If you know me, you know that I hate musicals. I can't stand them; I don't like the collective singing and dancing in random situations schtick. I can count on my hands how many musicals I like, it's that serious. I even hate when in stage plays (like Tyler Perry) people just start singing all of a sudden. I find it ridiculous.
All of this is part of the reason why I hated Glee. People singing and dancing for no reason at random moments? You could keep that. I had also heard a few songs which sounded like a tad bit older version of Kidz Bop and that put me off further. I wasn't interested in no damn Glee.
However, a couple weeks ago, I came to the conclusion that I don't know too much about the show and why so many people, young and less young, have cleaved to it and love it so much. After all, I can't hate something I don't know too much about. Therefore, I decided to find out why it was so popular, and I must say that, other than reasons that will be discussed later, I actually like Glee.
However, with all the things the show does well, there are many issues I have with the show, and there are certain lenses that I have that I can't shake as I watch television shows, including Glee. And as soon as I started watching the show, I KNEW I wanted to write this particular blog post because I think it's a critique that needs to be shared. I plan on doing other posts through other lenses that I wear, but here I will solely focus on what it's like as someone who was trained as a teacher watching Glee.
That introduction being said, let me begin.
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William McKinley High School is the most corrupt, ridiculous, scandalous school I have seen in a long time.
As I watch Glee, I marvel at how inept everyone, and I mean everyone, in power is.
I am a teacher. I decided I wanted to teach English to sixth through twelfth graders, and I am trained to do so. Everything I have learned in this education shudders and cries every single episode of this show. Although I realize that, yes, this is a comedy and that these tempestuous relationships drive the story-lines and fuel the characters of this show, every single thing at that high school is wrong in a myriad of ways.
1.) Student-Student Relationships.
One thing that is noticeable from early on is the social hierarchy of the school, a trite concept that I'm not sure really exists in this way too much anymore (at least, it wasn't my experience in high school). Glee kids are at the bottom of the social totem pole while jocks, particular football jocks, are at the top. The football players consistently harass the glee kids, throwing them into lockers and, most popular among them, throwing slushies in their faces on a daily basis.
In the second season, we see a more focused view on Kurt and his being attacked by another student Karofsky for being gay, partly because Karofsky is struggling with his own sexuality. This abuse, that goes as far as a threat of murder, happens from the first season until Karofsky's behavior warrants him an expulsion that gets overturned and Kurt, out of fear for his safety, is forced to transfer.
What bothers me is that teachers and administration fully know about this abuse and this social hierarchy, and nothing of substance is ever done. Will Schuester in one episode even remarks, "I can't imagine how it'd feel to get a slushie thrown in my face," acknowledging that he knows this is happening but has not reprimanded students, demanded detention or suspension, or brought to the administration that students are dealing with this kind of harassment and abuse and that something should be done.
When Karofsky's expulsion by the school-board was overturned for "lack of evidence", I couldn't help but cry "Bullshit!" Many people, including faculty (like Will Schuester) have witnessed Karofsky bully students. No doubt, these collective voices could have done something. Even then, he should have been disciplined in some way. All he got was barely a slap on the wrist.
What really bothers me is that the adults in power are willfully letting the students suffer through a clearly unsafe environment, but it doesn't just end there. I mean why would they bat an eye at student on student violence when there is...
2.) Sue Sylvester.
Sue is the comedic relief of the show. I get it. Her attempts to bring down New Directions and make her Cheerios the absolute best is part of the many conflicts that show the growth of characters and provide fodder for the show.
What boggles my mind, however, is how the hell Sue Sylvester isn't fired, blacklisted, and arrested yet.
Many times, it's brought up that Sue and her Cheerios' many championship wins have provided much prestige and money to the school and because of this, Sue has carte blanche to do whatever the fuck she wants at that school, even abuse students.
Yes, whenever Sue is angry, she is always seen screaming at students, pushing them into walls, pushing them into lockers, and pushing them down stairs. You read that correctly: pushes them down stairs.
She doesn't even try to be coy or secretive about it. She's mentally, emotionally, and abused many students in front of other faculty members and in front of the principal.
The principal.
She's hacked into the principal's email to redirect the glee club's flight to Libya, blackmailed the principal and other faculty members, manipulated students and staff to do her bidding, is forcing her students to partake in a restrictive diet that looks like fodder for eating disorders, tried to shoot a student out of a cannon that was proved to be clearly unsafe, and through all of this, she is still able to have a job? No one has complained about her? The principal witnesses her flagrantly, repetitively abusing those whom they are all supposed to protect, and she still has a job?! I'm horrified. As funny as Sue can sometimes be, because other times she's simply terrible, there is no way in hell this woman should be around human beings let alone children, no matter how much money and influence and headlines she brings to the school. Hell, I'm even surprised no parent has gone to the school to demand she lose her job for abusing his/her child, but then again, why would they since in Glee...
