FINAL PAPER IN C120 (NEW CURRICULUM)

THE EMPEROR’S CLUB

IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE SUBJECT

C120 (TEACHER’S EDUCATION PHILOSOPHY WITH MANAGEMENT

ETHICS AND INTEGRATION OF TRENDS & ISSUES

IN EDUCATION)

SUBMITTED BY:

MARIAN SCARLET V. SILVANO

MAED FILIPINO

WESTERN COLLEGES – ST. JUDE EXTENSION

SUBMITTED TO:

DEAN ABNER V. PINEDA

DECEMBER 03, 2021

 I. RATIONALE

THE EMPEROR'S CLUB centers on an inspiring and committed teacher of

classical history, Mr. Hundert (Kevin Kline), who believes that "a man's character
determines his fate" and that it is his job to mold the character of his students. An
insolent new student named Sedgewick Bell (Emile Hirsch) provides Hundert's
greatest challenge. He seems to value nothing but pleasure and shocking people.
He knows that he will have the protection of his father, a Senator. But he's bitter and
angry about his distant father. Hundert is patient and sympathetic. We get a glimpse
of Hundert's feelings about his own father. Hundert gently persuades Bell to care
about succeeding on the school's terms. And that means competing for the school's
highest honor – the "Mr. Julius Caesar" competition. Bell does care, perhaps more
deeply than Hundert knows. Hundert bends the rules to put Bell in the final
competition. But he has to make an important decision that will determine the
outcome, taking into account the needs not just of Bell but of the school and the
other students in the competition as well. Many years later, he must revisit those
choices and reconsider the role he has played in the lives of the young men put
under his care.

There are many movies with the plot of teacher-student relationship and the
teacher as the protagonist. The movie The Emperor’s Club is also one of them,
depicting about the interaction between the teacher William Hundert and his
students. A rebellious student Sedgewick Bell suddenly breaks into the ordinary
campus. Sedgewick’s distinctive behavior brings not only adverse effects on peers
but also a challenge in Mr. Hundert’s prosaic teaching career, testing Hundert’s
beliefs and provoking the conflict between teachers and students.

What the film The Emperor's Club attracts my attention is the subtle changes in
the teacher’s image different from that in other similar campus films. I am
surprised that this film clarifies a "good" teacher is not necessary "almighty". The
shackle—teachers must be universal—was finally removed. In this movie, we can
see that teachers are mortal—they have pressure and are even infirm of purpose at
some moment.
II. FILM REVIEW
A. PHILOSOPHIES OF EDUCATION PRESENT IN THE FILM
1. Behaviorism, Progressivism, Reconstructionism and Idealism
The movie, Emperor’s Club is a masterwork that deals with a
teacher's desire to instill in his students a flawless work ethic as well
as morals and values.
Mr. Hundert, a teacher at a prep boarding school, firmly believes
(and rightly so) that it is a teacher's responsibility and obligation to
teach students the Greek and Roman classics as well as the very
first philosophical minds (Aristotle, Plato, etc) so that the students
will grow up to be ethical and moral beings who can contribute to
society. Mr. Hundert's belief is that it is a teacher's responsibility to
not only teaches students history, but also to foster a sense of
utilitarian virtue within the hearts' and souls' of the youngsters. Mr.
Hundert realizes that he is not only a teacher to these students but
is also a quasi-father-figure who can mold the character of his
students.
In the film, Professor Hundert creates the "Emperor's Club" to study
the greek-roman culture history. Through this, he tries to shape
students’ personality, using the good history characters' examples.
The immaculate teacher's character goes into shock when he faces
the conceited student Sedgewick Bell, son of a scrupulous less
Senator. The conflict happens due to Bell keeping a relationship
with his father in which the dialog didn't exist, as well as caress and
affection, even if the boy tried to get closer. In that challenge, the
professor ends up, dishonestly, forging a contest rating (Emperor''s
Club), diverting from his upright character to try and get closer to
the boy and pass him his concepts. Understanding that, regardless
of few steps forward, he cannot change the student's character, the
professor goes through an internal conflict about what are victories
and defeats. That conflict gets deeper when he gets disappointed
by understanding that even amongst school masters; "brightness"
overlaps uprightness and honesty.
 “The worth of a life is not determined by a single failure or a solitary
success” was the line delivered by Mr. William Hundert. As a
teacher, he may have failed in teaching Sedgewick but he was
more than successful in influencing the lives of his students who
continued to value his lessons. One good example would be Martin.
He would never bring his son to the same school to learn from the
same teacher who taught him so well if he knew it would not help
his son be sharpened and molded into a better person .

