The teacher of the kids that won I thought was disgusting! Her fake "I want so much for the kids" was to me crap, she wanted that win and didn't care how she got it, she was so mean to that one boy I couldn't believe it, if my kids had a teacher like her I would take them out of the class. I loved her kids but wanted her to lose so bad!
shareWhich kid are you talking about? I thought she was very reasonable to all the kids. She wanted to make sure that those kids picked up the motivation and drive, individuality, self confidence, respect for others and competitive spirit that will put them on the right track to success and an open future for whatever they want to do. If you are talking about Jonathan I thought she handled that situation well. We obviously did not get to hear what he said to Wilson, but he also refused to dance with one f the girls. I thougt she was a great teacher and that she did care for these kids i.e the shopping scene.
shareIt actually does say in one part that Johnathan called Wilson "gay" and that is why he had to apologize. I think her response to that situation was very appropriate if not too forgiving!
sharei tend to agreee with the majority of things everyone's said. i think she was a bit too aggressive, for example in reharsals when she told one couple that the dancing they just did was 'ugly', and i also believe that all her 'i just want it for the kids', was a tad fake, But at the end of the day, she's makign a difference in the lives of those children. She's keeping them off the streets and helping them to find somehting they're truly good at! I think she was kinda underneath it all....
sharewhen the teacher called what he was doing ugly, it was a literal translation from the spanish language. yes, feo does mean ugly, but the word usage in the spanish language is much less abrassive, at least in this case.
shareI am very serious when I say this. Well aren't you the spanish wiz. I'm glad that you told me that. I agreed with her before then
think you have to take the ugly in context also- she was saying the dancing was not pretty.. very doubtful she was going up to the kid and saying, your ugly...
shareI thought she was kind of mean and a little aggressive, but at the same time... she really pushed those kids to succeed and she put in a lot of time to ensure they're success. I doubt those kids would have had the same result if they hadn't have had such a determined teacher.
sharedid you not see the powerful interview about how she wishes only the best for the kids. when she talked about how she doesn't make that much money, but she does get to impact the lives of some of the kids? and wishes she could go inside the bodies of ALL of the kids, to make the difference that they deserve as individuals...
she was a caring woman, who helped out a lot of kids, and sure, some may not get the same impact from her teaching, but no one can touch 25 kids at once.
I like what you're doing ms. teacher lady. keep it up.
What??!??!? I LOVED Ms. Reynoso! I thought she was one of the best teachers... She was honest with them and showed that she deeply cares for those children. After all, what other teacher would take her kids shopping! Sure, she pushed them... she showed that she is competitive and I think the kids wanted it just the same as she did. I thought she was awesome! I really thought all of the teachers were terrific...
shareHmmm...I thought she came off pretty harsh and too pushy, but then on the other side of the spectrum the other teacher (Allison I think her name was) came off as too flaky and not assertive enough. Neither of them hit that middle ground but I guess both of them had good intentions which counts for something. Then again as they say the road to hell is paved with good intentions.
shareAt first I was a bit put off by Ms. Reynoso, but by the end I'd changed my mind. I think the important thing to remember is that she came from the same kind of background as the children she was teaching, so she knew that the world was never going to give them an easy ride and if they wanted to accomplish anything, they'd have to work harder than the more priviledged kids they were competing against. She pushed them hard, but she was a damn good teacher.
shareIt seems really easy to be a critic here, but I wonder how many of you critics have tried teaching children. Sure, she's not perfect; she's human. But she's doing a hell of a lot more for our kids than most. (I would personally rate her as pretty damn great). Instead of knocking a teacher, how about volunteering for an hour or two a week in a public classroom? It might change the way you look at teachers. Ms Reynoso: rock on.
shareThe Latina was my least favorite instructor, followed by those two women in Long Island. The Latina could easily be on THE APPRENTICE. Too harsh, too venal. Probably a middle-aged version of what some of her female students will turn out to be like, sad to say. The Russian instructor was tops, followed by the young bald guy who started off the movie.
shareI am a teacher and I've taught in both "harsh" neighborhoods and "upscale" ones. Mrs. R. has a tough job in that school and in that neighborhood. You have to approach a class like that with hardcore love and that's exactly what she did. She pushed them without breaking them. A good teacher can tell you what you do right and what you do wrong. Kids don't make it if they're coddled. They need reality. That woman was a real teacher and I found her to be very genuine. Bravo Mrs. R!!!
shareI agree. We could use more educators like Ms. Reynoso. From what I saw, she is a far better teacher than that other one who coddled her students when they lost by having them focus on the good things they did. Wouldn't it have made more sense to have them focus on the good things they DIDN'T do, in order to better themselves in the future? Her approach leads to mentality of mediocrity and under-achievment. It is a difficult job that teachers of that age group have of pushing the students to be better "without breaking them". Ms. Reynoso does just that, very well.
shareNot only was she one of the best teachers--she is the teacher that every child should have-- engaged with the children, dedicated and caring. Reading over the criticms, I can't help but wonder how much negativity is brought on my disrespecting her based on her cultural backround.
sharei feel that since she comes from the same culture as the kids she is teaching she knows the best way to interact with them.
i didn't like the whiny young teacher.
but they ALL deserve kudos for trying to help and giving a damn about these kids!
