Original subtitles

Beyond the Blackboard Original Air Date on April 24, 2011

== sync, corrected by elderman ==

All right, everybody, that's the last

we're going to talk about our home state of Utah today.

I have something special...

WOMAN: I always wanted to be a teacher.

I loved the giant pull-down maps

and the way brand-new textbooks smelled.

...quiz.

Hope you studied up.

I know you did, Miss Stacey.

STACEY: I loved writing my name at the top of the page,

as though I was someone who counted.

...and some of the other planets, as well.

All right, everybody,

here is a picture of Earth from outer space.

This is a picture of Mars.

School was the safe place where I had a glimpse

of who I wanted to be.

This is a picture of our solar system way, way out in space.

MAN (yelling): I don't punch a clock!

I don't get out at 5:00 and rush on home to my wife,

who doesn't even cook anymore!

(woman shouts indistinctly)

MAN: They don't give me overtime!

It's salary! What do you want me to do?! I don't play all...

WOMAN: Then come home and help!

MAN: I don't play all... I don't play all...

(shouting continues)

(glass shattering)

(shouting continues)

(school bell ringing)

Hey, Stacey, good luck.

Hey, girl.

I always loved school.

And at 16...

I quit.

(phone rings)

You graduated U of U in December?

Yes, sir. You did well,

Ms. Bess, but I can see it took you a long time to do it.

Uh, well, uh, my high school sweetheart and I married young,

and I quit school.

But once I got my G.E.D.,

everything moved very quickly.

Though juggling college and family

required some flexibility.

As you know, there's not many jobs

for someone just out of school.

Are you prepared

to teach one through six?

Yes, sir.

Every grade-- one through six?

Yes, absolutely.

I like your enthusiasm,

I do. I need enthusiasm.

I need somebody who loves to teach.

Well, I... I have wanted to be a teacher

ever since I can remember. And I'm ready.

Our term started

January 5. We're already two weeks

into the semester.

If I assign you this class,

I'm going to need your unqualified commitment

for the rest of the school year.

Of course.

You'll have to start tomorrow. Can you do that?

That's fine. Yes, absolutely.

Here's the address.

What school is it?

Uh, it doesn't

have a name. It's a new

program for homeless students.

Oh, that's wonderful.

Yeah, it is.

For personal reasons, our teacher needed some time off.

You'll report to the substitute, Ms. Trumble, at 9:00 tomorrow.

Congratulations, Ms. Bess.

That's it?

That's it.

Thank you.

(classical music playing)

(typewriter keys clacking)

(music stops, pushes button)

(dog barking in distance)

(resumes typing) GIRL: I'm done!

(door closing)

(whispers): Hey, you ask her.

Hey.

Finished.

Did you understand everything in your homework?

Can Brandon and I play now? Please?

In 33 minutes,

it's bathtub and PJs.

NICOLE: Okay! Come on, come on!

(chuckles)

Hey, everybody, I'm home.

Daddy's home.

Here's your glasses.

Put your PJs on, okay?

BRANDON: I'm freezing!

FATHER: "Harry laughed as he

"chased the bubbles.

"More of them scooped up

"his cars and his planes and his shoes.

"Bloop went his books, and bloop went his whirligigs.

"And then all of a sudden, a giant bubble blooped

"and swept up...

NICOLE/BRANDON: Horsey!

FATHER: ...Horsey, and it carried him up and away."

There he goes into space. NICOLE: Aww...

BRANDON: One day, I'll be in space.

Mom, are you nervous about tomorrow?

No, I'm not nervous. You know why?

Because I'm well prepared, and when we're well prepared

and we work hard,

then we can be confident.

Mwah! Good night. I love you.

All right, which hand?

Hmm? Which hand?

Oh, fun.

Um, left.

No, right, right, right, right.

Actually, it's so big, it's in both.

What is this?

It's to keep your papers in.

It's so teacher-y. Thank you!

Mm-hmm.

My-my second grade teacher, Mrs. Linsky, had one of those,

and, uh... she was the woman of my dreams.

Oh, really?

Yeah, until I met you.

(chuckles)

Hey.

You're going to do great tomorrow.

Thank you.

(garbled police radio transmission)

MAN: I didn't do anything!

(pounding)

Are you lost?

Where you trying to get to?

Excuse me. I'm-I'm...

looking for 600 South Street.

You the new teacher?

Yes.

You're in the right place.

I got the teacher.

Why's she driving away from me?

Park it right there.

Ha!

Hey, what's with the wire cage?

That's to put the kids' papers in.

'Cause it ain't big enough to hold my kid.

What's your name?

Uh, Stacey.

You look awful young, Stace. How old are you?

She looks like she's 16.

17, tops. I'm 24.

What are your credentials?

We gotta know your credentials

if you're going to teach our kids.

Well, this is my first...

What? What'd she say? What'd you say, Stacey?

I... This is my first job.

Ah, well, at least she's honest.

Honey, you ain't got nowheres to go but up.

Joe, why don't you escort the lady to school? This way.

I like your shoes.

JOE: Step aside, folks.

Teacher coming through.

Thank you. Excuse me.

Ugh!

Oh!

(chuckling)

Step aside. Teacher coming through.

Thank you.

Right this way. Excuse me.

Papi. Thank you.

MAN: Let's set some ground rules here. Hey, Johnny!

Yeah?

We got our teacher. (baby crying)

Thank you, Joe. Thank you.

Look, I don't like

to judge a book by its cover...

but there's no tolerance for drug use.

No drugs, no booze,

no exceptions.

You're high, you're out.

Am I understood?

We're clean. We're good.

Hi. I'm Johnny.

Hi. Joe, would you please

find Ms. Trumble? Thank you.

Excuse me. My-My name is Stacey Bess.

I'm supposed to report to a school.

Are you in charge here?

I don't know if I'd call it in charge,

but I'm here and you're here and you're in the right place.

I don't think I... Hold that thought.

I'll find you this afternoon. I...

I've got a dozen families out there freezing

that I need to process.

May I use your phone?

Yeah, dial nine to get out.

(indistinct voices)

TV ANNOUNCER: ...a brand-new car!

(touch tones beeping)

ASSISTANT: Dr. Ross's office.

Yes, Dr. Ross, please.

What is this regarding?

Uh, it's regarding the fact that

I've just reported to my first day of teaching.

And this is-- this is not a school.

This is a... more like a warehouse,

and um, well, it's an emergency.

Just a minute. I'll see if I can connect you.

You're the new teacher?

Dr. Ross isn't available. Could we get started here?

May I take a message? Um, I'll call you back, okay?

(whispers): Hi.

GIRL: Ready?

TRUMBLE: This way.

This is your classroom.

(children squealing with laughter in distance)

Um, where are the children?

Recess.

TRUMBLE: I've been begging for weeks to get somebody down here.

