Matilda: A Review

When I was younger one of my favourite movies (and books) was Matilda. I remember my dad read the novel by Roald Dahl to me when I was in elementary school and later when the movie came out I watched it on repeat because I loved it so much. At the time the movie and book was just something that I found fun and light-hearted. I liked that Matilda was around my age and loved to read like I did as a child. Today looking back on Matilda I see how it is more than just an adorable story about a little girl who comes to stand up for herself, but really reflects on teaching styles.

The story Matilda is about a young girl, by the same name who is gifted. Not only is she a genius but she has some “super powers” as well. While the entire story is not about education, it is a large part of the plot. Matilda is an outcast in her family because of the way she is. She spends days at the library and can read stacks and stacks of books in a short period of time. Because of the way Matilda’s parents feel about her they send her to a school that is known to be dreary and depressing with a principal (Ms. Trunchbull) that uses force and fear as a way to control the students, however Matilda is placed in a classroom that is full of joy and colour, taught by a teacher named Ms. Honey.

Ms. Trunchbull and Ms. Honey are complete opposites and show how a great teacher can really inspire the students. Ms. Trunchbull is a grown up version of a play group bully. She terrorizes the children at the school so that they dread every second of the day that they are there, even going as fat as to punish children by putting them in the “chokey”( a small closet type space with spikes sticking out of the walls). Ms. Trunchbull creates a school in which no one wants to learn to take part. On the other hand there is Ms. Honey. Ms. Honey decorates her classroom with bright colours, she brings in flowers and does everything she can to try and motivate the children. She encourages them to do their best and has a genuine interest in the students and their well being. This clip from the movie shows the extreme difference in the character of Ms. Trunchbull and Ms. Honey. While what happens in this movie is extremely far fetched it still shows the need for a teacher to show real interest in their students.

While this story may not be meant to show how much difference an encouraging teacher can make I think it does just that. I bad teacher can be disheartening for a student, and I’m sure everyone has had their fair share of bad teachers and knows this to be true. A good teacher can make all the difference when it comes to learning.