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Happy National Teacher Appreciation Week!

This week, the JT Journal is all about YOU! The Fantastic Teachers and Educators of the World!

In honor of your special week, we are giving away two $100 gift certificates to Massage Envy. To enter into our giveaway, we ask that you visit our new blog here and tell us your favorite movie about teachers or schools.  Repeats are welcome and sharing your favorite movie along with a quote from the movie will double your chances!  To kick off the giveaway, we have posted our favorite, Dead Poet’s Society, “No Matter what anybody tells you, words and ideas can change the world.”

Two lucky winners will be randomly selected on Friday May 7th and notified via email of their winnings.

We wish you all the best week and we can’t wait to see all your favorite movies!

Keep on Smiling!

Your Friends at Junior Tours

Join the discussion 63 Comments

  • Victoria Sharma says:

    Dead Poets Society and Dangerous Minds are two of my favorites from a time when I used to have the time for movies.

  • Tammy Davis says:

    Dead Poets’ Society………”Carpe Dium”

  • Kymberly Brown says:

    I love them all but Freedom Writers Miep Gies, holocuast survivor, comes to the class and says “But even an ordinary secretary or a housewife or a teenager can, within their own small ways, turn on a small light in a dark room.”

  • Darin MacFarlane says:

    Has to be Dead Poets Society. “Walk your own walk, avoid conformity” Gotta love it!!

  • Gabriel Fuentes says:

    Freedom Writers, for sure!

  • Derek Phipps says:

    There’s always Grease. “Tell me about it, stud”.

  • Derek Phipps says:

    Hoosiers. One of the greatest movies ever made.
    Jimmy Chitwood “I’ll make it” in the huddle before the final play. Gives me chills.
    Or Deads Poets. Every line said by Robin Williams works as the best line. Though the moment after they stand on the desks and he smile and says “Thank you, boys” is a perfect moment.

  • TROY SARRACINO says:

    DANGEROUS MINDS, IT’S MY GO TO TO PREPARE FOR A NEW SCHOOL YEAR!!!!!

  • Deb Sipola says:

    The Breakfast Club
    “I’m not a winner because I want to be one. I’m a winner because I’ve got strength and speed… kinda like a racehorse. It’s about how involved I am in what’s happening to me.”

  • Kyra Allen says:

    Freedom Writers (My class number is 203!)
    Remember the Titans

    • Teresa Chavis says:

      Mean Girls – On Wednesdays we wear Pink
      Students also get a lesson in bullying, friendship and self esteem

  • Andrea McKinnon says:

    Lean On Me – “Discipline is not the enemy of enthusiasm!”

  • Matthew Payne says:

    Dead Poets Society is also one of my favs! I show it every year to my students. Such a classic! RIP Robin Williams

  • Matthew Payne says:

    Mr. Holland’s Opus is one as well as Dangerous Minds!

  • Rob Riedel says:

    Sky High
    Steve Stronghold/The Commander: “Wait! Royal Pain is a girl?”

  • Jay Czajkowski says:

    Mr. Holland’s Opus Not all of us consider teaching as young adults but find it was what we were meant to do. “We are your symphony Mr. Holland. We are the melodies and the notes of your opus. We are the music of your life.”

  • melissa foster says:

    Dead poet’s society and Stand & Deliver..if you want to include coaching I love all football movies: Rudy, Invinicible, Greater, We are Marshal, Blind Side

  • Pamela McDonald says:

    School of Rock! “Stick it to the man” “Does anyone have any food?” Love that movie!!!

  • Bonnie Vigil says:

    STAND AND DELIVER – “You’re only seeing the turn, not the road ahead.”

  • Lisa Hennis says:

    Breakfast Club – “We’re All Pretty Bizarre. Some Of Us Are Just Better At Hiding It; That’s All.”

  • Richard Gruen says:

    Dangerous Minds:. “There are no victims in this classroom.”

  • Alissa Russell says:

    Forest Gump – “Life is like a box of chocolates…”

  • Mike Stitt says:

    Hoosiers

    And David put his hand in the bag and took out a stone and slung it. And it struck the Philistine on the head and he fell to the ground. Amen.

  • Mike Stitt says:

    Mr. Holland’s Opus
    “Mrs. Jacobs, you tell them that I am teaching music, and that I will use anything from Beethoven to Billie Holiday to rock and roll, if I think it’ll help me teach a student to love music.”