And I...

The keys.

These will open the side door

from the hall and the padlock outside.

Keep them locked.

Hello?

Hello! Keys.

Every morning, you do a head count.

Then you call that number for sack lunches.

Wait an hour to do the count. They come in late.

Any spare lunches, you're to throw away.

Food Services does not want the families freeloading

off the lunch program.

There's no principal and there's no counselor,

so discipline is entirely up to you.

Wh-What about, um, Johnny?

What about him?

He doesn't work for the school.

It's his job to find rooms for those people,

but there are not enough beds and there are not enough rooms,

so half the kids slept in their cars

last night. When they get out of control,

try turning the lights off. Show a movie.

Those are the Shame Names. Nobody likes

to have their name on the board.

And if it gets really bad, you call the police.

What about books?

What books are you using?

You count the kids, you get some lunch in their bellies,

you keep them off the street.

If you want books, there are some there.

No, no, I-I mean textbooks.

What's your class plan?

I made a class plan for six grades, so...

Are you are not getting this? Because I am sensing hostility

here, and I do not deserve hostility.

No. No, no, no, I'm not,

I'm not being hostile. I mean, I don't feel hostile.

Okay, I'm fine, I'm fine.

Okay. I came in

as a one-day substitute,

and that turned into two weeks of living hell.

There's no support from the so-called parents,

and the kids behave like animals.

I'm a teacher, but this is not teaching.

This is babysitting kids on their way to juvie.

So, good luck.

(children chattering outside)

Okay, come to class, everybody!

Ding-ding-ding-ding-ding!

That's the sound of the magic bell! Let's go! Come on!

Young man, put that cigarette out! No, yes!

I'm talking to you! Put that out right now!

Thank you. Okay, come on. Let's go.

Let's go. Ladies and gentlemen, in the classroom.

Where'd the witch go?

Witch took off. Clown came in.

Let's go, let's go, let's go, let's go.

Come on, come on, come on.

My name is Ms. Bess, and I will be your new teacher.

Hi. What's your name?

Maria. I just got here.

Hi, Maria. I'm new here, too,

so why don't you have a seat?

This is the first day for both of us.

In your seat, please.

Sit down in your chair.

Thank you.

My name is Ms. Bess, and I'm your new teacher.

You already said that.

(kids chuckling) I brought along a little something;

some things so that you guys could get to know me.

It's a photo album.

This right here is my family.

My husband Greg and that's my little girl Nicole,

and my little boy Brandon.

Is that your house?

This? Oh, no, this-- this is the lodge that we stayed at

on our winter vacation.

We skied there,

we went sledding, made some snowmen.

Does anyone else here like to make snowmen?

CHILD (whispers): Snowmen?!

What's a snowman?

Um... who wants to share what they did on their holiday?

Yes, please, share.

We got to see our dad.

You did? What's your name? Becca.

Becca, what fun things did you do with your dad?

We got to eat with him in jail.

Did not. Yeah, we did.

Yeah, we did. They had tons of food.

And Santa was there.

Shut your mouth! There's no Santa in jail.

Santa Claus is way too busy to go to jail.

All right, all right, all right,

let's, let's continue with the story.

Uh, my story...

(train rattling on track)

My story began with my love of learning.

It's just a train.

It doesn't happen that much. Mostly at night.

(train screeching and rumbling)

(kids screaming)

Okay, no, no, no, it's okay! It's okay! Calm down!

Just get back! Get back!

It's a jumper!

Okay.

Come on, come on, come on! Go, go, go!

(squeaking) Oh, no!

Okay, okay, okay.

Come on, come on, come on...!

It's okay, it's okay...

Sit down.

(crossing bell clanging)

She didn't scream or nothing.

(train whistle blows in distance)

Sorry we couldn't talk this morning.

When it gets cold out there,

we get busy.

So how'd it go?

Well, I put a cinder block over the hole

in the floor out of which a rat came running

when the train came through.

And that's just how the day started.

Good job.

(scoffs)

How'd you do?

Terrible.

I was pathetic.

I was a lady up there pretending to be a teacher.

The kids saw right through me.

Okay, one thing that absolutely does

not work here is wallowing in your own anxiety.

I'm not wallowing.

It's not a criticism, just an observation.

I'm leaving.

And for the record, the kids are fascinated by you.

Fascinated. I'm sure.

You showed up, you tried all day.

To these kids, it means a lot.

(sighs) See you tomorrow.

(door opens and closes)

Hi, I'm home!

Mommy's here!

Mommy's gonna go wash up, okay?

Why has Mommy been crying?

(knocks at door)

Stace?

(sobbing quietly)

It's not what I expected.

If I go back tomorrow, it's for one reason:

I don't want our kids to see me quit.

If you leave your name and number, and a brief message,

I or my assistant will get back to you promptly.

(beep)

Dr. Ross, this is Stacey Bess calling again.

This is the third time that I'm calling.

I haven't heard back from you or anybody else

regarding desks or books.

We have no desks or books.

So if somebody could please...

(machine beeps, Stacey sighs)

(slams phone) ...call me back.

(sighs) I'm okay, I'm okay.

(train clattering on track)

(whistle blowing)

(train click-clacking loudly)

(wheels clicking and banging)

Okay, so what I want you to do is write

your name at the top of the test,

and answer as many questions as you can.

Excuse me, sir, class has already started.

Maria left her jacket.

Thanks, Papi.

MAN: You do well now.

Thank you.

Danny, Grace, Becca can you please try to be on time?

It's disruptive to the rest of the class when you're late.

And please take off your hat, Danny. Thank you.

Okay, what we have here is a test.

I want you to write your name at the top.

Pass them back to Danny, please. And in the blank space,

how old you are.

I need a pencil.

Okay, I'll get you a pencil.

I need a pencil, too.

Okay, Maria, one moment.

Just pass that back.

Here we go. There you are.

Thanks.

All right, listen up everybody.

I created this test to determine your grade level,

so it's very important that you answer as many questions

as you can, all right?

All right, let's begin the test... now.

What's up, Sam?

My stomach hurts.

GIRL: Didn't eat.

Sorry, sweetie, I can't understand you.

Okay, I'm sorry.

Okay, um... Sam's hungry.

Did you have breakfast?

Well, you know what?

I actually happen to have a granola bar in my pocket.

So why don't you guys share this,

and then we'll have an early lunch, okay?

Does that sound good?

Hey, hey, come on!

Come on. Let's go! Come on!

(hushed): We're taking a test.

Don't give me lip. I said let's go! Come on!

Um, excuse me. We're taking a test right now.

And they have chores to do. Chores?

Your children are taking a test.

They're in school.

Who are you?

I'm the new teacher.

Oh. Well, Barbie, I'm the mother. Come on.

I said let's go. Up now! Get your coats.

