Original subtitles

? What would you do if I sang out of tune? ?

? Would you stand up and walk out on me? ?

? Lend me your ears, and I'll sing you a song ?

? I will try not to sing out of key, yeah ?

? Oh, baby, I get by ? ? By with a little help from my friends ?

? All I need is my buddies ?

? High with a little help from my friends ?

? I'm sayin' I'm gonna get higher ?

? Try with a little help from my friends ?

- ? Whoa-oa-oa-oa, yeah ? - ? Ooh, ooh, ooh ?

Teachers never die.

They live in your memory forever.

They were there when you arrived,

they were there when you left...

like fixtures.

Once in a while, they taught you something.

But not that often.

And you never really knew them

any more than they knew you.

Still, for a while, you believed in them.

And if you were lucky,

maybe there was one who believed in you.

To find the quotient plus the remainder,

you divide the polynomials.

We shall find that the...

Mr. Collins wasn't your average teacher.

He was more like... A force of nature.

He was kind of a mathematical whirlwind...

a tornado of chalk.

He was full of surprises.

All right.

And he never let up.

Who can give me the quotient?

3x + 2y?

No.

[ Sighs ]

2y squared?

No.

Anybody else?

Sure he was tough, but you had to respect him,

and you wanted him to respect you, too.

At least, I did.

Mr. Arnold.

2x + y?

Correct.

Heh-heh.

And the remainder?

Uh...

6?

The answer is 12y + 3.

Okay, so I wasn't exactly God's gift to polynomials.

But I was doing my best, and Collins knew it.

At least, I think he did.

[ Bell rings ]

For your homework,

study unit 17, section 4.

These are your last week's quizzes.

Please pass them back.

After all, we'd been through a lot, the old man and I.

We had a history, and the fact is, thanks to him,

I'd brought myself from a "d"...

To a "c," a respectable "c."

Nothing wrong with that.

Darn it!

Unless, of course, you happen to be Paul Pfeiffer.

What's wrong with him?

I'll tell you what's wrong... this!

An "a"?!

You got an "a" in Collins' advanced class?

It's not an "a."

It's an a-minus.

[ Sighs ] I blew it.

Now, with anyone else, this might seem like bragging,

but Paul wasn't a braggart.

A's just came to him, like hives.

Bet you could just kick yourself.

[ Sighs ] Lay off, Hobson.

I'm gonna tape this to my locker door as a warning.

One little boner,

and the whole academic year goes right down...

Paul?

What's this?

Oh, just something Collins wrote.

Mr. Collins wrote that?

Yeah, why?

Nothing.

Does he do that often?

Sometimes.

Doesn't he do that with you?

Oh, sure.

Once in a while.

If by "once in a while" you meant "never."

Not that I was jealous exactly.

[ Bell rings ]

Still, the next day, I showed up early for class.

Thought I'd have a little chat with the big guy, chew the fat.

After all, we were practically on a first-name basis.

Mr. Collins?

Mr. Arnold?

I was... Just...

Wondering about...

How you thought I was doing.

I mean, generally.

Overall.

In math.

There... clean and quick.

One simple "good job," and I'd be on my way.

Let's check.

According to my records, you've been getting... "C's."

Is that correct?

Well...

Yes.

Was there anything else?

Well... No...

Except would you say I'm doing well?

Or not so well?

How do you feel you're doing?

Penalty... answering a question with a question.

Five yards, loss of down.

Well... I guess "c's" are better than "d's"

even though they're not as good as "b's."

Or "a's."

I see.

Thank you for sharing that with me.

Sure. Anytime.

[ Bell rings ]

Take your seats and open your textbooks to unit 17.

Anything else?

No.

Nothing.

Nope, nothin' at all.

Except that night, I couldn't get it out of my mind.

How's it coming there, sport?

[ Sighs ]

Fine.

Heard you brought home a quiz.

Yeah.

Another "c."

Mm, well, there's nothing to be ashamed of there.

Right?

[ Sighs ] Right, dad.

But suddenly, for some reason,

that respectable "c" didn't feel so... Respectable.

