Woman: My mom was a teacher and I knew without a shadow of a doubt from early childhood that the one job I would never do was become a teacher. Never ever. I would take toll cards on a turnpike. I'll be a shepherd, anything, rather than become a teacher.
---
Principal: Get to the point, Dr. Heart. I've got a school to run.
Dr. Heart: Your State's score have gone down in the last three years. You're not delivering . . .
Principal: Don't pretend like you don't know the game. You earmarked my school as the transfer dome for the worst kids in the district.[. . .]You're corporatizing the system.
---
Henry: We have such a responsibility to guide our young so that they don't end up falling apart. Falling by the wayside. Becoming insignificant.
I realized something today. I'm a non-person, Sarah. You shouldn't be here. I am not here. You may see me, but I'm hollow.
Failing. We're failing. Failed in a sense that we have let everyone down. Including ourselves.
片頭的訪記錄片段中有位女士,出生自教師家庭,想必有看過老師處境的一手經驗。該女士嚴肅地說,從小就知道未來絕不會當老師,她用了「without a shadow of a doubt」來描述這樣的想法。shadow在英文中當名詞用是指影子、陰影,當女士這樣用表示她的懷疑從來沒有被置於陰影之下,也就是從未懷疑過。與shadow相關的常見用法還有從聖經《詩篇》第23章中的:「Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me . . .(我雖然行過死蔭的幽谷,也不怕遭害,因為你與我同在……)」描述處於險境,被死亡陰影所壟罩的時刻。當shadow當動詞時,則是被遮蓋或引申為籠罩之意,通常是用於負面的情緒,像是被哀傷所籠罩(be shadowed with grief)。
在亨利來到這所學校的同一天,哈特博士來到校長辦公室與校長談論學校經營不善的問題。儘管哈特博士表面上所提的建議看似有理(例如為學生好而改變辦學方式、讓學校苟延殘喘不如直接關閉),但實際上卻暗藏著企業經營的態度,其中又牽涉到該博士等的代表人物故意有心拖垮該校名聲,讓學校倒閉以做更有利潤的投資……等等。校長直指:「Don't pretend like you don't know the game.」意思是她已看穿哈特博士的把戲(game),要他卸下偽善的面具,直接大方承認其以利益優先的的考量。看著哈特博士繼續顧左右而言他,校長也忍部住直接點出:「You're corporatizing the system.」校長口中的system指的是教育系統,而corporatize是企業化、商業化的意思。教育系統與商業經營是互相矛盾的兩種理念,當教育淪為服膺利潤的工具,怎麼還談得上以教育學生、為學生創造福祉而優先?
代課老師亨利深知自己的無能為力,縱使自己也宛如空無一物的公事包那樣空洞,卻仍嘗試關心他人。艾芮卡多次質問亨利「Why you care?」。關心、在乎,是突破孤單的牢籠的關鍵。亨利期望自己能解救學生,讓艾芮卡逃離雛妓的悲慘命運。一個殘破的人,只能藉著拯救或者傷害他人才能安慰自己。有人選擇以虐待動物寬解憂鬱,亨利則選擇幫助他人。亨利想要逃離悲慘的過去,不再被孤獨壟罩,卻又害怕與他人建立長久的關係,深信自己不是、也不能擁有任何歸屬。《人間師格》裡的人物易碎卻同時存在極端的矛盾,他們害怕孤單卻又恐懼擁有。校園裡的這些人,其實與塵世間的我們無異。亨利對學生伸出了關懷之手,殊不知,星火般的關心,卻燎原成為日後極大的痛苦。
片末,亨利的訪問獨白,與亨利一人坐在諾大無人的教室沉思兩種場景相互交錯。在獨白中,亨利道出每位老師的終極教育目標,但顯然這目標並非如字面上那樣容易,他用失敗總結了一切的努力,無論是對自身,或對他人。不久後,曾與她產生誤會的女教師莎拉也走進教室,內心沉痛的亨利對著她說:「You may see me, but I'm hollow.」那樣的空洞,想必任何的行動都已再也無法彌補。