Come on! Come on!

What am I supposed to do, huh?

Okay, um, you know what?

Everybody, continue your tests. I'll be right back, all right?

Excuse me. Excuse me.

Uh-uh.

Step! Step!

My girls have got responsibilities.

And it's your responsibility

as their mother to keep them in school.

And you'd better stay out of my face! Come on, girls.

We're outta here!

Come on. Come on, what are you doing?

What can you do?

I'm Patricia... shelter nurse.

I'm Stacey, the new teacher.

Yeah, I got that.

Tomorrow I'll bring you a gamma shot.

Everybody working here gets one,

what with all the nasty things going around. Flu,

hepatitis, tuberculosis. Impolite-is.

Impol...

When people don't know how to be polite.

Oh. So when's a good time for me to see your kids?

We have a big epidemic in all the trailers. Head lice.

Um... well, we're taking a test right now,

so why don't I let you know when we're done?

Sure thing. Okay, thanks.

MARIA: Give me my test back!

You guys, give it back! Here, here!

Give it back! Want it? Want it?

Give me my test back!

Hey, hey, hey, what is going on in here?

You're supposed to be taking a test.

I finished the test. He stole my test.

Why would you steal-- look what you did to her test.

Okay, everybody sit down. Why?

Because I said so. Sit down.

Hmm. Where do I want to sit?

Danny, I'm warning you. Get to your seat, right now.

I have my seat right here.

Wanna see it?

Okay, you know what? I am working

very hard here, and it's bad enough without having to

deal with your nonsense. Now sit your butt down,

and get to work, too. Go.

Alex, go. Come on.

Everybody to your seats.

All right. You have three minutes to finish your test,

and then we're doing our lice check.

(sighs)

NICOLE: It stinks.

I know, sweetie, I'm sorry.

Why do we have to do this?

Because the nurse found lice in Mommy's hair at school.

Actually, it was a louse.

One louse, two lice.

Kind of like one mouse, two mice.

Why isn't it one house, two hice?

Huh. "Hice."

STACEY: We have lice in the hice.

(yelling)

Lice in the hice!

(yelling)

The kids are tucked in.

I'll be right back.

Where you going?

Video store. I need some movies.

Now? Here's the thing:

You can never judge, never, ever judge.

You know, I thought that substitute teacher

was horrible. And shame on me.

Tomorrow I'm going to prop those kids in front of the TV.

You don't even let our kids do that.

I'm not saying that I'm happy about it.

But I have to subdue these kids until I come up with a plan.

I mean, look at my basket.

The tests are all over the place.

I don't even know where to start.

I may have been trained to teach

one through six, but I was not trained to teach

every grade at the same time,

without desks, without books... I mean, it's chaos.

Those kids may have been terrible today,

but I was worse; I was a raving, crazy person.

Six years of school did not prepare me for this.

What about eight years of motherhood?

You got plenty of experience. We got two great kids upstairs.

Maybe I should just stay home with them,

until I get a normal job at a normal school.

You gonna quit?

You. You are going to bend over that sink when I get back,

and I'm going to de-louse you.

Ooh, how'd I get so lucky?

(classical music playing)

(turns off ignition, music stops)

So, my kid says that you gave him what-for in class yesterday.

Danny is your son?

Yeah, that's right.

(sighs)

I am truly sorry that I yelled at him.

I know it was wrong, and I apologize.

No, you know what? I know

that my boy is smart, and I know that he can learn

really good, and I just think

that he needs a teacher

that will keep him in line.

So, you just...

keep on riding him.

That's okay.

Stacey?

Hi, Patricia.

I brought a gamma shot for you.

Okay, I'll be right there.

Any chance you could be pregnant?

No.

Just to make sure.

TV ANNOUNCER: From Hollywood,

everyone's favorite game of strategy,

knowledge and fun.

It's Tic Tac Dough...

Sorry.

There you go. Thanks.

BOY: Mama, can we play outside?

Good morning, Danny.

You're here early.

My mom says I have to talk to you.

I'm sorry I acted up yesterday.

Well, I wanted to apologize to you, too.

I'm sorry for losing my temper.

So, we're good?

We're good.

Where's the TV?

What... Someone took the TV!

TV HOST: Another $200 into the pot.

Now worth $1,600.

Okay, in the past three minutes, somebody went

into the classroom and took the TV and the VCR.

Who was it?

(announcer speaking indistinctly)

Oh, come on.

Whoever it was walked right past here.

Who took it?

Okay, well,

if you're not going to tell me, then I'm just

going to have to take this.

I'm watching my favorite program.

Well, I'm sorry.

Whoa, whoa. That's heavy.

Don't hurt yourself, now.

This woman's nuts.

Come on, Miss Stacey. Just let it go.

(people grumbling)

(panting)

Danny, do you know who took it?

You opened the door for them.

I opened the door for them? Who?

We got to find Johnny and tell him what happened.

I'm not telling Johnny. I'm not telling you.

Not unless you promise not to go after anyone.

It's not the way we do things here.

You got to calm down.

(sighs)

Okay, I'm calm. I'm calm.

(sighs)

Listen, I promise. You have my word.

I won't tell anybody. Just tell me who took it.

Jack and Terry.

Jack and Terry. Who's Jack and Terry?

You don't know them, and they don't know you.

And they won't be coming back.

Well, where did they go?

TV's gone, and they're gone.

You can bet that they've already traded it

for crack down the street.

It's just the way it is.

They don't care about our school.

We're not their kids,

and they don't care about us.

Yeah.

But we care.

Let's go inside. It's cold.

PATRICIA: Stacey?

(sighs) Um... I'll be right there.

Will you go tell everyone to sit down and wait for me?

You're not going to tell?

I gave you my word.

Now, will you give me yours? That you'll go in there

and you'll be a good example to the other kids?

Yeah.

You be the leader.

(sighs)

Okay. Can we do this quickly?

No Gamma shot for you, mama.

You're pregnant.

(sighs)

(chuckling)

(both laughing)

Ms. Bess.

Dr. Ross.

The baby's due in September,

so I'll work until June,

and finish out the semester,

which I promised you I would.

Good.

Good.

What's this?

This is a list of things that I need

so I can do my job.

The first items are basics: books,

lights, desks;

and then there are secondary items

that I want the kids to have: art supplies,

um, science equipment, maps, things like that.

Ms. Bess,

I'm the personnel director.

It's my job to hire teachers.

Text books-- Dr. Louie.

Well, Dr. Louie wants authorization

from a principal; I don't have a principal.

That's technically true.

Desks and lights require a custodian's report.

Who's my custodian? I mean, do I have one, technically?

I'll bring this to the attention of the administration.

Thank you, Ms. Bess.

When? When will you bring it to their attention?

At our next meeting.

Okay, well, until your next meeting, what do you say

we poke around the closets here and see what we can use?

