potential is a muscle

“The first time I heard her I didn’t hear her at all. My parents did not prepare me. (The natural thing in these situations is to blame the parents.) She was nowhere to be found on their four-foot-tall wood-veneer hi-fi. Given the variety of voices you got to hear on that contraption, her absence was a little strange. Burning Spear and the Beatles; Marley, naturally, and Chaka Khan; Bix Beiderbecke, Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, and James Taylor; Luther Vandross, Anita Baker, Alexander O’Neal. And Dylan, always Dylan. Yet nothing of the Canadian with the open-tuned guitar. I don’t see how she could have been unknown to them – it was her peculiar curse to never really be unknown. Though maybe they had heard her and simply misunderstood.”

God, the way her voice hit me. After I read this (and BTW, Zadie, so you went to a good college, huh? Thanks for making me feel stupid just reading your prose) (that’s a compliment)…after I read this, I went and hunted down some of my favorite songs by Joni. So much gold there. Stop being a painter, Joni. Be a singer, at least one more time. You make life better.

Freshman 1: that tasted like a horse’s butthole.
Freshman 2: how do you know what a horse’s butthole tastes like?
Freshman 1: I’ve seen some things.

Jason finds out about the tests being changed

Jason goes to Freeman, who tells him that if he says something, he’s taking a chance, but if he doesn’t, he could be implicated for NOT saying anything…it’s a choice he has to make.

Jason goes to Erdmann AND CATCHES ERDMANN WITH THE FUCKING TESTS RIGHT THERE. HE HAS NO CHOICE, it forces Erdmann to call in the custodians to burn the tests in an ‘accidental fire’- and he hates Jason now

Freeman comes to his classroom at the end of the day and just says come with me

She takes Jason to the roof of their building- she has a key, she WAS principal- and she opens a bottle of scotch. She is proud of Jason and this is a bonding experience
She tells him about the scandal taht brought her down, about the way Bloom crammed the school with the worst teachers he could get away with, and what does that say about Jason?!?!? He’s the cherry on top of the sundae!
She talks about the odd way the school has fallen and how it just doesn’t seem natural; there seems to be some outside force, she mentions perturbation- but everyone says it’s just the way things are and she’s being paranoid…they drink
next scene: a very-pissed off Hayden picking up a drunk jason who barfs in HER care

today I graded while the kids just sat. If they were near the line on a grade, I gave them a little work around the room and bumped it up. See? i can be sweet.

Right now, I am going to do the hard thing. i am going to adjust my outline. Grrr. 

“

1. IRL Batman. I would figure out ways to confound the people who enslave the weak. I’m talking about the drug-dealers down on Skid Row. What would those poor people do if one day, the dope man didn’t show up? He gets out of his car, stands up, shuts the door- and pink mist. His replacement arrives, looks around- boom, head shot. Eventually, it’d be impossible to get high down there. Are there 5000 people sleeping on the sidewalk down there, either mentally ill, sick with that new fatal staph or TB or just absurdly addicted to drugs. What if they all just up and walked to…Glendale. Think the problem would get some attention? Picture the Americana with tents surrounding the fountain and naked crackheads bathing in it.
AND OF COURSE I WOULD NEVER DO THAT AH HA HA HA.
So, second choice…
2. I’d like to be the guy who saves things in the nick of time. Like Bill Murray helping the old ladies with the flat tire in ‘Groundhog Day’. I’d be there with sunscreen and condoms and change for the parking meter.
There used to be a story of a IRL superhero woman in NYC who would keep women from going home with guys when they were too drunk to make good choices.
Ah, Terrifica, that was her name.
Like that, but less of a jerk.
3. ANy of the guys in Mamet’s ‘Spartan’.

but I am not seeing the whole story as ONE BIG IMAGE. I think that I’ve got to (gulp) CHART the whole thing with arcs and shit.
Look at ‘My Fair Lady’. The dad’s story gets reconciled. He’s obviously getting married in the morning- and he’ll f-ing sing about it for you FOR A SOLID HALF-HOUR if you’ll let him.
but what about Freddy? Eliza was willing to get a job to support him and what, at the end, he’s tossed aside for a condescending jerk with good diction.

what happens to Melody? She attaches to jason after Hayden gets fed-up and leaves
what happens to

but I was with my folks, so who cares? LRS at the Dorothy Chandler, and my gosh, if a movie is THREE HOURS LONG, maybe we could start a little early? Some folks have day jobs.

Kept the streak going: another scene done after I got home. Geez, Coach. Where did you go with mah money?

Peggy (and Mack?) debriefing ‘fighters’ she maced; she asks about Tino …

What is Georgia up to at HQ?