[ Sighs ]

These are the results of Tuesday's quizzes.

"B"!

I got a "b."

[ Bell rings ]

Your mid-term exam...

Will be two weeks from tomorrow.

I suggest you begin studying for it now.

But who cared about two weeks from now?

This was a red-letter day.

Mr. Collins?

Yes?

Ta-da!

A "b"!

Yes.

I know.

Ta-da!

That was it?

What was it gonna take here?

The next morning, I showed up early for school.

Mr. Collins?

It was time for a talk...

no holds barred, mano a mano.

I've been thinking about what you asked me, Mr. Arnold.

You have?

I believe I understand.

Okay, then. No hard feelings.

Let 'em come... the kudos, the accolades.

And I think I can help.

I beg your pardon?

There's not much time. We can start this afternoon.

Naturally, one or two questions sprang to mind.

Start what?

Preparing for your mid-term examination.

We have two weeks and a lot of ground to cover.

But I didn't say anything about an exam.

We can work in the afternoon after school.

Wait a minute.

Heck, all I wanted here

was a little applause for a job well done,

and he's giving me...

an opportunity to do your best.

Isn't that why you came to me?

You said, a "c" is better than a "d,"

but not as good as an "a."

Well, sure, but...

I didn't mean that...

I think you can get that "a," Mr. Arnold.

And I think you want to.

An "a"?

In math?

And suddenly it was clear...

the man had completely lost his mind.

Look...

let me know what you decide.

Mr. Collins?

I'll never be an "a" student.

That's up to you, Mr. Arnold.

Well, like I said, the man was full of surprises.

It was almost laughable.

- Hey, Kev. - Hey.

After all, I was no Paul Pfeiffer.

I mean, one "b" on one quiz... maybe,

but let's not go overboard.

[ Sighs ]

[ Sighs heavily ]

When do we start?

Minus x + 2y...

And so, I stepped into the whirlwind.

The lowest common denominator...

Every day after school, Mr. Collins and I met

to accomplish the improbable...

What law do we apply?

The commutative law.

Not in this case.

If not the impossible.

X x y = y x x.

Not that I really believed I was gonna ace that exam.

Still, for some reason,

Mr. Collins seemed sure I could do it.

And if he believed it,

well, maybe anything was possible.

With the problem now.

But it wasn't all hard work.

There was something... More.

It was the man himself.

No, just "x."

I liked him.

I was getting to know him,

and he was getting to know me.

Times r - 2?

The funny thing is we never talked about anything personal.

We didn't have to.

That's correct, Mr. Arnold.

Talking math was enough.

[ Bell rings ]

And I was actually beginning to consider the chance

I might not get massacred on that...

[ horn honks ]

Mr. Collins?

Mr. Arnold?

I thought you...

We were supposed to...

I'm afraid I can't make it today.

I have an appointment.

Oh.

An appointment? Was he joking?

The test is Friday, and he has an appointment?

Well, then I guess I'll see you tomorrow.

I'm afraid I won't be here tomorrow, either.

Oh.

Geez, the guy sure looked in a hurry to get out of there.

Made you wonder if he'd robbed a cash register or something.

We still have six more units to cover.

I'm afraid you'll have to prepare on your own, Mr. Arnold.

You still have functions and real numbers to review.

Uh, that's units 12 through, uh...

I can't do those on my own.

I suggest you try.

They will be on the examination.

[ Sighs ]

Look, Mr. Collins...

This whole thing was your idea.

You...

We kind of had a deal.

Didn't we?

I'm sorry.

I have to go.

I'll be back for the exam on Friday.

Wait!

I felt betrayed.

Here I was, practically begging for the man to help,

and he was throwing me an anvil for a life-jacket.

I...

But there was nothing more to say...

except for one thing.

[ Sighs ]

I thought you were my friend.

Not your friend, Mr. Arnold.

Your teacher.

Oh.

And that was that, in spades... the big kiss-off.

And I was left with nothing...

[ Car door closes ]

Nothing but rage.

[ Bell rings ]

Put your books on the floor and your pencils on your desks.