(laughs)

You don't have the faintest idea of protocol.

(laughs) Protocol?

No, sir, I-I... I don't.

And I-I don't have the faintest clue what's going on here,

so you might have to catch me up,

because I don't understand why I'm not

teaching these kids in a regular school.

The program was created because the organization

that runs the shelter and our school district

have this problem. Without transfer papers

and immunization records,

we can't enroll these homeless students.

Your class is a stop-gap measure.

Have you been there? Have I...

Have you been to the school?

No.

My responsibility is to fill every teaching position

in this district, not...

You're busy.

So would you please find me a supervisor? Yes.

I will do that.

And I will pass along to him

your suggestions. Thank you.

In the meantime,

keep in mind that you're providing emergency schooling

to transient students.

They will not be there that long,

and in truth, Ms. Bess, neither will you.

You know the school doesn't even have a name?

I had all these big ideas about teaching.

You know, my classroom was gonna be this amazing place

where kids felt safe and knew they belonged.

But I've learned some not good things about myself.

Poverty disgusts me,

and I'm afraid of it.

And I'm not doing my best for those kids.

(sighs)

Why are you smiling?

I've been waiting for you to get riled up.

You think this is riled up?

Before this baby's born, you've got one season to play.

Think you're gonna kick some butt?

You're streaking it.

What? Newspaper.

You need newspaper.

You really need to finish painting

before you do the windows.

I'll help.

It's good you're fixing things up,

Miss Stacey, 'cause I don't want to hurt your feelings,

but this is the sorriest school I've ever seen.

(laughs)

Can I clean the blackboard?

It's filthy, right?

You think there's hope for that blackboard?

There'd better be, 'cause

that's the only one we have to write on.

Then you go right ahead.

Do you have any kids here, Joe?

(laughing)

Why are you laughing? Miss Stacey, I have

a grandchild here.

Yes, ma'am, I have a grandson.

Spitting image.

He's the handsome one.

Hmm. I'll have to think about that one.

Is that a dog?

That's a cow.

Hold on.

Hold on a minute.

What's wrong with my cow?

When did you know you wanted to be a teacher?

'Cause I'm gonna be a teacher.

Mi abuela-- that's my grandmother-- she said

I could make my letters when I was just a baby.

And you know what?

I made A-pluses in handwriting.

You did?

Where is your abuela?

El Paso. I lived there most

of my life until Papi decided we should go to Idaho.

But you know what? It's cold in Idaho.

JOE: Ah. Nelson,

Miss Stacey needs somebody

who can draw a cow.

Well, that's a dog.

Well, that's what I told her.

I just wanted to make some art to lighten things up in here,

and put them up on the walls, but I'm not...

I'm not much of an artist. A cow?

Yeah, a cow, but I-I don't want to take up

any of your time.

Well, you want a Holstein? Jersey?

Brahma? Longhorn?

A black and white cow.

You want a sad cow?

Happy cow? Thoughtful cow?

A happy cow. A happy,

black and white cow.

What did I tell you?

Wow.

STACEY: That's amazing!

You think you could draw a rooster after this?

Do you want a proud rooster?

A fighting rooster?

Or a little skinny rooster scratching in the dirt?

(laughs)

How about a colorful rooster?

Hello? GREG: Hey.

Hey.

Um, can I borrow your truck tomorrow?

Why? What's up?

I need to pick up some supplies.

Didn't you already buy supplies?

Mm, yes, but that was for painting and cleaning.

This is for my kids.

And you need the truck?

Aren't you going to be spending more than you make?

No, I promise-- I'm done after this. Promise.

Are you sure you want to make that promise?

Yes, I am.

Give them to me. Thanks.

Glad you're home.

You getting overtime?

Am I what?

Is somebody paying you overtime

for coming here on a weekend?

(chuckles)

Did the school pay for those?

Uh, no.

I told you, Dee.

She's just doing this for our kids. Come on, hey.

Ready? One, two.

Here. I got it. Three. Thank you.

Where do you want it? Just over here.

(alarm buzzing)

(alarm stops)

(sighs)

(sighs)

Up and at 'em.

Rise and shine.

Time to get up.

Here we go.

Morning.

(chuckles)

Okay, did you pack your homework?

Yes.

And can you please drink your milk?

Mwah. Thank you.

Mwah. I love you. Bye, Mommy.

And I love you.

Go get 'em.

(ringing bell) Time to wake up, everybody!

Let's go. School starts in half an hour!

Come on. School starts in half an hour! Let's go.

Rise and shine, everybody!

Half an hour. Let's wake up.

Morning! Come on, let's wake up, everybody.

Come on, we're not starting

without you. Wake up!

Let's go!

(bell ringing)

You, too!

Rise and shine,

everybody. Let's go. Good morning,

Danny. Come on, you've got 30 minutes.

I guess we'd better get dressed.

Let's go. Come on, everybody.

Excuse me. I have an announcement to make.

Uh, I'm watching that.

STACEY: This school may be in a shelter, but it is still

a public school, so from now on,

there will be no interruptions once class is in session.

And please see to it that your kids are in class on time.

Thanks.

Uh, Maria, can you please write the date on the board?

Okay.

Okay, ladies and gentlemen, welcome to your new classroom.

Whoa, what happened?

STACEY: It's pretty cool, huh?

Come on in.

STACEY: Hi.

Whoa...

Neat-o! Am I dreaming?

What do you think? Awesome!

This is to post all of the good work that you do.

But first things first.

I have fruit cups and milk,

so if anybody's hungry, raise your hand.

Okay, um, Danny,

will you pass out the fruit cups?

Maria, can you please pass the spoons?

Thank you.

(sighs)

So, we're gonna do things

a little bit differently this week.

We're gonna start by talking about

anything that is important to you.

But only one person speaking at a time,

and everybody in the circle has to be polite.

Everybody agree with those rules, raise your hand.

Okay, good.

So, I'd like to start

by talking about last week.

Last week,

I lost my temper quite a bit,

and it wasn't respectful.

Maybe we should talk about that.

Um, what it means to be respectful.

Yes. Angel.

Like, you don't get

in somebody's face.

Blah, blah, blah, blah. Like that.

Like you're messing with somebody.

That's right. That's not respectful.

Sam?

I don't think it's good to yell.

You're right. Yelling is not good.

I'm very sorry for yelling.

I don't think it's right to do something over and over,

like messing with somebody or not listening.

That's not showing respect.

You're right.

See, we have to be respectful

of our fellow classmates because we want

to have a safe, quiet, calm

learning environment, right?

So, that is our first word.

It's a descriptive word.

An adjective.

(marker squeaking)

"Respectful."

Grace, do you want to pin it on the board?

Thank you.

Anyone else have anything they want to share?