  • Beth Auble says:

    There are so many to choose from. I love so many: Mr. Holland’s Opus, Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen, Akeelah and the Bee, Dead Poets Society, Mona Lisa’s Smile, Freedom Writers but I think my top favorite might have to be Stand and Deliver.

  • Courtney Roberts says:

    Hidden Figures – “Every time we get a chance to get ahead, they move the finish line.”

  • Stephanie Inserra says:

    Mr. Holland’s Opus (1995) “A teacher has two jobs; fill young minds with knowledge, yes, but more important, give those minds a compass so that that knowledge doesn’t go to waste.” I like this quote because it reminds me of travel too:) These travel experiences we give our students enhance and enrich the lessons we teach them in the classroom!

  • Tonya Wiggins Wilson says:

    Goodbye, Mr. Chips
    “but chiefly I remember all your faces. I never forget them. I have thousands of faces in my mind… In my mind you never grow up at all.

  • Caroline Hesford says:

    Dead Poets Society for sure! I am sure this is s surprise for some as I am a music teacher and people would probably think Mr. Holland’s Opus but Robin Williams in DPS was fabulous. Plus I love poetry!!

  • Megan Nipper says:

    My favorite movie about teachers/students is The Breakfast Club. This is one of my favorite quotes from the movie: “We’re all pretty bizarre. Some of us are just better at hiding it, that’s all.”

  • Wendy Albright says:

    Mine would have to be Breakfast Club or even School of Rock! I love both of these movies so much and of course the Broadway Musical version of School of Rock was totally amazing!!

  • Angela Cantrell says:

    That’s a hard choice. I choose “October Sky” – “Sometimes you really can’t listen to what anybody else says. You just gotta listen inside.”
    My 2nd choice would be “Pay it Forward” – “There is no wrong way to perform an act of kindness.”

  • Gary Cooper says:

    Dead Poet’s Society is my #1, but a close second is Stand and Deliver. Both movies had strong, caring teachers that worked to better their students lives, not just teach them content. Also, as a theatre educator, I appreciate the great storylines and strong acting in both movies!

  • Lavita Williams says:

    Hi! Hands down my favorite movie is MEAN GIRLS. Although, I agree a close second would be THE BREAKFAST CLUB.

  • Brad L Hoggatt says:

    Good morning from Indiana!
    My favorite movie with a teaching theme is…. Kindergarten Cop! I crack up every time I watch it.

    My wife has two (she’s recovering from cancer surgery yesterday, so I’m sending it in for her)- Lean On Me and Dangerous Minds.

    We miss you and hope to get back to NYC very soon- Brad and Amy Hoggatt

  • Roxanne Penz says:

    “A teacher has two jobs; fill young minds with knowledge, yes, but more important, give those minds a compass so that that knowledge doesn’t go to waste.”
    Mr. Holland’s Opus

  • Adam C. Samson says:

    Mr. Holland’s Opus
    “There is not a life in this room that you have not touched, and each of us is a better person because of you. We are your symphony Mr. Holland. We are the melodies and the notes of your opus.”

    • Marcia McHenry says:

      Good morning from Kentucky. My favorite teacher involved movie is Dangerous Minds.
      “Knowledge counts but common sense matters.”

  • Carrie Christensen says:

    These answers are both totally cheesy but…
    High School Music because it’s so fun.
    Sound of Music (stay with me here), because Maria is TEACHING them to sing and live.

  • Karen Dean says:

    Stand and Deliver. “You know what kills me… it’s that they lost the confidence in the system they’re now finally qualified to be a part of. I don’t know why I’m losing sleep over this. I don’t need it. I could be making more money, with less hours, and have people treat me with respect.”

  • Hannah Peterson says:

    I love the movie Easy A, and even though the content is somewhat adult, I love seeing the way that Mr. Grifffith was so supportive of Olive and pushed her to be the best version of herself! He uses language and jokes to relate to his students and doesn’t give up on them, no matter how fat they seem to stray.

  • Allison Shopbell says:

    Dangerous Minds
    “Sometimes it takes a lot of wrong answers to get a right.”
    Breakfast Club
    “We’re all bizarre, some of us are just better at hiding it.”

