A guide to movie teachers

With the screech of nails down a blackboard, we introduce you to the world of memorable movie teachers. Everyone has real life examples from their school days, but we doubt any of them match up to Elizabeth Halsey (played by Cameron Diaz) from Sony's new comedy 'Bad Teacher'.

With Cameron Diaz strutting down the hallways in her immaculate Louboutin shoes in the title role, we took off our dunce's hat, popped on our thinking cap and have drafted our guide to the cinematic educators who have made a lasting impression on their audience as well as their students.

There has been a huge number of inspiring teachers in the history of cinema, but few can match Robin Williams' turn in 'Dead Poet's Society'. A man with the comedy prowess of Williams might be expected to deliver a performance not dissimilar to Diaz's in 'Bad Teacher', but in fact his portrayal of teacher John Keating, who gave a group of students in a strict prep school a new perspective on life, was so powerful it nearly bagged him an Oscar.

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But inspiration doesn't have to come in awards-baiting form, or even teach kids to love learning. Dewey Finn (Jack Black), an unemployable rock guitarist, blew the lid off of a stuffy private school when he cheated his way into a substitute teacher role and turned a group of studious nerds into an awesome band in 'School of Rock'; and taught them that there's more to life than school in the process.

Some teachers, however, have a little help ingraining themselves in the public consciousness. We're not talking about cheat sheets or answers scribbled on arms, but some much more special powers.

Top of the pile is Professor Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart, and now James McAvoy), whose collected team of mutants were turned from social outcasts to well-trained warriors for good. And let's face it, nobody would mess with a teacher who can read your mind.

A film that played on the idea that teachers really are a different species to the rest of us was 'The Faculty', which had a group of students suspecting that those in charge of their High School had been turned into ravenous aliens. The shocking truth is... the kids were all right.

Equally memorable (and difficult to mess with) are the magic-wielding staff of Hogwarts. Among our favourites from the school's exceptional staff is Severus Snape who is constantly treading the fine line between protecting his young charges and placing them in mortal danger.

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Some teachers are made all the more intimidating by how identifiable they are. Principal Vernon (Paul Gleason) is the archetypal headmaster after his genre-defining performance in 'The Breakfast Club'. He might have only taught the kids that they can succeed despite the negative, labelling influence of school, but his legacy lives on in such memorable quotes as: "Don't mess with the bull, young man. You'll get the horns."

Not so quotable, but incredibly memorable for similar reasons is Principal Rooney (Jeffrey Jones), from another John Hughes classic: 'Ferris Bueller's Day Off'. Rooney's dogged, but ultimately failed, pursuit of the loveable truant gave us all belief that we can be smarter than teachers.

Although it's not just brains that are valued in a teacher, the randy students in 'Porky's' appreciated gym teacher Miss Honeywell (Kim Cattrall) for some very different personal assets. As, we are certain, did audiences.

Teachers aren't confined to schools either; across the ages there have been some great life teachers on the big screen. Few can compare to Mr. Miyagi (Pat Morita) from 'The Karate Kid'. He taught young bullying victim Daniel Larusso to stand up for himself, and divulged the secrets of the ancient art of Karate using such time-tested techniques as "wax on, wax off", "paint the fence" and, of course, the noble bonsai tree.

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Equally famous for a fighting turnaround is Paulie (Burt Young), the plucky coach who turned a small time boxer into a title contender in 'Rocky'. Can you even read that word without hearing the theme tune or seeing Stallone running up those stairs in the most memorable montage of all time? We can't.

And finally, what sort of teachers guide would this be without a veteran cop teaching a rookie the ropes? Top of our list is Detective Sergeant Alonzo Harris (Denzel Washington) from 'Training Day' showing newbie Jake Hoyt (Ethan Hawke) just what it takes to survive on the mean streets of L.A. The grizzled veteran epitomises the good vs. evil battle at the heart of every teacher who is, let's face it, just a person in a position of control.

And so our guide ends. It's been a comprehensive look at cinema's senseis, but have we missed any of your personal favourites? If so, let us know.

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