRACT]** Bad Teacher (2011) is a comedy film starring Cameron Diaz as Elizabeth Halsey, a cynical and disaffected middle school teacher. Elizabeth is primarily motivated by self-interest, laziness, and a desire to escape her job, all while attempting to win the affections of a wealthy substitute teacher, Scott Delacorte (Justin Timberlake). She is highly inappropriate, unprofessional, and has little regard for her students or the rules. However, when she learns of a teaching award that could provide her with a large cash prize for cosmetic surgery, Elizabeth begins to reluctantly compete with her overly enthusiastic colleague, Amy Squirrel (Lucy Punch), who is determined to be the \"ideal\" teacher. As the story unfolds, Elizabeth\'s bad behavior leads to personal and professional consequences, but ultimately, she begins to undergo a subtle transformation. The film explores themes of selfishness, personal growth, and the complexities of morality, all wrapped in a raunchy, irreverent comedic tone. I. **[INTRODUCTION]** Teaching requires various methods and techniques to make sure that students learn. The teacher is someone who causes others to learn. He is a person who exerts considerable influence in the life of other people specifically the students under his care. A teacher, therefore, must be flexible enough to accommodate and/or address all the needs and concerns of the students. Teachers are important models for behaviour. The way a teacher handles the problems of every school day can show the students the importance of being reasonable, consistent, pleasant, and firm. Other good characteristics of teachers are being empathic, optimistic, open-minded, creative, humorous, calm, respectful, inspirational, enthusiastic, and passionate. All of these qualities depict effective teachers who will mold their students for better future. However, it is sad to note that there are also bad teachers. These teachers are those who lack subject knowledge, act unprofessionally, cannot diagnose learning problems, obsessive about the method, focus on the wrong goals, and worst, have no goals at all. These qualities are portrayed in the film "Bad Teacher." From the title itself, the meaning is implied. To understand further, the plot of the movie is provided in following pages. Plot of *"Bad Teacher"* The story starts with Elizabeth Halsey's ([Cameron Diaz](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cameron_Diaz)) farewell speech where she flashbacks her year of service in the fictional John Adams Middle School. Ms. Halsey is engaged to a wealthy man. But when her fiancé realizes that she is only after his money, he dumps her. She has no money left then. She must have a job in order to live. Three months later, she works as a middle school teacher who curses at her students, drinks heavily, smokes [marijuana](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cannabis_(drug)), and only shows movies while she sleeps through class. She also scans magazines and focuses on the breasts of the models, wishing she has good-shaped breasts too. She as well gets herself busy in finding a guy who will take care of her. When the wealthy substitute teacher Scott Delacorte ([Justin Timberlake](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Justin_Timberlake)), arrives in the school, she tries to win his heart. Similarly, Amy Squirrel ([Lucy Punch](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucy_Punch)), a dedicated but overly enthusiastic teacher and colleague of Elizabeth, also pursues Scott while the school\'s gym teacher, Russell Gettis ([Jason Segel](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jason_Segel)), makes advances on Elizabeth, which she rejects. After learning Scott\'s ex-girlfriend had large breasts, Elizabeth plans to get surgery to [enlarge her breasts](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breast_augmentation), believing she is being overlooked by him. However, she cannot afford the \$9,300 procedure. To make matters worse, Scott admits that he has a crush on Amy, only viewing Elizabeth as a friend. Elizabeth attempts to raise money for the surgery by participating in her 7th grade class car wash in provocative clothing and by manipulating parents to give her money for more school supplies and tutoring, but her efforts are not enough. Amy, acting on the growing resentment between them due to her pursuit of Scott and ignoring of school rules, attempts to warn the principal about Elizabeth\'s [embezzlement](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Embezzlement) scheme, but the principal dismisses her claims as groundless. Elizabeth later learns that the teacher of the class with the highest state test scores will receive a \$5,700 bonus. With this knowledge, Elizabeth decides to change her style of teaching, forcing the class to study intensely for the upcoming test. However, the change is too late and insufficient. The students have low scores on their quizzes, frustrating her even more. Meanwhile, she befriends Russell the gym teacher as Amy and Scott start dating. To succeed in getting the bonus money for her surgery, Elizabeth steals the state test answers by impersonating a journalist and seducing Carl Halabi ([Thomas Lennon](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Lennon_(actor))), a state professor who is in charge of creating and distributing the exams. Elizabeth convinces Carl to go into his office to have some sex, but she drugs him and steals the test. A month later, Elizabeth wins the bonus and finally completes