  • Joe Rohrhoff says:

    Freedom Writers

  • Edward Arguelles says:

    “Teachers” is my favorite movie because it pokes fun of all teacher stereotypes with great burst-out laughing humor! One needs a sense of humor to survive the teaching profession!

  • Cathy Marshall says:

    Whiplash
    “Were your rushihng or were you dragging?”

    Or I could choose “Soul” the nice new Disney movie…

  • Matt Norling says:

    My favorite “teacher movie,” hands down, is MR. HOLLAND’s OPUS! First of all, it’s far and away the most realistic. When Mr. Holland is new and sheepishly “looks to the text” when he runs out of things to say, that’s real! I have two favorite lines, one comedic, and the other profound. First, when he gets up and says “What kind of people go to work at 7 o’clock in the morning?!” The next one is when he’s teaching Miss Lang to play her clarinet, and he says, “Play the sunset.” The whole movie is great.

  • Shellie Badger says:

    “Stand and Deliver” is my favorite teacher movie! Edward James Almos is phenomenal! I love how the kids overcame their circumstances to excel in their AP Calculus class. My favorite quote from the movie is “Students will rise to the level of expectation.”

  • Dorothea Hackett says:

    Those are two good ones. I also like To Sir, WIth Love. So important now.

  • Cindy Cheatwood says:

    Kindergarten Cop is my favorite teacher-included movie because of the reality check Swartzenager gets working with normal kids.

  • Patti Wurtz says:

    MR. HOLLAND’S OPUS

    One of the students tells Mr. Holland………… “We are your symphony, Mr. Holland. We are the melodies and the notes of your opus. We are the music of your life.”

  • Patti Wurtz says:

    FREEDOM WRITERS

    The teacher, Erin Gruwell, says……. “I’m a teacher. It doesn’t matter what color I am.”

  • Donna Mial-Gary says:

    One of my favorite movies is Finding Forrester “You write the first draft with your heart.”

  • Jason Vande Vuss says:

    Dangerous Minds

    Louanne Johnson: Sometimes it takes a lot of wrong answers to get a right.

  • Jennifer Brockette says:

    My favorite Teacher movie is Mr. Holland’s Opus. Any my favorite quotes are: “A teacher has 2 jobs. Fill young minds with knowledge, yes. But more important, give those minds a compass so that knowledge doesn’t go to waste.”

    And because I still keep up with my students as they grow and become adults and parents themselves and I celebrate their highs and lows with them. And because they reach out to share their celebrations, I really resonate with the quote: “…and each of us is a better person because of you. We are your symphony (Mr. Holland). We are the melodies and the notes of your opus. We are the music of your life.”

  • Jodi Coke says:

    I have to go with Freedom Writers- I feel like I actually WAS Hilary Swank when she walked in to her first teaching job in a rough school wearing pearls and a dress, then the school secretary said, “You’re gonna want to leave those pearls at home.” Thankfully, I have learned so much and grown as a teacher for these past 15 years! But that movie always inspires me to meet my students where they are 🙂

  • Evan Hoffman says:

    As funny as it is, I really love “School of Rock”. It shows that a person without any training can have more heart for teaching than a lot of people that go to school for years to be a teacher. And as an arts teacher, it’s really all about watching kids grow into something amazing!

    My favorite part is the end where the parents all realize their kids are really talented and that they’ve been taking that for granted.

  • Lisa Davis says:

    Breakfast Club also.
    Today’s
    students have a character that they truly can relate to in this movie.

  • Vicki Kirkley says:

    Dead Poets Society – love the quote “There’s a time for daring and there’s a time for caution, and a wise man understands which is called for.”

  • Andrea Gustafson says:

    I’d love to be original, but my favorite is Dead Poet’s Society. I still start my classes by standing on my desk! Carpe Diem!
    I’m also a big Mr. Holland’s Opus fan.

  • Junior Tours says:

    By a narrow margin, our office chose DEAD POET SOCIETY as our favorite movie about teachers/students. The close runner up was THE BREAKFAST CLUB !
    What’s your favorite movie?

    • Vicki Lynch says:

      Remember the Titans! Such a relevant movie about race and social injustice, and I always feel inspired after watching it.

    • Cathy Marshall says:

      Um……….Whiplash.