01x15 - Black Teacher

[bunniefuu]

ADULT DEAN: So much of our early
lives are shaped by teachers.

Outside of our parents,

they can be our first role models.

They pour so much into us, and still,

teachers are basically strangers.

As kids, we didn't even
see them as people,

and we definitely never thought
about their personal lives,

unless we had to.

Now, before we go, I
wanted to let y'all know

that, sadly, this will
be my last week in class

before my visit from the stork.

How is she even pregnant?

Isn't she like ?

Mrs. Anderson was , but at that age,

we thought all our
teachers were ancient.

You'll meet your new teacher tomorrow,

and I expect you to all
be as wonderful to them

as you have been to me.

English class was pretty boring,

but we loved Mrs. Anderson,

especially pregnant Mrs. Anderson.

The bigger her stomach got,
the less homework she assigned.

We were more excited about
that baby than she was.

What are the odds we can get
another pregnant lady in here?

[Chuckles]

I'd like to introduce your new teacher.

Please join me in welcoming Mr. Brady.

He's black?!

I wanted to start singing
the n*gro National Anthem,

but I didn't know the lyrics.

Do you know him?

This is a historic moment
for Jefferson Davis Junior High.

I'm proud to say that
I recruited this teacher,

and I think that he has
a certain something special

that we'll all benefit from.

What about the debate team?
And the Knowledge Bowl?

Mrs. Anderson is our coach

and we've been practicing all year!

Mr. Brady will be taking
over those as well.

Just so you know, we get pizza
and candy after every practice.

- [Laughter]
- MR. BRADY: That's good to know.

Brad, right?

Well, I'll leave you to it.

[Door Opens, Closes]

I understand you've been
reading The Odyssey,

so let's open up to Chapter
and talk about

how Homer uses foreshadowing
to advance the story.

I couldn't believe it.

We finally had our first Black teacher

in the history of the school.

It was a huge deal,

which wasn't lost on
my classmates either.

♪ I'm Black and I'm proud ♪

♪ Say it loud ♪

Okay, it probably wasn't that bad,

but that's exactly how it felt.

Can anyone tell me what type of clause

I've written on the board?

- Yes, Brad?
- A Santa Claus?

- [Laughter]
- [School bell rings]

Tonight, read the next chapter
and write a half-page summary.

Having a Black teacher
is good news for you guys.

Why's that?

Oh, well, because...

Because he'll give the Black
students special treatment.

Does that mean Mrs. Anderson
gave you special treatment?

No. [Scoffs] Of course not.

I mean, he seems pretty tough.

He gave us all homework
on the first day.

I don't think anybody's
getting special attention.

Dean, Cory, Keisa.

Can I see just the three
of you for a moment?

Right.

[Indistinct conversations]

MR. BRADY: I was reviewing
Mrs. Anderson's grade book

and noticed you all
have excellent grades.

Has anyone ever suggested

you try out for the Knowledge Bowl team?

I got asked to try out
for the basketball team.

Track and field.

Nobody asked me to join any teams.

I see.

Well, I've decided to hold
a new round of tryouts

so everyone can have
the opportunity to earn a spot,

and I think you all should
consider trying out.

It took most teachers a week
to stop calling me "Cory,"

but Mr. Brady was
already letting us know

that he sees us.

And there it was.
The first Black head nod.

You just witnessed history, people.

♪♪

♪ Love is haa-aa-aard ♪

♪ But w*r is so easy ♪

♪ And all I know is ♪

♪ All I know ♪

♪ Ohhh, through
the highs and the lows ♪

Mr. Brady thinks I should
try out for the Knowledge Bowl.

Wow, you just keep
getting cooler and cooler.

LILLIAN: I still can't believe
they finally hired

- a Black teacher at this school.
- It's about time.

If you're gonna integrate the school,

you need to integrate
the teaching staff.

Well, it's not gonna be easy for him.

We're gonna have to
show him our support.

What does that mean?

I'm gonna call him up
and invite him over for dinner.

- That's a great idea.
- At our house?

- Cooler and cooler.
- Why do we have to do that?

Well, after you told me about Mr. Brady,

I did a little research.

One phone call to
the biggest gossip at church

counts as research?

I learned that he's from Chicago

and he's never lived
in the South before,

so I figured we could welcome him

and teach him a thing or two

about how things work around here.

