All language subtitles for the_cosby_show_s06e25_live_and_learn

the music I've never heard.

Dad?

Here, bud.

I can't go to Amy's party.

Why not?

One of my ears is bigger than the other
one.

Which one?

This one, compared to the other one,
this is huge.

Can't you see it? Yeah, it is, but it's
just a smidgen bit bigger, that's all.

I knew it. Well, wait a minute, though,
honey. The body isn't perfectly

symmetrical.

I mean, some people have the right leg
longer than the left leg, a right arm

longer than the left arm, and besides, I
look at you and I can't tell the

difference. That's because you see me
all the time.

When someone else meets me, they're
going to say, Who's that girl with one

ear?

I can't go to Amy's party. People will
stare at me. If you're worried about it,

there are certain things you can do. You
can go around. You can get a beret.

Pull the beret all the way over to one
ear.

Or you could take this hand and be very
intellectual.

This is a serious problem.

Can you please act like an adult?

Okay.

Then as an adult, I will tell you that I
don't see the difference, okay?

And as an adult, I will also tell you
that what you are is more important than

what your two ears look like. Look at my
face. My face is not perfectly

symmetrical.

You see?

Whoa, Dad, you're right.

What?

You see something? Say, what is it? Huh?

you looking at look at look at my face
is my face uh perfectly handsome oh

absolutely oh thank you yeah but let me
ask you a question if let's say you

didn't know me let's say you didn't know
me okay and and and you were in the

supermarket and i was in the supermarket
and i saw you and you saw me would you

would you come over to me and say you
know

Couldn't you just walk up to some
strange man in the supermarket and start

talking? Oh, okay, okay, okay, okay,
okay.

So, that's right, absolutely.

Okay, so let's say you're over at the
thing, you know, and I push my cart and

rub up against your cart.

What would you say to me?

I would say that the supermarket is the
place to meet you because you're fresh.

And would you take me home and squeeze
me?

Hey.

Rebecca Shorter might be a good school
teacher, but she has no idea what she's

talking about.

Well, who is Rebecca Shorter?

Rebecca Shorter, she's a friend of mine
who teaches elementary school. And she

was telling me that Medgar Evers College
would be the perfect school for me to

go to to get my teaching degree and all
I needed, blah, blah, blah.

So I forget about Columbia. I drop
everything.

And these people at the school act like
they don't even want students to enroll

there. I go down to sign up for the fall
semester, and they tell me I have to

show them my transcript from Hillman, so
I do.

And can you believe these people only
want to give me credit for one course?

Which one?

Archery. It had to be archery.

Come on.

I passed a lot of courses at Hillman.
No, but... They tell me that if you

transfer from another school, they can't
accept any grade lower than a C.

That is totally unfair!

I mean, what is a D?

I mean, a D is 70%. I mean, if I had 70
%

of a pie.

Right.

I mean, that's a lot of pie!

May I see the transcript, please?

Dad.

It hasn't changed since the last time
you saw it.

I'm sorry. I was just hoping.

One C, five Ds, and seven Is for
incomplete. And the C was in Archer.

okay. So I called him about those
incompletes, and I said I would fly down

take tasks, write papers, whatever they
wanted, to make those incompletes up.

And what did they say? No, I'd let too
much time pass. They can't let me do

that. I mean, what do these people want
from me?

Don't they know I want to be a teacher?

So what you're saying, Denise, is that
if you enter Medgar Evers College,

be starting as a freshman?

Yes!

And... read this.

Thank you for your interest in Medgar
Evers College of the City University of

New York.

Even though you received high scores on
your math, reading, and writing

placement exams because of your poor
academic performance at Hillman, you

be assigned two counselors.

One counselor will assist you with your
academic needs, and a peer counselor

will help you adjust to your new
environment.

You know, I tried to talk him into
giving me more credits for life

Life experience?

Yes, Dad, life experience. I mean, I did
go to Africa for a year as a

photographer's assistant. That should
count for something.

And I'm raising a child. I mean, that's
a big deal.

I mean, marriage. That is a tremendous
life experience.

And I'm living at home with my parents.

You want credit for that?

college. And I'll tell you something
else. I should get credit for failing

college and wanting to go back.

Let's backtrack for a minute. If memory
serves me correctly, you marched into

this living room one day, informed us
that you were going to become a teacher

a result of a conversation you had with
Olivia's mother. Yes. Not only do you

want to teach, but you want to teach
children with learning problems.

Life experience is a good thing, but
darling.

These people don't need somebody with
life experience only.

They need someone with special skills.

I can't talk about this anymore. I have
to go pick up Olivia at her preschool.