Last night,

we went to this store,

and my mom wasn't doing nothing,

and cops were messing with her, like,

"Get out of here," like she's a piece of trash.

So you felt like

the policemen weren't being respectful to your mom.

How do you feel when you're around policemen?

Scared.

I know a nice policeman.

Dana.

My mother locked us in the basement.

It was dark, and a policeman found us,

and he carried us up, 'cause we couldn't walk.

'Cause we didn't have anything to eat, and...

That's why we don't see our mother anymore.

That must have been really scary.

She held my hand.

Brave.

(button clicks)

("Ode to Joy" plays)

NELSON: Who would like to see some magic?

ALL: Me.

Okay. Yellow...

and blue...

become...

ALL: Green.

NELSON: Yes.

Yellow and red become...

ALL: Orange.

It's okay.

There we go.

This is yours to keep.

Let's look.

(gasps) Look how pretty you are.

(chuckles)

There we go.

Miss Stacey?

Yep?

I made this for you.

Wow. Alex,

this is exquisite.

Thanks.

That's really beautiful. I'm going to put it on the board.

Thank you.

Hey, why'd you push me?

(kids shouting) Quit it! You quit it!

Hey! Hey. Hey. Stop it.

Everybody, back to work. Boys, come up here.

What's going on?

He pushed me for no reason.

Danny, why would you push Alex?

I don't know.

Well, I'm really confused as to why you'd do that.

You're confused?

I'm confused.

I'm also

a little... anxious and perplexed.

Go sit down.

And apologize to each other.

Sorry.

(inserting cassette into player)

How come you want us to learn that?

Because if you know it, then it's yours.

♪ ♪

This was an attack cat.

Not an attack dog. This was an attack cat.

For real. And I'm, like, running

and running as fast as I can

from this kitten, and it's, like,

barking at me, like, "Meow, meow, meow!"

And I'm yelling at everybody, "Run!

Run faster! It'll get you. Run!"

(all laughing)

"Run even faster. Run""

Miss Stacey, Miss Stacey!

Here you go.

Now? Yes, ma'am.

Come on, everybody, get up! School in 20 minutes! (ringing)

Louder! Come on, everybody!

Get up! School in 20 minutes!

Come on, everybody, get up! School in 20 minutes!

Hi, boys.

Fill up the cupboard, Corporal.

Here are the keys.

Morning, Johnny.

Heads up. Six more children came in last night.

Excuse me? (classical music playing within)

Hi. Yes?

My name is Stacey Bess,

and I'm here to report a situation

that is unacceptable.

Are you a teacher? Yes. I'm trying to be.

At the school that has no name.

At the shelter.

The shelter.

That's a new program.

Yes. Have you been there?

No.

Well, no one has.

Would you like a cup of tea?

I have this new electric teapot which I've almost mastered.

Uh, is chamomile okay?

Why don't you sit down?

Please.

This-- this is from Danny.

He's with his mom and his grandpa.

Well, they're great people, miserable luck.

They put all their hopes in the boy.

Dana gave me this.

Dana's eight years old.

I gave her a 50-cent headband,

and she gives me her bear.

Her mom's in prison.

She would lock the kids in the basement

when she had her boyfriend over.

Kids are with the dad now.

Now, Maria.

Maria wants to be a teacher when she grows up.

She saw me nibbling on saltines when I had

some morning sickness.

So, she saved these from the soup kitchen for me.

Well, it's obvious you've

had a profound effect upon the lives of three young people.

Three? I have 20 now.

I didn't realize there were so many children at the shelter.

How can anyone here not know that?

Every day, I call in with a head count for lunch.

That goes to Food Services. That's a separate...

Different department, I know.

I know. I'm sorry.

Listen, I didn't come here to give you the kids' sob stories.

I came here to talk to you about their generosity.

I mean, these kids who have nothing

bring me gifts.

Don't you think we can do better for them?

I'll see what I can do.

Okay.

"They bounced off the ceiling and bumped into the walls.

Then a bubble picked up Harry's train and..."

Bloop!

(chuckles)

"...floated it right out the window.

"Harry laughed as he chased the bubbles.

"More of them scooped up his shoes.

"Bloop, went his books,

"and bloop,

"went his whirligigs and then all of a sudden,

"a giant bubble blooped

"and swept up...

ALL: Horsey!

...Horsey."

Daddy! Daddy!

Hey, you guys!

Happy Valentine's Day, Daddy.

I love you guys, too.

Come here. Give me a big hug.

(playful growl)

I want you to have this.

Thank you.

It's beautiful.

(chuckles)

(snoring)

Papi?

Papi?

Come on, you guys! Come on!

Miss Stacey! Miss Stacey! Come and see!

Miss Stacey! Come on.

You won't believe this. You got to see this!

Miss Stacey, come and see! Miss Stacey, it's so cool!

Come on! I'm so excited! It's amazing!

Come on! You won't believe, Miss Stacey.

What is going on? I can't believe what's going on!

You won't believe it!

Come on, come on.

(kids clamoring)

(kids chattering excitedly)

Do you like it, Miss Stacey? Isn't it great?

Miss Stacey! We have desks!

It's cool! We have a real classroom!

(gasps)

Oh, my goodness.

Well, ladies and gentlemen,

we have books.

Yay! We have books!

Yes, finally got books.

You want to help me pass these out?

(sighs)

One second.

Thank you.

No, no. Thank you.

We all should have been here a lot sooner.

You know, it's not technically

my job description, but from now on,

you can consider me your principal and your custodian.

Okay? (chuckles)

Whatever you need.

Mr. Parker.

What's wrong?

Nothing's wrong. Sorry to wake you.

I'm just so excited.

I just talked to Dr. Warren,

and he's approved

a teacher's aid salary, so I was hoping

you'd come work with us every day.

Oh, I volunteer for those children.

I wasn't going anywhere.

Well, you're the best art teacher I've ever had.

(chuckles)

I'm the only art teacher you've ever had.

Miss Stacey!

Maria's in trouble.

Her dad got mean-drunk

and cussed Johnny.

He got kicked out.

What?!

Maria?

Oh, sweetie.

It's okay. It's okay.

(sniffles)

Johnny?

Johnny, you can't kick Maria's father out.

I already have.

If he goes, Maria goes.

No drinking, no drugs.

Those are the rules. Oh...

But what? Establish parameters,

encourage responsibility.

That's my job.

I let one person live outside those rules,

and within a week, we're skid row.

Johnny, I'm asking you to make an exception.

It's for Mar... Johnny?!

Within a week, we're skid row.

Can you believe that? They won't give me another chance.

I mean, they kick me out like I'm a dog.

Like I'm not a man. Huh?

Mr. Elizar?

May I talk to you?

I'm Stacey, Maria's teacher.

Yeah, I know who you are.

Where are you and Maria going to go?