I hear that. We want him
to have a smooth transition.

♪♪

What in the Marcus Garvey...?

For the past few weeks, you've
been studying The Odyssey,

which is similar to the oral
tradition of storytelling

in many African cultures,

like the Yoruba people of West Africa.

He's going full Africa on Day ?

Like the ancient Greeks,
Africans passed down

important history
generation to generation

through storytellers known as griots.

These griots used different
instruments, like these drums,

to perform for and educate the village.

Drums too? Oh, know your audience, man.

This is a fiddle crowd.

[Drumming]

♪♪

I'm a griot, too!

I always wanted a Black teacher,

but did he have to be so Black?

And it didn't make it any better

that Brad and Karen may have been right.

As class went on,

it did seem like
part of Mr. Brady's Blackness

involved giving us special treatment.

Can anyone tell me which part of
the sentence is underlined?

- Yes, Keisa?
- The prepositional phrase?

That is correct.

Man, this guy really doesn't like me.

I wonder why.

♪♪

The day of tryouts had arrived,

and the academic cream of
the crop was here to represent.

Hey, Cory.

You're trying out for
the Knowledge Bowl?

What? [Scoffs] No, man.

I'm just, uh... here to support Dean.

I'll see you at practice.

MR. BRADY: Okay, everyone.

Welcome to the Knowledge Bowl tryouts.

Yes?

I don't understand why
we have to do tryouts again.

We already have a team.

Well, what's the current record?

- .

Then I'd say there's
room for improvement.

[Sighs]

Okay, let's get started.

- [Ding]
- An archipelago.

- [Ding]
- The Krebs cycle.

- [Ding]
- Pangaea.

It was an epic battle of wits,

the elite minds of our
generation going head-to-head.

[Dinging]

That's easy. Treaty of Paris.

- [Ding]
- The aurora borealis.

- [Ding]
- Uh... ?

The answer is "diameter."

Okay, "epic" was an overstatement,

but it was a big deal to us.

We all wanted to grab one of
the five spots on the team.

- [Ding]
- Aorta.

- That is correct.
- Oh. Oh.

[Laughter]

MR. BRADY: Alright, Dean, you're up.

- [Ding]
- Pythagoras.

- [Ding]
- The Bill of Rights.

- [Ding]
- Mesopotamia.

That is correct.

Also known as the Fertile Crescent.

Also known as
the Cradle of Civilization,

but I'm not bragging.

♪♪

Don't worry, guys. We got this.

Before I announce the results,
I want to thank everyone

who showed up today
and brought their A game.

I've tallied all the scores,
and the students

who've earned a place on this
year's Knowledge Bowl team

are Keisa...

- Brett...
- Yes!

... Cory...

Karen... and Dean.

As the highest scorer, Dean,
you'll be captain.

Brad, you'll be the alternate.

Congratulations to everyone.

A team that was % white
is now % Black.

That's what we call reparations math.

Hey, congratulations, guys.

And congrats to you
for being an alternate.

Um, you were really good in tryouts.

I don't know.

I feel like Mr. Brady was giving me

all the hard questions, you know?

He's not prejudiced.

Easy for you to say.
You guys made the team.

He's not giving anyone
special treatment.

Looking forward to seeing you and
your family at dinner tonight, Dean.

- [Door closes]
- [Scoffs]

Bruh, we have got to
work on your timing.

Careful, now. Don't want to
waste the good stuff.

I think it's a good thing we're
meeting your new teacher tonight.

Yeah?

I thought you'd be more excited.

I am. I like Mr. Brady, but...

I was thinking maybe
you could talk to him.

About?

Well, it feels like
he's giving special attention

to the Black kids,
and some of my white friends

are feeling left out.

You sneak a sip of the whiskey?

'Cause you're clearly
not thinking right.

You think those white kids
felt bad about

all the special attention
they were getting

- from the white teachers?
- I-I don't know.

It feels like whenever
he does something nice for us,

everybody stares like...
like they're mad.

People predisposed to hating
gonna actively hate.

Oh, man.

He was almost the first dude

to say "haters gonna hate."

And now me, Cory, and Keisa are
all on the Knowledge Bowl team,

and Brad got bumped.

Listen, you're not doing anything wrong,

and neither is Mr. Brady.