But let me just say this, okay? I think
it is totally unfair for someone who has

spent three semesters in college to have
to start all over again as a freshman.

I mean, don't these people know that I
want to be a teacher? I mean, this is

what I want to do.

Look at me. I'm enthusiastic.

But do they care? No. All they care
about are Cs.

of children out there who need a good
teacher.

And now they're not going to get one. I
mean, is anyone thinking about the

children?

No, no. All they're thinking about is
what I once was, not what I am now.

Okay. I just love what I saw here. That
was amazing seeing these kids enjoy

math. Math doesn't have to be boring.
I've wanted to teach Olivia math for a

long time, but I didn't think she was
ready. Well, if you make it fun, they

learn. Right, Olivia?

Right!

left here negative and angry.

Who would have thought going to Olivia's
preschool would have changed my life

completely? I don't know, honey, but
with you, anything is possible.

Mom, I'm going to be a teacher!

Again?

I'm glad to hear that.

Going to college, huh?

Oh, no, no, no. College has nothing to
do with it. Today, I witnessed an

alternative to traditional education.

Olivia, one.

Hit it.

One times one is one.

One times two is four.

One times five is five. Okay, honey.

She doesn't even want to stop. Now
that's learning.

I'm impressed.

Mommy, can I have an orange? Sure.

One times five is five. One times six is
six. One times seven is seven. Now you

know why I don't have to go back to
college. This is the kind of teaching I

to do.

There's a man at her preschool, Uncle
Wilton, who teaches multiplication

by using rap.

I mean, you should see how eager these
children were to learn.

Oh, I'm sure you're right.

If I want to do this, I don't have to
work within the system.

I can just get up there and do it. The
kids will have so much fun learning.

Denise, there is no shortcut to becoming
a teacher.

And, honey, if you really want to work
with children, sooner or later, you're

going to have to go to college.

Mom, you're like a bucket of cold water.

Every time I come to you with
enthusiasm, you just dump it on me. All

is that anything worth having is worth
working for. There's no easy way.

looking for an easy way. You know, I'm
willing to pay my dues or work 18 hours

day for little money to learn how to
teach this way. You do not understand

concept of paying dues. Paying dues is
what you do after you spend years in

school training and preparing to work 18
hours a day for little or nothing,

hoping to get a chance to do what you
want to do. That is paying dues.

You see?

More cold water. More cold water.

You know, I should just do what I want
and stop telling you guys.

What it is, I'm going to do.

And maybe when we were making the
decision to have that child, somebody

have poured some cold water on Cliff.

One times 11.

One times 11.

Anyway, you. I got it. Yeah.

to senior children. They're having so
much fun. I'm a teacher, you know. I'm

favor of anything that helps children
learn.

You want some juice? Yeah, apple? Mm
-hmm.

You know, I can't help think if someone
had made learning that exciting for me,

I probably would have dropped out of
college.

Wait a minute.

Are you telling me if your college
courses were all in rap, you would have

stayed in? No, that is not what I'm
saying. I'm saying if someone had made

learning exciting, I might not have lost
my enthusiasm.

You know, I think this method could work
in the classroom with every subject.

You do?

Yeah, I mean, like, English, history. I
wrote one for history. You have to hear

this.

Columbus sailed the ocean blue in 1492.

When he got to the shore, he said, Let's
talk on a place called Plymouth Rock.

Denise, Columbus sailed to the Caribbean
in 1492.

The Pilgrims landed on Plymouth Rock in
1620.

teach anyone with rap, I think you're
going to have to have someone teach you

the right information.

I was too busy writing this song to
worry about the facts.

I could always change the lyrics. The
point is, I think this is a very valid

to teach children, and this is the way I
want to go.

I think you should try this in your
classroom.

Denise, I am more than grateful to
Sesame Street and Mr.

Rogers. and all the television shows
that use music and animation and clever

production techniques to dazzle children
into learning. But it won't work for

me. I don't sing and dance.

It would be nice if I could get Madonna
and Janet Jackson to come in and sing

about numbers and letters, but I can't.
I teach in the real world, and I do it

because I love teaching and I love
children. I love children, too.

My dream is to work with children who
have learning disabilities so I can find

out what's going on with holding them
back and help them move past that, you

know? I think Uncle Wilton's method will
work with them. I don't need college to

do that.

Anne, I want to go down there and tell
Uncle Wilton I want to be his

That's what you want to do?

Yes, that's what I want to do.

Anne, I want you to come down to the
center, and I want you to see his

technique. Okay, I'm open.

And who knows, maybe, you know, once
you've learned this technique of Uncle

Wilton's, you can come in and give an
assembly.