3.) Parents Clearly Don't Exist.
Students throughout the two seasons have been involved in all kinds of mischief. Mercedes stuffed tater tots in the exhaust pipe of Sue's car, Puck exists, Finn walked down the hallway in his draws, so on and so forth. Yet, when these students get into trouble, you'd think the administration would contact parents to deal with this behavior, right?
Please. What show are you watching? Parents aren't responsible for their kids' actions; their glee teacher is.
That's right. Every single time a student is in trouble, the principal talks to the student, Will, maybe Sue, and maybe Emma, the guidance counselor. The parent is always absent from the conversation and any contributing to any punitive decision that is made.
This, to me, is mind-boggling. Although a teacher is, and should be, held accountable for what goes on with students under their watch, things that happen outside of school (like deflating the tires of rival glee club members' cars) or things that happen in the hallway is NOT Will Schuester's responsibility. Even then, parents should still be aware of what happened with their kids, especially for extreme punishments.
Hell, you don't even know who the parents are of the majority of kids, as many times as they have gotten in trouble. You know Kurt's dad, Finn's mom, and Quinn's parents, and that's it. No matter how many times the other kids have been in trouble, even Puck's going to juvie, you never see their parents. EVER.
But why would you need a parent when you have...
4.) Will Schuester, the Most Inept, Unqualified, Ridiculous Teacher EVER
I like Will. He's a nice, charming, passionate, kind-hearted guy, full of good intentions.
However, he should not be teaching anybody's children.
Will does not have the capacity to be a good teacher. The only way he would be worse is if he got Britney pregnant. He doesn't do what needs to be done or what should be done when it should happen. Many times, his glee club will make poor remarks to each other, curse each other out, demean them, or almost get into a fight, but he hardly ever calls them out on it. Instead he asks them to just express their feelings through song or ignores them and continues/changes the subject. Really?
Don't forget about he knows the abuse his students are suffering by jocks that he does absolutely nothing about.
Don't forget that the only reason Finn is in New Directions is because Will planted a stash of weed in Finn's locker or book bag and blackmailed him into joining.
And how do you let your Glee club get all the way to New York for Nationals without not NARY A SONG TO SING?!
Oh, and in preparation for Nationals he held auditions for a solo spot in the performance and judged with Jesse, boyfriend of the annoying being that is Rachel, college flunk-out, ex-rival glee club member who decided to become a "show choir consultant." During these auditions, he played the Simon Cowell role, saying untrue, intentionally hurtful things about the person's audition no matter how well he/she did (oh, except for Rachel). Did Will Schuester check that dude, kick him out, and say, "You can't talk to (my) kids like that!"?
Of course not.
He sat there looking stupid as this guy unfairly ripped into his kids, their work ethic, their look, and their voices and said not a word. Oh, he attempted to stand up for Mercedes, but in the end he just slid down into his chair and sat on his hands and said nothing.
Just like he said nothing about Kurt and Karofsky.
Just like he said nothing for all his glee kids getting cold beverages thrown in their faces.
Just like he said nothing for all the students being harassed and beaten by Sue.
Nothing.
But he can get a backbone when it comes to trying to get Emma, including trying to steal her away from the man that becomes her husband.
It's sad because Will clearly cares about his students; he, again, just fails to be a teacher and do what needs to be done to protect students and create a positive, healthy, safe environment for them to learn and thrive.
Oh, by the way, Will, when a student is pregnant or kicked out his/her house (Quinn) or involved in unsafe activities or in unsafe situations (Sam's homelessness, student abuse), there is a thing called "mandated reporting" that you, as a teacher, are required to do by law. So his sitting on his hands = fired.
This is all I can think of for now, but as a teacher, these are issues very important to me, and honestly I'm horrified as I watch the show most times. Although they probably wouldn't believe it, I loved all the kids I student-taught, and I would have willingly cussed Sue out if I saw her put a hand on my kids. I don't play that; I'm from Chicago, and I don't play that, joe!
Since Glee is very popular amongst children who are in schools, I think it's relevant and apt to talk about what schools do, and don't do, to perpetuate unsafe conditions for students and what teachers should be doing in their relationships with their students and in their roles of influencing the students' relationships with other students. If kids watching Glee are saying, "My school is like that!" in any negative way, we know that something must be done, and soon.
God knows we need education reform as it is.
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