Mr Joe Louis Clark example essay topic

Lean On Me is based on a true story of a principal at Eastside High, a multicultural school in New Jersey. In the beginning of the movie, Mr. Joe Louis Clark (portrayed by Morgan Freeman) is an assertive strong willed teacher who takes pride in his work and his school. Due to unexpected school board budget cuts, Mr. Clark is forced to make decisions about his future at Eastside High. He leaves and goes to an elementary school. Unfortunately, Eastside High takes an unexpected turn for the worst. Joe is re-hired in 1983 to run what is now one of the worst schools in the state.

Rather than being a place of security and a place to get an education, Eastside High was now a place where you are forced to learn lessons of life on the streets and possibly get killed. Joe Clark's mission was to turn this crime, drug, and graffiti infested school around completely, in just one year's time. He must bring order and peace to his former school and he must also bring up the learning level of the students so they can pass the state's "minimum basic skills test". Joe Clark, a former Army drill instructor, realizes that he must use tough discipline as a means of changing Eastside High School. His methods in doing so were very controversial. The press gave him the nickname of "Crazy Joe" Clark because of his use of a bullhorn and a baseball bat within his school to terrorize and intimidate the students and the faculty.

To his supporters, this tactic was to be motivation for the students and teachers to do better. To his opponents, there was a constant struggle of power. From an organizational theory perspective, this movie centers on power and authority within the Eastside High organization. Our book describes power as a force used to attain a desired outcome, which can involve coercion, rewards, norms, and knowledge.

Throughout the movie, Joe Clark uses these aspects of power to aid in his quest. As mentioned previously, Joe Clark's mission was one of transformation. It appears that the only way Clark knew to accomplish this transformation was through his use of power. There are two more notable incidents in the movie that provide good examples of his use of power.

One of the first things Joe Clark did was use his power to expel people from his school. He started by expelling 300 students who he claimed were "educationally hopeless underachievers, parasites, hoodlums, and drug pushers". Here Mr. Clark was changing the norm of the organization from the New Jersey street culture to one of higher learning. To make sure these now ex-students stayed out and could not return to cause trouble and pedal their drugs, Clark chained and locked the school doors and emergency exits from the inside. Clark demanded, and won respect from not only his students but also from his faculty. If respect was not given, Clark simply removed or expelled the offender from the school.

This, unfortunately, was the fate of several faculty members. After there was talk about his controversial leadership style, Clark uses his power to coerce others to his way of thinking. During an impromptu parent's meeting, Clark is faced with angry parents demanding explanation for his military type actions. He coerces the majority of the parents that he did what was in the best interest of the school. Anyone who was not coerced was mad a mockery of. Mrs. Barrett wound up being the butt of many jokes.

Joe Clark's hard-nosed attitude in the movie Lean on Me is the tool that he needed in order to successfully transform Eastside High into a school that everyone can be proud of. His use of power throughout this transformation is the backbone that helps him to accomplish his mission.