Seems to me like he's just trying
to level the playing field.

[Doorbell rings]

Go greet your guest, boy.

My guest? This wasn't even my idea.

Well, well, well.

Look who left their kente cloth
and lion's mane at home.

- Hi.
- Hey.

Dad, this is Mr. Brady.

Dennis. Nice to meet you.

Huh, I thought his first name was "Mr."

Bill. Hey, this is
the really good stuff.

You and I gonna get along just fine.

[Both chuckle]

[Sighs]

[Laughter]

You put your foot in this meal, Lillian.

Well, wait until you try a little bit

of Vivian's peach cobbler.

- It'll change your life.
- Mm-hmm.

And that's how I locked Cliff down.

Now, I was on the make.
That should let you know

- how good that cobbler is.
- [Laughter]

Well, I'm grateful for the
invitation and the hospitality.

Our pleasure.

I know firsthand how important it is

to keep students motivated,
so keep doing what you're doing.

"Keep doing what you're doing"?

We just talked about this!

Well, I wish all the parents
were as enthusiastic as you all.

There have been some thoughts
about my teaching style.

- Hmm, some thoughts.
- Thoughts, huh?

Well, that's not surprising.

You're new to the South,

and things can be a bit
different down here.

For example, uh, Cliff and I
work at a somewhat...

conservative office.

She mean white folks.
We work with white folks.

And we've learned that
if we want to make a change,

we have to be subtle and strategic.

Interesting point, Mom. Continue.

Speak when spoken to.

Did he get into the whiskey sours?

Well, I have to admit,
I don't have a reputation

for being the most subtle person.

You shouldn't have to be subtle
when you're doing the right thing.

That's right. Like Malcolm X.

Hey, if you're gonna start
quoting that nonsense,

you can take your leather glove
and go to your room.

Okay. How about,
"The time is always right

to do what is right"?

Is Dr. King more appropriate
dinner conversation?

No, Bill is right. D-Don't be
afraid to speak your mind.

Like you do when Mr. Davidson's
always asking you

to work through lunch to
help him finish his reports?

Well, who needs minutes for lunch?

Look, I'm just saying,

I like the way you're shaking things up.

- These boys need to see that.
- [Sighs]

I asked my dad to talk him down,

- not radicalize him.
- I got to say,

those drums you brought to school

were pretty cool, Mr. Brady.

Sounds like a great teaching tool.

I may have to try it out myself someday.

And I'm sure it will be
very well-received,

since you work at a Black university

surrounded by Black people.

You have a freedom at work

that many of us at this table don't.

Now, that is true.

I think the Good Lord
saw fit to give me that job

because he knew I didn't
have the temperament

to work in a more conservative office.

- Amen.
- [Laughter]

Well, I think if I take
one more bite of anything,

I'm gonna pop, so I'll have to

take a piece of that
peach cobbler to go.

No, no, no, no. What you don't
eat here comes home with me.

[Chuckles]

Thank you all for
the lovely meal and the advice,

but I think I'll manage
just fine down at the school.

And you two need to rest up
for tomorrow's match.

And remember, Dean, as captain,

it's your job to pick
the official answer,

and if there's any disagreement,
you have the final say.

I was hoping my parents could
talk some sense into Mr. Brady,

but, clearly, it would be
up to me to make sure

everyone on the team
felt included, so I determined

to handle being captain of
the Knowledge Bowl team my way.

COACH WRIGHT: It's time for the
final three questions of the round.

"The bacteria causing leprosy
directly damages

what protective sheathing
around nerve cells?"

- [Ding]
- It's mitochondria.

- You mean myelin.
- No, Karen.

Dean, it's mitochondria, man.

Dean, Karen's right.
I think it's myelin, too.

Five seconds, Jefferson Davis.

Come on, Dean.

Cory seemed confident, and so did Karen,

but I picked Cory's answer last time,

and I really wanted to be fair,
but I also wanted to win,

in a fair way.

- Win with fairness.
- [Buzzer]

Time's up.

Stonewall Jackson Junior High?

[Quietly] Is myelin right?

Myelin?

- Myelin.
- That is correct.

My way wasn't working.

[Ding]

- [Buzzer]
- Time's up.

[Ding]

- [Buzzer]
- Time's up.

[Ding]

- [Buzzer]
- COACH WRIGHT: Time's up.

