Finding Forrester

What does it mean to be a teacher?
How do we overcome obstacles?

Finding Forrester is a story about a young high school student and an author who has secluded himself from the world. Jamal Wallace is a young African American male who scored exceptional high on the statewide exams. He becomes a student at a prep-school in Manhattan. One night Jamal's friends dare him to knock on an old man's apartment door.
Jamal continues to visit the old man's apartment and befriends him. Later Jamal finds out the old man is a famous author, William Forrester, who's book he is reading in his English class. Jamal and William become friends and work on Jamal's writing together while overcoming obstacles they each have in their lives.

Jamal is a low-income African American male with a single mother, attending a predominately white prep school. That's four immediate factors that work against him in his academic career of becoming a writer. Jamal doesn't brag about his talent or let his friends know he writes. He is modest about is writing but finds a mentor in William. Jamal has a thirst for knowledge and passion for writing.

William is an author who wrote a book that became famous and then
he went into isolation from the world. William becomes Jamal's writing mentor. He shows him how to use a type writer, helps him with his writing process, and pushes him to write his best work. William's apartment is an escape for Jamal and a place where he can pursue and talk about his writing. William is Jamal's teacher.

What does it mean to be a teacher?
Does a teacher have to be in a school?
Do teachers only teach you academics?

William becomes a teacher of Jamal's, not only in writing, but in life as well. Jamal faced many challenges and obstacles, writing was his escape. Having William to confine in and be an escape from his often times racist and suppressing world was how Jamal overcame his adversities.

Jamal has a teacher in his prep school who is racist and bitter towards him. Jamal is a talented writer and would turn in his papers and essays and his English teacher would question his ability. His teacher accused him of plagiarism. Jamal didn't plagiarize and used some of William's pieces of writing with permission, the act of being degraded by his teacher showed another challenge Jamal faced.

As an audience we see a couple different types of teacher in this story.
First we see his previous school's teacher and principle who push him to attend the prep school to challenge him more academically. These teachers showed the best interest in Jamal and saw his potential.
Second we see his English teacher in the prep school who immediately disregards Jamal for having any academic ability or gift for writing because of his exterior and basketball abilities.

Then we see the teacher in William that creates a lasting friendship and impact on Jamal. William knew how to push Jamal and encourage him all at the same time. They shared a connection and cared about one another. A teacher like William knows his student, knows what he needs, and what he can do to help his student.

Jamal and William both have obstacles in their lives. Jamal faced socio-economic, ethnicity, and gender obstacles in school that hindered his forward path of knowledge and writing. William is an author who had something happen to him and his family that made him live his life in isolation, never publishing another book, and never interacting with people. Both overcame their obstacles with the others help.

How do we overcome obstacles?

Everyone has obstacles in their lives, and how we break them down and overcome them is with help and guidance. Teachers give advice, help, and guidance everyday to students who have a wall that needs to be broken down. William taught Jamal the ways of writing that can help him become an author. William also stood up for his friend Jamal by reading his writing at an assembly and proving that he is a talented and inspirational writer. Jamal brought William out of his comfort zone by taking him out of his isolated apartment and to a sports game.


I can relate many aspects of Finding Forrester to teachers and students in my student teaching experience and school.

I have a student who is curious about everything and wants to learn all he can learn. This student is also very quiet and will sometimes become self-conscious when he says something that he knows or answers all the questions. To be sure that he is confident in his knowledge I ask him certain harder questions that I know he likes to answer and encourage him every time he tells us an interesting fact. The first grade classroom that I am in for student teaching is a very positive environment. Because of the positivity and encouragement the teachers in our classroom give off, the majority of our students know that they can also be smart and show their knowledge. A teacher needs to always encourage their students to show their knowledge and always thirst for more.

The teachers that are in my direct first grade classroom have never put down a student, disrespected them, or disregarded them for any of their characteristics. However, there is one teacher on the first grade team, who I can hear teaching from my classroom, and she often puts down her students. I don't know if she puts them down and degrades them for their race or where they come from, but I believe she puts them down for their behavior and lack of academic ability. It pains me when I hear her yelling and being negative toward her student because that is exactly what teachers can't be.


Finding Forrester was an inspirational movie for me to watch. Student and teacher were sometimes hard to differ in the relationship between Jamal and William. Jamal and William both taught the other something valuable for their life. A successful teacher needs to teach but also learn from their student. Each student is different. Each student has a challenge, and each student needs guidance on how to successfully move forward with their path in life.


A teacher is a student.
A student is a teacher.