Why Pam's A Problem

Pam House from 1987's Summer School is a manipulator.

For a brief summary if you haven't seen the movie, or it's been a while. Summer School follows gym teacher Freddy Shoop as he's forced to teach summer school to a group of kids who all failed their English tests, in order to get the students to cooperate, Shoop bribes each of the students by granting them one wish, whether that be a party, teaching a student to drive, or watching The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. For the point of this argument, we're focusing on Pam's wish: for Shoop to let her stay at his house. There, all caught up.

Now, right out of the gate, she explains that her brother and siter-in-law need to move their twins to a different room in the house which is forcing Pam "off the couch." So, she asks Shoop if she can stay at his place. Shoop, rightfully so, is reluctant to have his student staying at his home, until Pam guilt trips Shoop into letting her stay by saying that "everyone else got their wish." Now, to be fair to Pam, part of the blame does land on Shoop here, as he could have just said, "no, that is too much of an ask, think of a different wish." The problem is: he doesn't. Later, when Shoop has fellow teacher and love interest Mrs. Bishop over, she of course finds issue with a high school student living with a grown man. She then proceeds to explain to him why it's bad and it makes it seem like Shoop is the one with the problem, when it's Pam.     After this, Shoop kicks Pam out, and she gets upset saying "you don't just want me out of your house, you want me out of your life." She straight up tries to guilt trip the man into letting her stay, twice! I forget the exact wording, but she essentially says, "you get too close to a person then they turn on you." And later Shoop asks her for her homework, and she says, "do you think I did my homework after the hell you put me through?" Hell he put you through? I'm sorry, you're the one who's in the wrong here. She plays the victim here, when she's the manipulator. If anything, Shoop's the victim, as he says later, he's given up all his free time, had his couch set on fire, his fish killed, his car wrecked and was put in jail for the kids. Pam isn't the victim, she's the problem.

As I've shown you Pam House is not only a bad student, she's also a manipulator. Thanks.

-MM