[Ding]

♪♪

- Roanoke.
- That is correct.

♪♪

COACH WRIGHT: That will
end the second round.

We will take a short break

and continue with the final round.

What's going on?

That's the fourth time you
didn't give an answer in time,

and I know you know this stuff.

Everybody has a different answer,

and I get confused.

I-I don't want anyone to feel bad.

You know what?

I think we're gonna make
a change for the final round.

♪♪

[Ding]

♪♪

- Julius Caesar.
- COACH WRIGHT: That is correct.

[Ding]

- Chromosphere.
- COACH WRIGHT: Correct.

Pocket veto.

COACH WRIGHT: That is correct.

♪♪

Now it's time for the final question.

"What is the range of mountains
that lies between

the Great Basin and the Great Plains?"

[Ding]

The Rocky Mountains.

- The Rocky Mountains.
- That is correct.

Jefferson Davis Junior High,
you are the winners.

[Cheers and applause]

♪♪

I never thought that having
our first Black teacher

would lead to me feeling left out.

[Sighs]

Congratulations on the win today, Brad.

I know you were disappointed at first,

but I'm proud of how it didn't
keep you from working hard

and being ready to step in.

Thanks, Mr. Brady.

You okay?

I'm fine.

Dean.

Do you know why I made you captain?

Because you were treating
us Black kids special?

Is that what you thought I was doing?

I made you captain because

you're the smartest student on the team.

Then why'd you take me out
and put Brad in?

Well, when I first met Brad,
I could tell he had potential,

but he didn't take anything seriously,

so I challenged him to work harder,

and he rose to the occasion.

[Laughter]

For the most part.

As for you...

... I could tell from
the first day of class

that you were uncomfortable
getting attention from me

because I'm Black.

It's because I wanted
people to like you.

No, actually, it's because
you wanted people to like you.

You see, wanting to be liked
is a dangerous thing.

It can mask itself as wanting

all the white students
to like the Black teacher,

or wanting to make everyone
on the quiz team happy.

Because I was really scared
that if the white kids

thought you were giving me
special attention,

they wouldn't like me.

Or if I didn't listen to
everyone's answers

on the Knowledge Bowl,
they wouldn't like me.

But at the end of the day,
all that really happened was

that you put your light
under a bushel.

Every future leader needs to learn

how to make their own decisions,

even if it means people won't like them.

I hope what happened today
makes you realize

what you're really capable of.

♪♪

♪♪

[Indistinct conversation]

WOMAN: The team was already set.

He kicked my son off
the Knowledge Bowl team,

and I can't help but
feel like that, what,

there's a little bit of
favoritism going on?

PRINCIPAL CARTWRIGHT: I-I'm
sure that's not something

that Mr. Brady was doing purposefully.

No, I was only rewarding the
students who performed the best.

What about that drum
he brought into class?

What does tribal drumming
have to do with English?

Concerned white parents
have always been at

the forefront of the
battle to ensure that

what we teach in schools
is fair and balanced.

[Parents muttering]

♪♪

Seemed like Jefferson Davis Junior High

wasn't quite ready for
its first Black teacher.

♪♪

Or maybe Mr. Brady wasn't
quite ready for us.

Did they fire you?

Was it the drum?

No. I wasn't fired.

But Principal Cartwright
and I both agreed

that Jefferson Davis
isn't the best fit for me,

so I'm still on the search
for the school that is.

It's ironic that a teacher that
once was an embarrassment to me

is now the person I'll miss the most.

Well, I hope your next Black teacher

is so much Blacker than me
that Kim gets worried.

[Chuckles]

Oddly enough, the Blackest
teacher I had after that

was my white African-American
Studies professor in college.

♪ Ah, the summer went by so fast ♪

I later learned that
Brad's parents, like mine,

appreciated us having a teacher
who inspires his students

because of what he sees
inside them, not outside.

♪ Teacher's mini was up above... ♪

And even though Mr. Brady's time

at Jefferson Davis was short,

he showed me what it felt like
to have a great teacher,

and I took that leadership
advice he gave me to heart.

♪ I caught her skating ♪

- As well as a few more things.
- ♪ Soul teacher ♪

- ♪ Let's get together ♪
- ♪ Soul teacher ♪

- ♪ Have a good time ♪
- ♪ Soul teacher ♪