Tension w/ Hayden

EXT. HOOVER HIGH SCHOOL/hallway – DAY

Erdmann walks along as Jason talks to him.

JASON

But I’ve been preparing to teach those classes, that’s what I was hired to do-

ERDMANN

I’m aware of that, Bright. Principal Bloom didn’t do us any favors by disappearing like that. I was all set up to be assistant principal at a middle school across town until last Wednesday. Things change. New opportunities.

Erdmann gets to a door, finds the key for it and shoves it open.

INT. HOOVER HIGH SCHOOL/room c300 – DAY

It’s a hovel, the wreckage of what was once a classroom. Desks and chairs are piled in the center like a bonfire waiting to be lit. The walls are covered with stains and graffiti. Erdmann flicks the lights on: som flicker, some are just dead.

jason looks like he wants to cry, but Erdmann smiles and raises his eyebrows.

ERDMANN

Oh, great! The textbooks are here!

There’s a huge stack of bedraggled and marked-up test prep books on the floor. Erdmann goes to one, flips through it: the cover is marked ‘Preparing For California’s State Test In English 2007′.

The book falls apart as he opens it and falls to the floor. Erdmann looks at Jason, shrugs.

ERDMANN

Okay, don’t use that one-

Jason sags against the wall and looks around at the destruction. Erdmann shakes his head and steps over to Jason.

ERDMANN

Look, ‘Jason’, right? Jason, you’ve got two days to make this work. We don’t need Chaucer and Longfellow; we need to teach these kids to make cohesive sentences and not use the ‘f-word’ in an essay. If you’re not a real teacher, if you’re going to quit, please, do it now, so I can find a professional with the guts to take the job before we open on Tuesday. Okay?

He waits for an answer. Jason looks around, looks at Erdmann and nods. Erdmann smiles and claps him on the shoulder.

ERDMANN

Good! I knew it. We’ll make this work.

He bustles off, whistling.

Jason walks slowly to the ‘teacher’s desk’ at the front of the room. He pulls out the chair and looks down.

Someone has carved the words ‘YOU ARE DEAD’ into the desktop. He pulls the chair over and sits down. He opens the drawer to his right: empty vodka bottles roll into view as he does. He shuts the drawer-

and then the chair collapses and he falls backwards onto the floor.

Jason looks up at the ceiling and sighs.

JASON

Shit…

INT. jason’s condo/kitchen – night

Hayden is fixing dinner and talking on the phone.

HAYDEN

Well, you can’t stay there all night!

INT. HOOVER HIGH SCHOOL/ROOM C300 – night

Jason is on his phone, stripped down to his undershirt. Things look better: the desks have been moved, things have been cleaned, the walls have been stripped bare. Jason checks his watch.

JASON

Another hour, then I’ll come home. You wouldn’t believe it. I think someone was pissing in the corner, huge stain. Who does that? I’ll bring some bleach and stuff tomorrow.

HAYDEN

Tomorrow is Rudy and Becky’s anniversary thing in Costa Mesa, remember? At five?

JASON

Shit. I don’t-

HAYDEN

We were in their wedding, they said they’ll be in ours, we have to go.

Jason looks around, shrugs.

JASON

I’ll come back in the morning. See you in an hour. Love you.

He starts cleaning again. He reaches over and turns on an MP3 player.

narrator

‘And now, part three of ‘Teaching For Keeps’ by Doctors Derek and Melissa Wallins.’

Jason grins to himself. As the audiobook plays, he mouths the words along with his parents and smirks from time to time.

DEREK

‘One of the things a teacher has to do is bridge the gap between the teacher and the student. The teacher is often separated by years of life experience, by socio-economic level, by place of origin or race-’

JASON

(muttering)

Or they don’t piss in the corner-

MELISSA

Often, in seminars, we ask teachers: how many songs can you name on the popular music charts? What was the latest big movie for your students’ age group?Even simple things like the idea of a weekly allowance, something older people would-’

INT. church – night

Near the altar, LULU GARZA (42, Hispanic) speaks to a group of parents in Spanish.

In the back, Georgia sits with JUAN (25, neat) who translates in a whisper for Georgia.

juan

‘But if we can’t even start the school year without finding a dead body at this school, how safe will your child, or yours, or mine be once the school year starts? With a new, untried principal and over a quarter-’

Georgia’s phone vibrates, she looks down and puts a hand on Juan’s arm to stop him.

GEORGIA

Make sure she mentions the parent trigger forms. Make sure they take the forms when we put out the coffee and the- did you get cakes, the kind these people like?

JUAN

Yes, they’re called ‘pan dulces’ and-

GEORGIA

Whatever, great. Put the forms in their hands, make sure she tells them.