The streets are no place for your daughter.

Are you trying to tell me what to do, now?

No. I-I'm trying to help you in any way that I can.

Do you have a plan?

Look, I don't know what to do.

(sighs)

What if she stays with me?

What if...

What if she stays with me

until you find a safe place to live?

Why would you do that?

Because you need help.

And Maria needs help.

Your daughter is 12 years old.

You know better than I what could happen

to her on the street.

(sniffles)

You'll keep her safe?

While I get it together?

Yes.

(sobbing): I love my girl.

Of course you do.

Keep her safe, right?

No strangers.

Just until I can get it together. (sniffles)

Once I get a place, she's with me.

Absolutely. That's the deal.

This is my home phone number.

You can call anytime.

(sniffles, exhales)

Okay.

Okay.

(answering machine beeps)

Hi, honey. It's me.

Just wanted to check in with you.

Um, 'cause I'm not just bringing home

a gallon of milk tonight.

I'm, um...

Well, I'm bringing home a kid.

Okay.

You okay, Colie?

You like playing baseball?

I never played it.

Maria, do you want some more spaghetti?

No.

You can have more. I eat a lot.

I eat tons.

Just don't eat so much that noodles come out of your nose.

That happened to me once.

That never happened.

Yes, it did. It did, actually.

Disgusting!

I know.

(all chuckling)

This is my dad's mitt.

You can try this on, if you want.

They don't have softball in the third grade,

so I play Little League.

I have the best batting average in the whole third grade.

I'm not bragging or anything.

It's just true.

She's good.

Maria, there's an extra blanket

for you here, okay? And, you two,

I want to see your homework in a half an hour.

That's what it's like living with a teacher.

STACEY: The kids are great about this.

Yeah, I'd expect no less.

Uh, look, do you... do you really have any reason

to think the father's going to come back?

Of course he's coming back.

When?

You're getting pretty deeply involved here.

Well, Maria can't stay at the shelter

without a guardian, so...

Well, yeah, but aren't we... aren't we obligated

to call Protective Services?

And try what?

Legally separate them because they're homeless?

Well, if the father can't take care of her, then yeah.

Somebody else should.

You know what?

Every day I wait

for someone to sweep on in

and solve the problems out there.

But there's no Superman coming, Greg.

(sighs)

I mean, tag, we're it.

Right?

This happened in my classroom,

and I had to do something about it.

I'm glad you're there.

STACEY: Okay, in 20 minutes,

I want you sitting in the reading circle.

Hi.

Any word from Maria's father?

Yeah, but it's a lot of the same, you know.

Why can't these parents just get it together?

Believe it or not, most of them

are doing better than their own parents did.

Oh. Why do they get to use the terrible childhood excuse?

My childhood wasn't great. Was yours?

(chuckles)

When I first started work here,

I was frustrated all the time.

I said to myself, "I am from a poor country.

"What's wrong with these people?

I pulled myself up."

But you know something? My judgment didn't help me.

And it didn't change a thing.

Your blood pressure's high.

Why don't you ask them for help?

Who? The parents.

Yeah, yeah. We'll...

We'll hold a PTA meeting.

Why not?

The parents see me coming, they hide.

They run away.

They know I'll say, "Put out that cigarette."

"You have diabetes. Why are you drinking cola?"

I'm asking something from them that's harder to give

than money.

I am asking them to change their habits.

Hi, everybody.

Everyone, have a seat.

Is everybody here?

Well, if we weren't here, we wouldn't be here to tell you.

Oh, yay. Candy's here.

Are our kids okay, Stacey?

Your kids are wonderful.

Really. I mean, they're doing great.

But they could be doing better, so this is why I've called

our first parent-teacher meeting.

Okay.

Thank you for coming.

So...

Children in other schools

are doing something that your kids don't.

And I am completely to blame.

They're doing homework.

Homework.

And I want your kids

to have every advantage

that we can give them. So, as of tomorrow,

I'm going to start assigning homework to the kids.

This is what I need from you.

15 minutes, that's all. 15 minutes a day

whether it's after school or when you're having supper

at Saint Vincent's,

ask your kids what they learned that day.

The best part

of their day is sharing their stories with you.

Okay, and the second thing that I was thinking--

we can take a vote on this-- is to turn the television room

into a study hall four afternoons a week for the kids.

What do you mean, a "study hall"?

Two hours in the afternoon, the television goes off.

(groans)

And the kids have a quiet, calm place

to study and do their homework.

And if you can sit with them, let them know

that what they're doing is important.

So, in this study hall,

can we smoke?

(laughing)

I'm just messin' with you.

I'm sorry. No. Okay.

Hour... No, two hours.

Right? Two hours.

No TV, no smoking.

Who's for it? Up with the hands.

Come on.

Is that up?

Fine.

GRETCHEN: Okay. Fors the win...

I am so good at this PTA thing.

I think so.

See, this is already making my job that much easier.

You're welcome. (laughter)

What would you add to make a whole? Yes?

A quarter. A quarter. Good.

High five.

Okay, let's see.

All right, so if I take away a quarter,

what could you add to make a whole?

BECCA: Um... another quarter? Grace!

STACEY: Yeah, you did it.

Come here. Mom.

Come on, please? Come here.

(mouthing)

I got it.

You try to figure this out, all right?

What else could you put here?

(vacuum cleaner whirring)

CANDY: I need to put my name.

GRACE: I already got it.

Sex? Girl.

What's it say right here?

GRACE: "What previous...

"experience

"do you have

in the food service in-dust-ry?"

Industry. Oh.

CANDY: Put down four years in picking... No.

Put down four years in the farm industry.

"Four...

years... in the... farm..""

(knocking)

Grace, when you're done

helping your mom, will you come back to class, please?

Candy, meet me in my class at 4:00.

Industry. Oh.

JOHNNY: Hey, everybody!

Ready to celebrate our first day of study hall?

Animal crackers.

Lions, tigers, bears, anyone?

ALL (cheering): Yeah!

Lemonade.

So nice! Step right up.

Wow!

Here you go.

Thank you. Gracias.

De nada.

GRETCHEN: Okay, what do you say?

CHILDREN: Thank you!

(sighs)

CANDY: What?

You're late.

You're gonna have me kicked out of here now?

You're the big teacher walking around all important?

Candy, do you have trouble reading?

If you put in the time to learn, I'll put in the time to teach.

(scoffs) I know I'm just a beginner,

but I have spent years studying reading strategies.

You think you saw something.

You think you know anything about me?

It helps your children if you know how to read, Candy.

You'd do that?

We could do that.

Fine.

(sighs)

Okay.

(sighs)

(murmuring)

Be careful with that, honey. Oh, dropped it!

KID: You got no skills!

What if I taught until the baby's born?

I mean, what if I taught this summer?

I didn't know they had summer school.

