The 10 Most Heartwarming Films That Feature Inspiring Teachers

This 2017 film was written and directed by Richard LaGravenese. It tells the true story of Erin Gruwell, a high school English teacher in Long Beach, California. Actress Hilary Swank shines in this role. Erin teaches her diverse students about the Holocaust to show them what hatred can lead to. She also teaches them to express themselves through writing about their experiences, similar to Anne Frank. She inspires many of her students to go on to be the first in their family to attend college. You can watch this on Hulu or Amazon.

Helen Keller’s life would have been a darker and more isolated place without Anne Sullivan. This 1962 film tells their remarkable true story and was directed by Arthur Penn. He fought for Anne Bancroft to play the title role. Helen became blind and deaf as a result of an illness in her infancy. As she grew up, Helen became increasingly angry because she was not able to communicate with anyone. Anne changes this by teaching Helen language and self-expression, forever changing her life. Catch this on Tubi.

Actor Richard Dreyfuss was nominated for both a Golden Globe and Oscar for his work in this 1995 film. He plays Glenn Holland, a talented musician and composer, who takes a teaching position at John F. Kennedy High School. The film tells the story of his 30-year career. When Glenn’s program loses funding, he doubts his life’s work. Former students gather to make sure he knows he made a big impact. This film is available to stream on Disney+.

This 1988 film was directed by Ramón Menéndez. It celebrates real-life high school math teacher Jaime Escalante, played by Edward James Olmos. Jaime inspires the students at James A. Garfield High School in East Los Angeles to do high-level math. He motivates them to attend summer school so they can take AP Calculus durinb their senior years. He even stands up for them when the education system doubts their progress and success. Watch Ramón’s story on the Roku Channel.

This film will have you standing on desks and saying “carpe diem.” Robin Williams plays John Keating, the new English teacher at a fictional elite boys boarding school in New England. He shakes things up by teaching the high school students poetry and how to stand out from the crowd. This doesn’t go over so well with higher-ups and parents at the institutio,n which is know for maintaining the status quo. John teaches the young men to think for themselves and question authority. You can rent this film on Amazon Prime.

This made-for-television movie was based on real-life events. Ron Clark, played by the late Matthew Perry, leaves his North Carolina hometown to work in a difficult inner-city school in New York City. He takes on a sixth grade class no one else wants. You can watch this on Peacock or Tubi.

You can catch this 1967 British flick on Max. It stars Sidney Poitier as Mark Thackeray, an immigrant from British Guiana. He wants an engineering job but settles for a teaching job after an 18-month search. He goes on to gain the respect of a tough class and ultimately chooses teaching over engineering.

This 1999 drama was directed by Joe Johnston and based on the memoir of Homer H. Hickam Jr. of the same name. It tells how Homer, the son of a coal miner, becomes a NASA engineer. Along the way, Homer, played by Jake Gyllenhaal, receives help and encouragement from his science teacher Miss Riley, played by Laura Dern. The sky is the limit for her students. Watch the rockets blast into orbit by renting this film on Amazon Prime.

Believe it or not. Wes Craven directed this 1999 film. It’s not his normal genre. It tells the true story of Roberta Guaspari, played by Meryl Streep. This remarkable music teacher helped create the Opus 118 Harlem School of Music in New York City. She believed music education was instrumental to a child’s success. You can rent this film on Amazon Prime.

Sometimes the best teachers find their students outside of the classroom. This was the case for football coach Herman Boone, played by Denzel Washington, in this 2000 Boaz Yakin film. In 1971, Herman helps integrate the T. C. Williams High School football team. This isn’t easy in Alexandria, Virginia, but Herman prevails by creating a tight-knit family out of his diverse team. You can watch this on Disney+.