I'd love to. Yeah, but not on
Christopher Columbus.

We can be anything we want to be. We can
be a square.

Yeah, good square.

And we can be a triangle.

Good, good triangle.

Or we can be the letter T.

Great T, great T.

Dr. Gordon?

All right, let's go, everybody. We're
going to the film library to look at

dinosaurs and pterodactyls.

Hey! Here we go, everybody.

Way to dot the I, Olivia.

I know what I'm doing. Yes, you do.

You ready to meet Uncle Pterodactyl?
Okay.

Bye! Bye -bye!

Excuse me, Uncle Wilton?

Yes. Hi.

This is my friend Rebecca Schroeder.
She's a fifth grade teacher.

Pleasure to meet you, Rebecca.

I like what you're doing here. Thank you
very much. Um...

Uncle Wilton, I know that I've only seen
your class twice, but I want you to

know that I've... Well, I've really been
affected by it, and I'd like to study

with you and Gordon and learn your
techniques and hopefully pass them on to

other children.

I mean, you wouldn't have to pay me
anything.

I'd be your apprentice.

Well, I'm flattered, but let me ask you
something. Where'd you go to college?

Hellman. Good school.

Did you get your bachelor's or your
master's degree?

Oh.

Um...

Actually, I don't have either.

Well, I suggest you go back to college,
get your degree, come back to SEAL.

We'd love to have you. I need a degree
to, you know, play the drums and rap to

children? Well, understand, we don't
teach everything through music.

So you use traditional teaching methods
also.

Absolutely. And the drums and the rap
are just to reinforce what you've

taught the children, right?

You've got it. I'd be a great
instructor. I'm enthusiastic.

I love to learn.

I'm fired up. Oh, that's good. But to
work with us, you must have a college

degree. Excuse me, ladies.

Oh, gosh.

All I want to do is help children and no
one will let me. Denise, why are you so

hard -headed? The man didn't say that.
He said you have to get an education to

be of help here.

Well, I am ready.

Uncle Wilton would work with me. Uncle
Wilton already has enough children to

work with. He doesn't need one as old as
you.

Denise, why don't you want to go to
college?

Why are you so afraid to go to college?
Because I'm ready now.

You know, a lot of people think they can
just walk in off the street and do

something because it looks easy.

But they don't realize you have to work
hard to make something look easy.

I know you want to work with children
who have learning disabilities.

And in order for you to do that, you are
going to have to learn how to deal with

children who have special needs.

Oh, learn on the job.

All right. You want to learn on the job?
Okay.

You are in Uncle Wilton's classroom, and
I am Rebecca Shorter, and I am four

years old, and I am one of your
students. Give me a break. Come on. I'm

Just go. I'm serious. Why do you always
want to quit?

You want to be a teacher, right?

Yes.

Well, then let's go.

No. Give me a break.

Come on, Mrs. Kendall. I want...

something, teach me.

Okay.

Rebecca. Class, today we are going to
learn our multiplication tables. Please

repeat after me.

Times one is one.

you gonna do when the other children
learn this and you don't okay well sure

do i mean the other kids are not gonna
think you're smart as they are i'm gonna

tell my mama you call me dumb i didn't
say

that you're dumb i just said that the
other kids

won't think that you're smart as they
are because i'm dumb

Hey, you've made your point.

Come here.

What was I supposed to do?

Well, you know, I'd explain it to you,
but it's kind of technical, and you

have a college degree.

Cliff? Honey, have you seen Denise?

Uh -uh.

She said she was going out for a walk.

I'm a little concerned about her, honey.
She's been depressed these past couple

of days.

I don't think she's gotten over being
turned down by Uncle Wilton.

Hi, Denise.

Where have you been?

Oh, just walking and thinking.

Walking and thinking.

Is everything all right?

Mom, Dad, I made a decision.

I've been thinking... I mean,

what's wrong with spending the rest of
my life as a wife and a mother?

I mean, millions of women all around the
world do it and are content and happy.

Maybe it's a very noble and honorable
profession.

Well, I agree with you.

I hope you're not just saying that
because you're giving up on some other

you would have liked me to go back to
college and become a teacher, but I

think it's for me.

Well, whatever you decide, we're behind
you.

You mean you're not upset that I'm not
going back to school? I didn't say that.

All I said was we are behind you.

Well, hey, that's good enough for me.

Thanks for your support.

Oh, um, Mom, I, uh, forgot to say this.

Thank you.

Denise, it says you're entering Medgar
Evers College this summer as a freshman?

Not a good catch, is that?

Left him barefoot in an open mouth.
Beautiful.

I'm so good.

The coffee show is taped in front of a
studio audience.