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Principal Clark Lean On Me

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A Shove – Gentle and In the Right Direction, of Course.
The school sat in extreme disrepair. Walls were marked by graffiti and halls ran by drug dealers with brutal efficiency made the school seem more like a battle zone than one that’s purpose was to educate the children of East Side High. The school was on the verge of being taken by the state and the students needed a miracle. Luckily enough for them, that miracle arrived in the form of Joe Clark, who went in and took care of business and along the way, taught life lessons and learned a few him self. In the movie, Lean on Me, Principal Clark delivers a heartfelt speech that motivated the students in such a manner that the percentage of passing students would rise enough to meet the standard …show more content…

75% of the student body needed to show that they were in possession of basic skills. In the scene of the movie that I have chosen, Clark is giving a speech to the student body that will be taking a very important test in an hour. The state of the school is resting on the results from that particular test. Previously, only 33% had been able to show a satisfactory score on the exam. Clark, the principal played by Morgan Freeman, had somewhat given up on the student body and the school itself in the past. 20 years beforehand, he had been a teacher there at that very school. The faculty had been in the process of seeking a higher salary. His colleagues negotiated to have a higher pay raise but they had to go along with the transfer of Clark to another school in the district. See, he was too radical for what was then, a school that exceeded all expectation academically and happened to be predominately white. Oddly enough, it was those very same colleagues that sold him out, that were in need of his expertise and help this time. Mr. Clark had gained a formidable reputation as possessing the talent to get things in order and making it so that they stayed that way. He weeded through the students that were not at the school to procure their education. Those that were left were serious about doing their best. Some were hungry for a little direction and guidance. Some had parents or a parent that also needed help getting their life on track. His words and actions affected many people in this movie. Principal Clark went on to use ethos and logos very effectively and roused the student body’s morale such much so that they would do their very best on the very important exam, which would determine the future of their school. This would doubtlessly go on and

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