She steps into the entryway of the church, the ‘narthex’, to make her call.

GEORGIA

Yes…that’s your job, Mack. I just want them pissing their pants and begging to leave. Go after the surfer guy, and that little art teacher with the glasses. Do something about that goofy coach- he’s a true believer,shake him up, make him lose his faith. Oh, and the old lady. You break her and we’re on our way.

INT. HOOVER HIGH SCHOOL/ROOM C300 – DAY

Jason stands by his desk, neat in a tie and sweater-vest. On the board behind him is an outline of the day’s activities, ‘Welcome to Mr. Bright’s English class’ and a few smiley faces…

He looks at the clock: 7:40. The bell rings. Out in the hallway, voices, feet: students are coming, his first students. He nervously smiles, fidgets, fights the smile-

And the door opens and the kids stream in. All colors, all races. They ignore his greetings, they walk by and sit wherever they want, they cuss and shout and call each other names and laugh- but they’re not looking at theguy in front.

Jason nods and smiles and waits for the bell.

INT. HOOVER HIGH SCHOOL/ROOM C300 – DAY

The kids are quiet and looking around while Jason speaks:

JASON

But the main goal we’re going to work toward is getting all of you passing scores on the state tests. If you can score over three-sixty on the math or the English part, you’ll be set up to graduate, you’ll never have to take it again and you’ll be able to get into a college-prep class, prepare for the next-

TRENT (16, bald, neck like a bull) raises his hand and speaks over Jason:

trent

I passed that shit.

Jason pauses.

JASON

Oh. Well, if you passed the tests, you should be in- what’s your name?

TRENT

Trent Trabuco.

Jason checks the list on his clipboard.

JASON

Trent, you got a two-eighty on English and two-fifty on the math. But we’re going to work on-

TRENT

Passed that shit over the summer.

JASON

The, uh…the state doesn’t give those tests over the summer. Are you sure you’re not-

Trent stands up, glaring at Jason.

TRENT

You calling me a liar, bitch?

The kids hoot a little at this as Jason tries to cool things with a smile and direct eye contact.

JASON

No, not at all. People make mistakes- you take one test, you think it’s-

TRENT

You saying I’m wrong?

HUMBERTO (17, tall, scars) laughs at Trent from his seat.

humberto

Trent, shut up- you know you too dumb to pass those tests- shut-

Trent turns.

TRENT

Fuck you, Berto. Surfer-dude here called me a liar, what? You think-

HUMBERTO

Sit down, stupid-

and just like that, it’s on: Trent steps in, Humberto comes out of his chair and hits Trent in the face in a single movement. Trent recoils and comes back in with punches to the face, the gut. The fighters stand and get their balance as the kids hoot and back away.

Jason shouts for them to stop, but they ignore him. The fighters trade blows and the fight moves closer and closer to Jason as he keeps trying to stop the fight without getting too close-

-and then Tent slips on a sweatshirt on the floor. As he struggles to his feet, Jason dashes out into the hall-

and there’s Peggy, trotting up in her uniform, holding a black canister.

JASON

Officer! There’s a fight in-

Peggy looks him over, then steps past him into the room.

She sees the fighters, holds up the canister- it’s a bear-sized canister of Mace- and sprays down the fighters, as well as the kids on either side of them. The room fills with fog as the other kids scream and choke and rush out into the hall. Peggy hits and kicks the fighters even though they’ve stopped fighting.

Jason moves forward to stop her, pauses- and Peggy turns and hits him with a blast of Mace as he’s standing there. Jason chokes and falls backward into the hall with the kids.

INT. HOOVER HIGH SCHOOL/HALLWAY – day

Kids and teachers have poured out of other rooms and it’s pandemonium. Teachers shout for calm, but the Mace drifts to them and they start choking.

Around the corner, TONYA FREEMAN (60, Black, serious as a heart attack) steps to Jason, who is standing there half-blind. She grabs his wrist and pulls him out of the fog, down the hall to clearer air.

freeman

That’s Mace. The longer you stand there, the worse it gets. Don’t you new teachers know anything?

She sprays white vinegar into his face and starts wiping his eyes with a rag.

FREEMAN

White vinegar cuts the oils in the aerosol base. You’ll be able to see in a few minutes, breathe through-

Peggy steps around the corner, sees the two of them and stops. A look passes between the women, but Jason can’t see it.

PEGGY

Ms. Freeman-

Freeman nods at the Mace canister in Peggy’s hand.

FREEMAN

I’ve got this one. You might set up some fans at the end of the hallway, blow the stuff out the window.

Peggy turns and walks away.