the money and pays for the appointment to get her breasts enlarged. Meanwhile, when Elizabeth learns that Amy and Scott are chaperoning an upcoming field trip, she smears an apple with [poison ivy](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poison_ivy) and leaves it for Amy, who ends up with blisters covering her face and cannot go. On the trip, Elizabeth seduces Scott. They had sex without penetration (I do not know how it is being called) and Elizabeth secretly calls Amy using Scott\'s phone leaving a message recording all the action ensuring she knows about the affair. However, Scott\'s peculiar behavior disappoints Elizabeth. Elizabeth later gives advice to one of her students (Matthew J. Evans) who has an unrequited crush on a superficial girl in class, which causes her to reflect on how she has been superficial as well. For the meantime, after hearing Elizabeth and Scott having sex, the enraged Amy switches Elizabeth\'s desk with her own to trick the janitor into unlocking Elizabeth\'s sealed drawer. The evidence Amy finds leads her to suspect Elizabeth cheated on the state exam. Amy informs the principal and gets Carl to testify against her. However, Elizabeth took embarrassing photos of Carl while he was drugged and uses them to blackmail him to say she is innocent. Having noticed her desk was switched, Elizabeth informs the principal that some teachers in the school are doing drugs. When the police bring a sniffer dog to search the school, they find Elizabeth\'s mini liquor bottles, [marijuana](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marijuana)  and [OxyContin](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OxyContin) pills in Amy\'s classroom. As a result, Amy is moved to the worst school in the county by the superintendent. Scott asks Elizabeth to start over, but Elizabeth rejects him in favor of a relationship with Russell. When the new school year starts, Elizabeth is kinder to her co-workers, has started a relationship with Russell, and did not get the breast enlargement because she feels that she looks fine the way she is. Elizabeth also has a new position in the school as the new [guidance counselor](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/School_counselor). II. **[BODY]** **[Critique about the Story]** I am a little bit surprised when I first watch this film. I never expect that there exists a teacher as horrible as Ms. Halsey. However, I like it. It makes me laugh. The setting is perfect for me. The fictional school depicts a scenario of a typical school where a teacher meets various students with different personalities. Moreover, the cast of characters portray their roles very well. No doubt Justine Timberlake and Cameron Diaz win Best Actor and Best Actress awards respectively. The use of flashback makes the story more understandable. The language is easy to comprehend yet there are some words which are not appropriate for minors. I think one of the major conflicts in the movie is the rivalry between Elizabeth and Amy in winning the heart of the wealthy substitute teacher, Scott. Although Scott has a big crush on Amy (which frustrates Elizabeth the most), he realizes that he likes Elizabeth. However, it is too late because the seductive teacher is getting close to the gym teacher. I deem the theme of the film is being contented with what someone has. Elizabeth longs for having big breasts. For her, this is the description of being sexy. The good thing is that, at last, she realizes that she looks fine. She does not need to proceed to an expensive surgery just to change something in her body. The things that I do not get in the film are the ending part. I cannot comprehend how a terrible Ms. Halsey becomes the Guidance Counselor of the same school. Does she have the skills to guide the children knowing her bad image? She must have consequences for all her bad actions. Well, I think it is up to the viewers to comprehend. Anyway, at least she finds the man she has been looking for. **[About the Character]** My favorite character in the movie is of course, the superficial Ms. Halsey. She is incredibly hot as a teacher. She is also crazy. She has the guts to tell her pupil that her marijuana is medicinal and she is brings prohibited drugs in the classroom. Regarding her personal life, she has the courage to continue living even though her fiancé breaks their engagement. And she still has the face to ask money from her ex-fiancé for her procedure. How funny! Although it is visible that she is not a good teacher, she is not bad after all. There is an altruistic part of her when her pupil (Matthew Evans), gets embarrassed in front of his classmates. She unwears her bra and gives it to the child to mean something. Even though this is not a good example, at least, she shows care for the boy. III. **[CONCLUSION]** I admire Elizabeth's personality. She has the persistence to force herself to teach. How I wish she uses her cleverness in doing good for her students and fellow workers. If she has done it, she could be the best teacher in her school. I accept as true that good teachers are rare, and few people, including school administrators who hire teachers, know what it takes to be one. However, I also believe that everyone deserves a chance to enhance and develop herself personally and professionally. To conclude, let me quote what Elizabeth said in her farewell speech, "I do not need a blackboard or a classroom to set an example." Whether she means it or not, as a teacher, it inspires me a lot. IV. **[CITATION]** - - - - - - - - - - - -