In Loco Parentis (School Life)

“In loco parentis” is Latin for “in the place of a parent,” and Neasa Ní Chianáin and David Rane’s intimate and touching documentary presents a portrait of two educators who take on that role. At the Headfort boarding school in picturesque Kells, Ireland, John and Amanda Leyden have devoted 45 years to educating children. Passionate yet tolerant Amanda teaches English and oversees a performance of Hamlet that manages to coax humor out of the tragic play. John teaches Latin and rules the band room, where his irony and teasing as he teaches his young charges to perform The Troggs’ “Wild Thing” accentuates the deep and committed bond he has with them. The level of individual attention and the profound concern the Leydens have for their students, lead to some remarkable developmental transformations as the children journey from being homesick and afraid to confident young people, tearful upon realizing that school is over and they must go home. For elderly John and Amanda, how much longer they can continue teaching is a lingering question. At a time when the American educational system is under threat and classes get larger rather than smaller, In Loco Parentis (School Life) is a charming and idealistic picture of what education can be when the needs of the students come first. –Gustavus Kundahl