Summary
In the frantic world of early 20th-century slapstick, Teacher, Teacher presents a day in the life of an educator pushed to the absolute brink of psychological collapse. The unnamed hero is trapped in a grueling cycle of sleeplessness and academic anarchy. By night, he attempts to mold the minds of a diverse, rowdy adult education class; by day, he seeks the refuge of sleep, only to be tormented by a parrot whose primary function is to deliver caustic, sleep-depriving insults. This isn't just a comedy of errors; it is a comedy of exhaustion. The narrative centers on a singular, fateful day when a student gifts the teacher a loaded cigar—a classic trope of the era that serves as a ticking time bomb for his professional reputation. As the teacher attempts to navigate a classroom filled with paper-ball-throwing delinquents and aging pupils, he prepares for a high-stakes visit from the school board and the principal. The film culminates in a dual explosion: first, the literal blast of the sabotaged cigar, and second, a chaotic canine invasion that transforms the educational institution into a pile of splinters and fur. It is a cynical, high-energy look at the futility of authority in the face of organized chaos.
Synopsis
The hero teaches night school and tries to sleep in the daytime. His parrot has other ideas and keeps him awake with its wise cracks. At school his pupils prove to be men and women of all ages, who shower him with gifts. Among the presents is a loaded cigar, which the teacher puts in his pocket. After having trouble with all the bad boys in the class, dodging paper balls and trying to lecture under difficulties, he gets everything under control by the time the principal, his daughter and the school board visit the classroom. The teacher gives the cigar to the principal in an endeavor to make an impression on him. It explodes and the board leaves in disgust. A dog visits the classroom and when chased out comes back with its friends and relatives. In the chase the schoolroom is wrecked.