They don't.

Um, but I was thinking, if there was summer school, you know,

the kids could catch up in areas they lagged behind in.

Did they ask you to do that?

Would you get paid?

No. But if I could

just keep them off the streets for the summer, you know,

give them a boost in math and science.

I don't know.

It's just a thought.

Have you ever thought about why it's so hard for you to stop?

'Cause I've been so lucky.

Someone came into my life

and taught me how to trust

and taught me to believe in myself.

And you know what? I'm pretty good at what I do.

You are the best teacher I've ever had.

What am I supposed to say after that?

(laughs)

A last hurrah?

Yeah.

You know what I don't like about summer school?

There's no sports.

What if those kids had a coach?

I love you. Mm.

All right! All right, all right, all right.

There's kids here. Come on.

Go ahead and just set it down beside the truck, guys.

(men muttering)

Dr. Warren, where did you get this?

Oh, my daughter took lessons 30 years ago,

and nobody's touched it since.

No, no, seriously.

STACEY: Nice truck.

Yeah. I borrowed it

from one of the guys in Rotary.

Hey, I've got some good news.

Kids are gonna have new classrooms

built for 'em next year.

Oh, that's great.

Listen, will you make sure

you find them a great teacher in September?

I mean, someone who's more experienced than me.

I would just feel so much better about leaving here

if you would do that.

I'm working on it.

Well, I'd better see if this is still in tune.

(playing lively piece)

♪ ♪

Field it, keep it in front of you,

just roll it back to me, all right?

Here we go. Robert, you're first.

Way to keep it in front of you. Good!

Maria.

That a girl!

(lively tune playing on piano)

Okay, guys, here's what we're going to do.

Maria, take those.

Nicole, show her how to set up the bases, okay?

Start with first.

GREG: Good, guys.

Yay! That was awesome!

Bravo. Thank you. Thank you.

Good job, Mom.

Oh, thank you, honey.

Thank you.

Take it inside, boys.

All right, Danny, keep your eye on the ball.

Good level swing, all right?

Hang a rope now, babe. Here we go now, babe!

Here we go now. Here we go, Danny!

Come on, baby, pitch it in there. Come on now, Grace!

Put it in here. Right down the middle, come on!

CANDY: Good job! Nice, baby...

Good shot! Yeah!

Come on! Run it out! Dig! Dig!

All right, come on, you guys, let's go, let's go!

Run it out! Come on! Come on, come on! Go get him!

Run, Sam, run!

GREG: Bring 'em around! You're scoring, you're scoring!

Whoo! Come on, Sam! Get in here, get in here!

(all cheering) Yes!

(whistling and whooping) GREG: Yeah!

You did it!

Yeah! Nice job, buddy! Nice! I'm so proud of you!

Magenta-- three, Viridian-- two.

Come on! You guys are great!

Come on! Come on! That's the way, buddy.

Here we go, Nicole. Here we go, babe.

Elbow up, Nic.

Put it in here now.

FAN: Hey, batter, batter, batter...

Nice!

Yeah! Come on! GREG: Run it out!

(cheering)

Go, go, go, go! Come on, Grace!

That a boy. That a boy.

Bring it in! Come on! Come on!

Papi.

Papi! Ay, hija mia!

Ah, mija.

Cómo te extraño.

Papi's back.

Yeah.

Hi, Mr. Elizar.

Hi.

How are you?

I missed my girl.

She missed you, too.

Can you just give him another chance?

He's been living out of his truck.

I made the rules very clear, and Carlos broke them.

(sighs) Listen,

if you give him a room, then he won't take Maria away.

She can... She can stay in camp.

She's been thriving here.

Tell him he has a room.

Thank you.

I want you to have my backpack.

Don't say good-bye, okay?

It's bad luck.

Why does Maria have to leave?

You know what, sweetie?

She's going to go and stay with her daddy.

But we're still going to see her every day at camp.

And we're still going to get to spend some time together.

Okay?

STACEY: So, light from the sun,

plus chlorophyll in the leaves,

plus carbon dioxide in the air,

combine in photosynthesis

to make food for the plant.

In return, the leaves release oxygen for us to breath.

I like that.

What?

(whispering): When you wear the bracelet.

It was you?

(laughing): It was?

Thank you.

I love it. I wear it all the time.

Are you guys excited about the open house tomorrow?

Yeah.

(chuckles) Can't wait to show your parents

all the wonderful work that you've done.

Bye, Miss Stacey.

Bye. You guys get a big sleep, okay?

Have an early night. Okay.

Promise? Mm-hmm.

Bye. Bye, Miss Stacey!

See you tomorrow.

(dogs barking)

So, if there's runners on base, it's pretty much the stretch.

You start with your right foot on...

Come on, guys!

And you come to a stop right here, like...

Go tell your daddy I'm ready to go.

GREG: And you check the runners...

He's still coaching.

And you know, once you see that the runners are going...

We'll just watch for a bit.

Like a normal pitch. All right?

Sit with me for a bit.

Have a good day?

Okay, try one, try one.

It's a big belly, isn't it?

(both laughing)

GREG: Good! Ooh, nice.

That actually hurt my hand. Give me five.

Yeah!

That was good!

Hey, Mama. Hey.

Have you seen Carlos and Maria today?

Uh... no, not yet.

Thanks.

What am I looking at?

We built a bridge out of spaghetti.

Okay.

When can we eat it?

(both laughing)

(laughing)

I'm sorry, go on.

It's all about tensile strength.

One piece, and...

but, all together...

Look at that.

We learned about photosynthesis.

See those white roots?

Roots anchor the plant into the soil,

and the root hairs--

that's the tiny, tiny hair on the roots--

they absorb the water.

Nice.

What happened to this?

Daddy, what is this called?

Uh, that is an abacus.

They used to use those in China

before calculators.

Oh.

Hey. Have you seen Maria?

No.

I can't find her anywhere.

Maria?

MARIA: If I don't say good-bye,

I can imagine you're always with me.

Love, Maria.

Please, by Monday this time, okay?

You're always late.

Yeah, Monday...

Maria and Carlos are gone.

Sí. I know.

He can't just leave like that.

That's what happens here. People leave.

This is a temporary shelter.

Residents are here until they get back on their feet

or decide to just move on. He can't just go

without telling us his-his plans and-and where he's going.

He's her father. We got no right

to tell a parent what to do, where to go.

That's the trick.

It's not easy.

You serve.

You have no control over what happens.

But you keep serving.

You keep serving.

(sniffles)

STACEY: So, who else has something they want to share?

DANA (sobbing): We have really good news.

Daddy found a job, and we're moving into our own apartment.

That's great, sweetie. What's wrong?

Except we won't be going to school here anymore.

Oh, honey.

(sobbing)

You know what? You are going to have

so much fun at your new school.

I promise. You, too.

