Mei Flower recommends the “The Class,” about a junior high in inner-city Paris. Be warned, however, that it doesn’t sound like escapist fare. MF loved it, she writes, because it is realistic in a way that American teacher movies seldom are:
The movie deals with one class of freshman-aged students in their grammar/literature class. The teacher is stressed and overworked, he worries about his performance, about his ability, about what he's really teaching, and about his kids--not just as students, but as PEOPLE. ...
Many times, as I was watching the film, I found myself slouching down in my seat, or cringing, or covering my eyes, or shaking my head. Many times, I recognized myself in that teacher, and my mistakes in his mistakes. Oooh. It was rough, let me tell you. But ... totally, totally worth it.