Education comes in every form. Anything can be considered as education. Education is the knowledge or skill obtained or developed by a learning process therefore if you teach one how to tie a shoe or how to be respectful that is still considered as education. In the film To Sir, with Love, E.R Braithwaite is a new teacher at Greenslade School. At first he had a hard time teaching them merely because they were being difficult and didn’t cooperate with him. He would say one thing and they would do another. The students had a hard time learning the traditional way because of the fact that they lacked respect to the teacher and school system. The teacher was an African American man in which had no respect from the students. He gained the respect by trying a new approach of teaching. This new approach was to give the students respect. If you respect the students, they will respect you. The teacher asked the students to act a certain way and have good manners. This made a huge difference in their minds for many different reasons because the students gained new insights.

Since Braithwaite gave the students respect, the students finally felt like someone actually cares about them and they have potential to survive reality. By giving the students respect, the students gained self-worth and confidence to go out and make a change. Braithwaite’s technique of teaching was he would ask the students what they wanted to learn instead of the typical form of education in which there is a curriculum. When the students were allowed to choose the topic during class, the students participated and were genuinely interested in what Braithwaite was saying. The things that they were talking about were based on how to survive real life, topics such as marriage, sex, love and how to deal with it all. There was no restriction on the questions that the students can ask. Basically everyday was a clean slate in which they can ask anything they want. He wanted the students to question reality, explore their mind and express their opinion. The students weren’t used to this type of learning method, however it made them realize their worth and the potential they have as students. This class helped them to gain basic knowledge of reality. Braithwaite motivated his students and treated them like adults. Instead of teaching them boring subjects that they don’t care about, he taught them things they were curious about and would come handy in real life. Every student is different and Braithwaite found a way to teach them effectively.

In Malcolm X, he adjusts to the prison environment and utilizes whatever he has to gain more knowledge. He gets a dictionary and starts reading it to gain more knowledge. Working with what you have is the best thing to do. Malcolm X had a freedom of mind because of self-education. With hard-work and determination, he learned how to read and write, and reading changed his life forever. “Months passed without my even thinking about being imprisoned. In fact, up to then, I never had been so truly free in my life.” As learning these new words, he opened up to new concepts and broaden his horizon. Through his self-education, he gained the freedom to explore his mind and have his own opinion.