By the day of the test, I'd made up my mind.

I knew what I had to do.

You will have the entire period to complete the exam.

Begin.

Okay, then.

Time to get to work.

[ Bell rings ]

Your time is up.

Please bring your exams to the desk.

[ Indistinct conversations ]

Mr. Arnold.

Kevin?

But I wasn't buyin'.

He'd said it was up to me,

so I'd made my choice... an "f,"

a perfectly respectable "f."

[ Television plays indistinctly ]

Of course, I was pretty proud of myself

all afternoon, and well into prime time that night.

[ Crickets chirping ]

After that, well...

I guess you could say

it was one of the longer weekends in my life.

I'd watched enough "victory at sea" reruns

to sink a ship.

[ Knocking on door ]

[ Indistinct conversations ]

I need to speak to Mr. Collins.

Please.

Just a moment.

Okay, so I felt bad...

for myself and for Collins.

After all, he probably had a good reason for...

Arnold.

Can I help you?

I'm, uh... Looking for Mr. Collins.

I'm afraid he's not here.

Well, could I leave him a message?

Sure, set up a powwow, formal peace talks...

anything.

Um...

Mr. Collins passed away this morning.

He, uh... he was at home.

We just got the bad news.

He's been not well for a while.

It's, uh...

It was his heart.

I'm sorry to have to break the news to you now.

[ Inhales deeply ]

I'll be making a formal announcement later in the day.

Meanwhile, I'll be taking over most of his classes.

How much respect Mr. Collins had

from his fellow teachers.

He, uh... he was a fine man...

A fine teacher.

When you're 13, life is a series of events.

One thing happens, then another.

Things go on.

Maybe it has to do with the resilience of the human spirit,

the ability to survive.

Anyway, by the next week,

life was pretty much back to normal...

For most of us.

As for me, well, I'd survive, too.

I had my health, my friends, and of course...

My own private hell.

My, my... another ace.

Hey, that's none of your business.

Give it back! Come on, that's mine.

I heard the new, uh...

Advanced-math teacher's a chick.

Planning on becoming the new teacher's pet?

[ Scoffs ] Very funny, Hobson.

She happens to be very smart.

Needs a little work on her delivery, but...

oh, I bet.

Hey, what do you know?

Will you two just shut up?

You're such clowns.

Whoa! Ohh!

Hey!

Gentlemen?

What's going on here?

Nothing.

It's nothing.

See me in my classroom... 3:00...

Sharp.

40 lashes, Arnold.

Nice going.

[ Chair creaks ]

[ Bell rings ]

Arnold.

Come in.

[ Sighs ]

Yes, sir.

It was about the last place on earth

I wanted to be at that moment.

Something odd has occurred.

Perhaps you can shed some light on it.

And somehow I knew as soon as I saw that envelope.

Midterm examinations.

All of them.

All of them, that is...

Except yours.

What?

Apparently, Mr. Collins graded these tests

the weekend that, uh...

Well, in any event,

it seems yours was misplaced.

Oh.

The question now is, what do we do about it?

You need a grade.

Do you have any suggestions?

No, sir.

Well...

Collins did.

50 minutes, Arnold.

You may begin.

As I took that test, I thought about...

A lot of things...

about how I knew him

and yet, I didn't...

About how he treated me like a man

and how I'd acted like a child...

About how I let him down

and now I wouldn't.

The thing is,

even though I could almost feel him in the room,

I knew I didn't need him for the answers...

or the praise.

I was on my own now.

[ Sighs ]

[ Sighs ] You don't have to grade it.

It's an "a."

Mr. Arnold?

[ Sighs ]

Good job, Mr. Collins.

[ Intro to Karla Bonoff's "Goodbye My Friend" plays ]

? Oh, we never know where life will take us ?

? I know it's just a ride on the wheel ?

? And we never know when death will shake us ?

? And we wonder how it will feel ?

? So goodbye, my friend ?

? I know I'll never see you again ?

? But the time together through all the years ?

? Will take away these tears ?

? It's okay now ?

? Goodbye, my friend ?

? You can go now ?

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