In the film To Sir, with Love, I respect Mr. Thackeray for that he consistently makes himself as an example for his students. He is always self-composed and very careful with his anger management; he never acts too extreme even though he is furious. If he scolds and curses at the students often, the students would talk back even louder, then the classroom would eventually become a clamorous street market. Speaking from my own experience, what a teacher does can really unconsciously influence the behaviors of the students. The importance of following an example is also shown in Reading selection:  “Learning to Read” excerpt from The Autobiography of Malcolm X. Malcolm X writes “when Bimbi first made me feel envy of his stock of knowledge. Bimbi had always taken charge of any conversations he was in, and I had tried to emulate him” (par.4). Bimbi motivates Malcolm X to improve himself.

Mr. Thackeray changes his way of teaching when he realizes the traditional textbook lessons don’t work. In the case of Malcolm X, he adapts the prison environment and utilizes what he has access to. He borrows “some tablets and pencils from the Norfolk Prison Colony school” (par.5) and he “copied into my tablet everything printed on that first page, down to the punctuation marks” (par.7). This shows that during times of conundrums, working with what you’ve got is the best thing to do. You might accomplish something like both cases have shown. Mr. Thackeray gains the respect he deserves from his students; Malcolm X learns how to read.