B. PLOT OF THE STORY – TEACHER POWER

In one of the first-class sessions, Mr. Hundert jokingly declares,

“Tyranny is what we have in this classroom, and it works”. The
boarding school is inherently based on a structure where educators
and administrators maintain responsibility for the students. This
gave teachers more power than they would have in a traditional
school setting. Furthermore, Mr. Hundert served as a class
supervisor for the group, overlooking their out-of-class activities.
The staff set the rules, punishments, and curriculum for the boys
which they were obliged to follow with the fear of expulsion.

Meanwhile, the students maintain an indirect power through the

influence of their parents. The school’s endowment and popularity
directly depend upon the participation of families. Throughout the
movie, the influence of parents that are powerful figures in the
community is discussed. Particularly in the example of the primary
antagonist, Bell, who can leverage his father’s position as a
Senator to escape harsh punishment for atrocious behavior.

Teacher communication directly impacts student engagement

due to the inherent influence on emotions in the classroom. If there
is a lack of communication competence and clarity in verbal
interaction, students report shame, boredom, and hopelessness.
Meanwhile, a positive approach reflects enjoyment and hope. This
is due to the emotional response theory which affects the learning
process and classroom interactions (Mazer et al. 15). Mr. Hundert
sought to establish a positive environment in the classroom by
practicing clear communication with the students, honesty, and
encouraging debate. Students were aware of expectations in the
classroom and could also communicate with Mr. Hundert on a
personal level, both inside and outside the classroom. Despite, the
power dynamic favoring the instructor, the communication
approach remained a tool that established a level of equity and
balance to some extent which positively influenced the students.

Types of teacher power and approaches have been found to

directly correlate with student empowerment, emotion, and
behavior. The coercive power which seeks to punish and control
the students is demotivational and lowers self-competency.
However, the film protagonist displayed instances of legitimate
power which presents the teacher’s authority to the students as a
societal role, giving the right to direct students, but not force them.
Such instructors are described as strict and upright, but displaying
high charisma, moral character, and even pleasant personality.
Additionally, Mr. Hundert displayed instances of referent power,
which is the student’s positive regard for and identification with the
teacher, establishing a personal connection. Furthermore, reward
power was evident which seeks to empower the students as they
receive affirmation and support from the instructor that led to
improved self-perception and performance (Diaz et al. 8).

As an instructor, Mr. Hundert was greatly respected and

revered by his students, as suggested by the film’s plot in the
events of the past and present-day when they have grown up. Mr.
Hundert displayed character and attitude that established authority,
but it was not misused and rarely punished students. Instead, he
 utilized it to create teachable moments for all students, including
Bell, when mistakes were made. The theory of Congruent
Communication is implemented in the classroom, as Mr. Hundert
greatly encourages student autonomy and awareness of their
actions. This is evident particularly in the moral guidance, as
Hundert utilizes history to promote character development in the
boys, building self-discipline and positive decision-making
capabilities. During the first lesson, he provides an example of
Shutruk Nahunte, who despite his great ambition and conquests
failed to be remembered by history because of his lack of
contributions. From the initial stages, this provides a powerful
influence and encouragement for the boys who realize that they
must be meaningful and contributing members of the community
and history to be recognized, rather than getting caught up in the
hubris of ambition like Bell.

C. TRENDS AND ISSUES IN EDUCATION

Mr. Hundert utilizes a mixed style of teaching discipline in

classroom management and interaction with students. Therefore,
he integrates the personality and methods from various styles of
classroom leadership to demonstrate a hybrid approach to achieve
students’ best interests and fulfill their learning needs. It is
important to note that the following theoretical models are all
focused on promoting student autonomy, self-discipline, and
responsibility for behavior. Mr. Hundert’s approach of promoting
moral character growth in a non-forceful manner fits within the
theories that emphasize encouragement and teaching by example.

Jacob Kounin’s Instructional Management theory states that is

managed through effective lesson planning techniques which
ensure continuity and smoothness of the lesson, leaving students
no time or interest for misbehavior. Instructional management can
consist of consistent daily structure and routines, allocation of
material, and control of seating charts. This approach is strongly
dependent on teacher efficacy and willingness to try different
instructional approaches. It ultimately sets the atmosphere in the
classroom which influences student behavior stressors. The
instructional momentum is a characteristic of well-planned lessons
and little off-task behavior (Martin et al. 547). According to Kounin,
the group management approach outlined by theory allows to
program for individual differences and creates a flow of instruction
and classroom environment that helps certain students (Emmer
and Stough 104).

These classroom management techniques can be seen in Mr.