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I didn't like that teacher very much because it seemed as if she wanted the trophy for herself and then she could take all of the credit, but for the cameras, it felt as if she was pulling off an act by saying that she's doing it for the kids and wants to help them, but I felt as if she was pushing the kids too hard and getting their hopes up too high. It's just lucky that they won because if they lost, the kids would be more devastated than anyone else because that teacher had them believing that they'd already won it. So.....she was nice to the kids and I think she cared about them except she just pushed them too hard and took the competition too seriously, very overboard. Wasn't that emotional teacher who was always crying a complete scream? Ha! That one made me laugh.
shareI wonder if everyone saw the same movie as I did. Did you see the pride and emmotion on the Ms.R's face during the compitition? She was glowing with pride and she got so excited she couldn't even stay in her seat! She paired those kids up to their best advantage and she worked hard to get the total package. Costumes, hairstyles and that special Latin touch. Watching them dance made them seem so much older and more poised. That doesn't happen by accident!
She said in the practice class that the kids had to deserve to be on the team. Putting responsibility on children helps them to be winners. Jonathon just didn't want to follow the rules. She did give him more than one chance. Think how the one girl that he wouldn't dance with must have felt. In the discussion between the girls when the team was having problems, they were counting on her and MS.Zeppie to fix it so they trusted her. She and Rodney (young bald instructor} did an excellent job with the self esteem issues that kids have. The kids looked happy and confident and they were supportive of each other. I think maybe that is supposed to be the goal of the ballroom dance program. I wish we could follow these kids to see how they turn out.
Ha, yeah - I hated her too.
The rest of the Teachers seemed so much cooler.
Too bad BUSH is cutting all of these types of programs across the Nation.
Yes she was hard driver, but then that's how it should be. Teachers like the crying one is making US a nation of wimps!!! The world outside is not protective of anyone, the earlier you learn about it the better your chance of survival.
The kid Tara says after loosing "We did all we were told to do"!! But is that all there is to win? just do what you are told to do?
Also did anyone compare the final dances of all the couples? There was no comparison!!! R's students where light years ahead of the competition!!!(except may be the defending champs). Comparing the first lessons to the last dance, you can see how much practice has been done. Yes, in the beginning she says that she wants that huge trophy and that is her motivation. Shouldn't it be? If the teacher is not motivated to win, will the kids be? And did you notice the camaraderie of the team...kids cheering on their companions? That's what you want in a team. If she was as awful as some are saying here, then that would've reflected on the kids and it would've been a whole different team.
I would prefer my kids to be in the hands of teachers like her than a politically correct teacher, who don't want to offend anybodies sensibilities. Let them learn what it is to win and loose.
I agree with the sentiment that Mrs. R was a good teacher, but tough. But it's a quality needed today. I was the Senior Patrol Leader of my Boy Scout Troop. The guys in my troop are in a better home situation than the kids in the doc but act pretty crazy and are pretty rebellious. Often the adult leaders had to put their foot down. A tough teacher with tough kids.
The same in the doc. The kids are not dancing so they can show off at the Friday night block party. They are IN A COMPETITION! In the end not did they win but they were good. Did you see the merague team. Their moves were fluid and synchronized and they're just 10, 11 year olds!
The teacher (I think she was the principal actually) of the Tribaca school, the one who hated competition, was out of her mind. OK, that's a bit harsh but she seemed pretty idealistic. They are in a competition, someone has to lose. The point of praticing is to make sure you are good enough not to. lose.
As for Mrs. R being fake about being-for-the-kids and really wanted the trophy for herself, ever been on a team in a contest or team leader. Let me tell you any coach or leader wants the 1st place trophy, who doesn't? And I think she really cared for the kids. Noticed the shopping scene? Not only she wanted dresses that made the girls look good, but she wanted them to also wear something modest, not showing the navels, or would slip off.
Genius is the ability to put into effect what is on your mind.
-F. Scott Fitzgerald
The best teachers I ever had were the ones who pushed me to do my best and didn't put up with excuses. They had more faith in me than the ones who just let me skate. I thought she was great, for that reason. (And did you see her taking the girls shopping for costumes? With a 97% poverty rate in her school, how much do you want to bet she bought some or all of those herself?)
shareIt wasn't so much that she was harsh as that she was too self involved. And I don't think she even noticed what she was doing.
That scene where she says she just wishes she could inhabit the students' bodies was key. Who says that? Basically she tended towards wanting the kids to be robots and "perfect" (as she put it) without taking into consideration that their quirky creativity was what was making their dances interesting. (Her one student with the hand twirl during the ramba... she was killing me. That kind of personality is what makes people great.)
All she's raising is kids who know how to follow orders and not back talk. She wanted them to do like she did and act like she would without putting their own bigger goals and dreams first. I really liked when the kid Jonathan walked out on her. His attitude could go either way. Either he will be rebellious against authority or hopefully, he will learn when it's okay to walk away from people who do not respect and hear your wishes just because THEY have the authority. So I'm happy they were included.
I think she was saying something more along the lines of "be the perfect child..go down the right path". She wanted the kids to have a future and not end up on the streets. I do not think she was just trying to turn the kids into robots. She did push them to work hard, believe in themselves and be proud of their heritage. Look at the situation they are in -- they do not have many opportunities, they will have to work twice as hard to get half as far as the kids in some of the other schools. Sure, she was mean to them at times and I sure wouldn't want to go out for a drink with her. But, I think she was what the kids needed..she pushed them to win and they did. Now they've had a taste of hard work and success and it will stick with them..
shareWow, I really dont know what you guys are talkign about, I liked all the teachers a lot!
shareAt first, I wasn't crazy about Mrs. R when watching the film because it seemed that she cared about only winning. But as the film went on, I could tell that she really cared about the students and their well-being. That school really deserved to win no matter how you feel about the teachers because those kids kicked butt. I really hope that they all continue to dance because they have potential to become something in the dance world.
"Tell our story Christian"
Dear Ms. Kitty: Perhaps if you had a teacher as excellent as Ms. Reynoso, you would have learned that the correct spelling of "aweful" is,in fact, awful.
Here's a guess: you are young, you do not live in NYC or any cosmopolitan city,and you don't read books.