Since 1994, World Teachers’ Day commemorates teacher standards put forward by ILO/UNESCO on October 5th. Whether you’re a teacher, student, or want to celebrate, here are 20 films you can watch that feature creative educators.

 

 

 

1. Tolkien (2019)

Tolkien is a dramatized biographical take on J R. R. Tolkien’s early influences in life, which led him to become an Oxford English professor and author of The Hobbit.

 

2. Dead Poets Society (1989)

In this film starring Robin Williams, an English teacher at a male boarding school uses unorthodox methods to inspire a love of poetry in his students.

 

3. Donnie Darko (2001)

The self-titled character Donnie Darko often challenges authority figures in school in this dark psychological thriller, but Miss Karen Pomeroy stands out as an unconventional English teacher that he respects.

 

4. Freedom Writers (2007)

Hillary Swank portrays Erin Gruwell in this biographical film based on the book The Freedom Writers Diary, in which an English teacher works to bridge racial divides between rival gang students.

 

5. Never Been Kissed (1999)

In this romantic comedy, Drew Barrymore plays an undercover 25-year-old copy editor who poses as a high school student for a story, inadvertently falling in love with the English teacher Sam Coulson.

 

6. The Phantom of the Opera (2004)

The Phantom of the Opera was first a book and a musical before it was developed into a musical film, in which the Phantom serves as Christine’s operatic music coach, whom she calls her “Angel of Music.”

 

7. Bridge to Terabithia (2007)

In this latest film adaptation of the book Bridge to Terabithia, Jess and the new girl at school create a fantastical world between them, juxtaposed against their real school life, where Zooey Deschanel plays a music teacher.

 

8. Matilda (1996)

Matilda, based on the Roald Dahl book of the same name, features an intelligent girl with unappreciated unique abilities, but kindergarten teacher Miss Honey recognizes her potential and love of reading.

 

9. Jane Eyre (2011)

Jane Eyre, originally a book published in 1847 by Charlotte Brontё, features a governess sent to Thornfield Hall, where eerie things begin to happen.

 

10. The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (1949)

In this Disney double feature based on existing short stories, Ichabod is presented as a school teacher with a penchant for reading, singing, and playing the piano.

 

11. The King and I (1956)

This musical film is rooted in Anna Leonowens’ memoirs, depicting an English governess who goes to Siam to teach (and sing) with the King’s children.

 

12. The Sound of Music (1965)

The Sound of Music is a beloved musical film founded in Maria Von Trapp’s memoirs, a governess played by Julie Andrews who instills a love of music in the Von Trapp children.

 

13. School of Rock (2003)

Comedian Jack Black plays Dewey Finn in School of Rock, a struggling rock musician who poses as a substitute teacher and ends up teaching his students how to form a band.

 

14. The Whale (2022)

The Whale is an A24 psychological drama based on a play of the same name, in which Brendan Faser plays Charlie, an obese online English teacher who hides his appearance from his students, and hopes for some redemption in life.

 

15. 10 Things I Hate About You (1999)

In this teen romantic comedy based on Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew, the protagonist reads a poem in Mr. Morgan’s English class, which bears the same title as the film.

 

16. Whiplash (2014)

Whiplash is an intense psychological drama that hones in on the abusive dynamic between a music instructor and an aspiring jazz drummer.

 

17. Mona Lisa Smile (2003)

Julia Roberts stars in Mona Lisa Smile, a film about a nonconformist art history teacher in 1953 who challenges her female college students to strive to be more than traditional housewives.

 

18. Dirty Dancing (1987)

This romantic drama explores the growing attraction between “Baby” and her dance instructor, as they work to pull off a climactic dance move for a talent show.

 

19. Sister Act (1992)

In Sister Act, Whoopi Goldberg plays Sister Deloris, a lounge singer who hides out in a convent as part of a witness program, and is talked into directing the choir.

 

20. Soul (2020)

Soul, a 3D animated Disney-Pixar film, follows Joe Gardner, a middle school band teacher and aspiring jazz pianist, who ends up in the soul realm and strives to get back to his original life.