Hurbert’s approach that attempts to diversify a relatively dull
subject of history in his lesson plans to promote engagement.
Students participate in activities such as dressing in togas or
reading parts from a play to recreate historical events. Meanwhile,
Mr. Hurbert uses this lesson management to impart personal
lessons upon difficult students such as Bell, when assigning him a
vital role in the play reading activity that stipulates an important
debate and critical thought on morality. For the most part, Hurbert
is successful in utilizing this theoretical approach. However,
misbehavior on behalf of Bell persists despite any attempts for his
inclusion. Nevertheless, Hundert believes that “however much we
stumble, it is a teacher’s burden to always hope that with learning a
boy’s character might be changed, and so the destiny of a man”

Many of us thought that the very title of the film, The Emperors’

Club, was deliberately chosen to reflect Mr. Hundert’s pedagogy of
memorization and rule following, so that they could all become
emperors. In other words, it seemed to be a culture of elitism, and
one which endorses prejudice. Their ideology seems to reflect not
how the world is, but how they think it should be. One teacher said
this was similar to the previous administration, which of course was
interesting not only in and of itself, but also because Bell’s father
was a US Senator.

This led nicely to viewing the next excerpt in which we saw Mr.
Hundert pay a visit to Bell’s father in Washington, and how his
father questioned the point of learning the classics, and told Mr.
Hundert categorically that it was not the teacher’s job to mold his
son, but was his own job as his father.

It seems, though, that things turned around when the class had
to take a series of tests to see, according to a school tradition
which has lasted for more than seventy years, who will have the
scholarly honour of being nominated as Julius Caesar. Mr. Hundert
lends Bell his old book and tells him before the test, what particular
chapter to read to be best prepared for the questions on the test.
He later overrides what Bell is told by a librarian about not being
able to take a book out of the library, and says that Bell should
indeed be allowed to take the book.

The very archaic nature of this inherited tradition of continuing

the Caesar quiz could imply that Hundert’s pedagogy could be both
inherited and inevitable, although even so one wonders if he could
have been more creative around the necessity of memorization.

What became an even bigger point of discussion, though, was

the question of testing and grading. In terms of testing, it seemed
that Hundert went completely against his upright, ethical principles
by giving Bell an unfair advantage, both in terms of lending him his
old book and telling him the chapter that would be on the quiz, and
also by insisting that the librarian give Bell the book. Why did he do
this? If a student comes for help, thus initiating the process, that is
one thing, but is it right for a teacher to step in unasked, and
inequitably assist one student by giving him special privileges? Is it
because as teachers, we feel we are not successful if our students
are not getting good grades? Or was it also because, in Hundert’s
case, he wanted to become the headmaster? This could have
persuaded him to single out Bell for help, especially because of the
political position of Bell’s father, and also because his family was
giving the school a large endowment. Or was it simply because
Hundert regarded Bell as a challenge, and he wanted to succeed in
getting through to him and helping him to become a good student.
After all, he did say to Bell’s father that Bell is intelligent but just not
applying himself.

After this, Bell indeed starts working very diligently, and we see
him really trying hard when taking the quizzes. Were Hundert’s
methods of intervention therefore paying off? But this then leads to
the second question; that of grading. Not only did Hundert assist
Bell in his studies, but also he changed his grade on his last of the
five quizzes, from an A- to an A+. This elevated Bell to the position
of one of the three finalists, which also had the result in pushing
one of the legitimate finalists off the list.

As I watched the excerpt of the question and answer session for

the three finalists, each dressed in Roman togas, and with much
pomp and circumstance. The winner of these questions would be
crowned Caesar for the year. In this scene, I saw that Hundert
recognizes that Bell is cheating. He reverts back to his former
ethical standards, and informs the headmaster of the cheating, but
the headmaster tells him to ignore it. Hundert, clearly wanting
justice at this stage now to be done, realizes that Bell probably saw
the questions ahead of time and has prepared his answers, so
Hundert gives him an entirely new question which was not
previously prepared. This stumps Bell, and so he is out of the
competition after all.

So, even though Hundert remembers his ethical standards, it

seems that the modus operandi of the school, as seen through the
headmaster’s response, does not. Not only was Bell unfairly placed
as a finalist who was prepared to cheat to continue getting ahead,
but also the one boy for whom being a finalist was so important as
 his father had been Caesar when he was at the school a
generation before him, was denied his fair chance to perform.

III. CONCLUSION
Generally, the movie teaches me one lesson to be consistent in
dealing my students fairly regardless of status of life. I would not allow
any biases to help one or two students in my class to the extent of
depriving others to excel too whether academically or in extra-curricular
activities. Because like what happened to Professor Hundert, he
sacrificed Martin’s opportunity to join the event because of his intention
to give Sedgewick a chance to prove his worth. But the professor’s
effort was all in vain because Sedgewick remains evil who keeps on
cheating just to get what he wants in life.