You are.

And we're so happy for you, aren't we, guys?

Yeah?

You know, I have something

I have to share with you guys, too.

At the end of this month,

I'm going to have to leave to have this baby.

But I love you all so much,

and I'm going to come visit as much as I can.

Okay?

Who's gonna teach us?

Well, our good friend Dr. Warren

is already looking for the perfect replacement.

Danny.

(sighs) You know what?

Why don't we go to recess?

Young man, put that cigarette out.

You know how proud I am of you?

People trust you.

You know why?

'Cause you're trustworthy.

You're a natural born leader.

(sighs)

Which is why from now until your 18th birthday,

I'm going to hunt you down wherever you are

and give you a book list which I expect you

to read and report on without fail.

No.

Yes.

How many books?

Ten a year.

No way.

Yes way.

I will hunt you down,

and I will find you.

(train whistle blows)

(groans)

(panting)

Greg.

Honey. Huh? What?

We got to call your mother. It's time.

Time? It's time!

Time. Time. Time.

Okay, okay.

Here we go.

It's time. It's time.

This one's coming fast.

BRANDON: Hi, McKenzie.

I'm your brother, Brandon.

NICOLE: Hi, McKenzie.

Hi.

(whispers): She looks like a tadpole.

That's the way newborn babies look, buddy.

You have a big family.

We have a crowd of your people in the waiting area.

About ten of them claim to be your kids.

Here they come.

Hi, Miss Stacey. What's her name?

This is baby McKenzie.

Oh.

Miss Stacey, did it hurt?

Don't talk so loud.

Can I touch her?

ROBERT: McKenzie's so little.

Oh, this is from us.

You do this.

Oh, guys. ("Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" plays)

It was Danny's when he was little.

He wants the baby to have it.

It's McKenzie's now.

Thank you so much. Look.

Hi. That's a nice smile.

Hi.

STACEY: To Dana's new teacher:

Dana is a delight.

She is intelligent,

perceptive, and has a special aptitude

for science.

Dana is kind, protective of others,

and has enormous strength of character.

I know you will enjoy having her in your class.

Sincerely, Stacey Bess, Shelter School.

It's a pleasure to meet you, Dana.

Glad to have you in our class.

Thank you.

Can I have my letter back?

That's from my teacher.

(phone rings)

Hello?

MARIA: Hello? Miss Stacey?

Maria?

Maria, where are you?

I'm here at mi abuela's.

My grandmother's house in El Paso.

And guess what?

I just started junior high,

and it's not like I'm the new kid,

'cause everybody's new in seventh grade.

I just wanted you to know

that I'm not going to forget you.

I'm not going to forget you.

You let me know how you're doing, okay?

How school is? And you stay in school.

You promise me you're going to stay in school.

Of course I'm staying in school.

I'm going to be a teacher, just like you.

Miss Stacey?

Yeah, I'm here.

Say "hi" to Nicole and Brandon for me.

I will.

Promise

we won't ever say good-bye.

Okay? Okay.

(dial tone hums)

(McKenzie fussing)

Knock, knock. (classical music plays)

Hi.

Hey!

There she is.

Dr. Warren.

Oh, my goodness.

You wanted to meet her?

I do! Here we go.

Oh, my.

Hi. Look at you!

You want to see Dr. Warren?

Here, why don't we do it this way?

Oh, I get to hold her? Oh, my goodness.

Oh, goodness. Oh, yes.

Oh, yeah. Hi, there.

I'm telling you, she's the easiest baby I've ever had.

She just eats and sleeps on schedule.

We pretty much just wait at home

for Nicole and Brandon to get home from school.

Yeah, that's what we do.

Oh, she is so beautiful.

Isn't she?

Put you down here.

There we go.

Oh, she is gorgeous.

How's our school?

Great!

Construction starts in the spring.

But the best part is the new legislation.

Next year it's going to be easier for homeless students

to register at any school in the district.

That's amazing. Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm.

And in the meantime,

we want to add to our teaching staff.

So think about it.

Hey, hey.

(McKenzie crying)

(crying continues)

(crying stops)

Hey.

Hey.

STACEY: I miss them.

I know.

And I don't want to put McKenzie in day care.

I mean, we can't afford it, anyways.

I'm not done yet.

I know.

Attention, everyone.

Attention!

This morning, we will have someone coming to class.

This person will be team teaching

with Mr. Parker and me.

I think you'll find with three teachers,

you'll be very busy students.

Mrs. Bess.

Hi. (murmuring)

(kids shouting and cheering) Ms. Bess!

Hi!

Ms. Bess! Ms. Bess!

Ms. Stacey!

Hi! It's so good to see you!

Danny, really? With the hat?

Give me a break.

She's so much bigger. I know.

(McKenzie cooing)

(toy dog playing lullaby)

Okay,

so, who wants to share next?

How about our new friend, Annie?

You want to share something with us?

How'd you get here, Annie?

We lost our house.

My mom says we've got each other

and that we're gonna be okay.

You will be.

Does anyone want to share their story with Annie?

Becca?

Um...

(all giggling)

What are you doing?

You want to share something?

Does anyone want to share something?

♪ ♪

♪ This little light of mine ♪

♪ I'm gonna let it shine ♪

♪ This little light of mine ♪

♪ I'm gonna let it shine ♪

♪ This little light of mine ♪

♪ I'm gonna let it shine ♪

♪ Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine ♪

♪ This little light of mine ♪

♪ I'm gonna let it shine... ♪

(train rumbling loudly)

(train whistle blowing)

(rattling and clacking)

(noise dies down) ♪ This little light of mine ♪

♪ I'm gonna let it shine ♪

♪ This little light of mine ♪

♪ I'm gonna let it shine ♪

♪ Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine. ♪

(music stops)

(all applauding) Yeah!

== sync, corrected by elderman ==

Hi. I'm Emily VanCamp.

The work of the real Stacey Bess is what truly inspired me

to become part of tonight's

Hallmark Hall of Fame presentation.

Along with other caring and committed educators,

Stacey continues to be an advocate

for underprivileged children today.

I am honored to introduce her to you now.

Thanks, Emily.

My hope is that tonight's movie

will inspire others to get involved.

My family learned that even simple things

can be very meaningful to a child in need.

Cooking, just sitting around a dinner table,

laughing and playing together.

Ordinary moments that our own kids take for granted

can have an extraordinary impact.

A child we took in years later said to me,

"You came in every night,

tucked us in and said prayers."

To her, that was amazing.

You, too, can make a difference in the lives of such children.

You don't need unusual skills.

You don't need special training.

You just have to care.

At Hallmark.com, you'll find links

to organizations where you can learn

about volunteering to make a difference.

And you can learn

about some of the new challenges facing homeless families today.

You can also find out what the real Stacey Bess is doing

in her continued effort to help children.