Beyond the blackboard

-          Discuss Stacey’s first week at the school. How were The School With No Name and its students different from what she expected? What was her reaction to these differences?

Her first week was terrible for her because everything was a mess, and it was so different from the normal schools. The School With No Name was not the kind of place needed for that purpose; also, there were not the material Stacey needed in order to give the students a good place and environment to learn and to feel comfortable. Her students were far from the usually because they were homeless kids that lived in that place with their parents, and everyone has problems related to something that was damaging them. Because the students had a lot of familiar problems, they were rebels and did not pay attention to Stacey. She was shocked at the beginning because of these differences, but at the end she understood the kids and planned to help them in all the ways she could.

-          In the beginning of the film, Stacey said “School was a safe place in a glimpse of who I wanted to be.” How did her determination change the environment of the shelter school and her students?

Her determination changed the environment of the shelter school in a big and great way because she wanted it to be a safe place for the kids, and she fought for her goals in order to create a good rapport with the kids, their parents and all the people who was involved in that process. Also, she helped the students by bringing food for them because almost everyone did not have breakfast before school. When all the people in the shelter saw her determination and her good will, they began to help her to create a place in which their kids could learn easily.

-          Stacey tried to relate to her students by showing them a photo album of her family and talking about her life. The kids could not relate to her pictures and experiences. Why not?

It did not work because of the way in which the kids lived; this means that there were some social differences among Stacey and her students. The kids lived in a shelter, and they did not have enough resources to live in a comfortable way with the safety and security a home can bring. They lived in the poverty compared to Stacey.

-          Discuss some of the life circumstances of the students. What types of adversities did they face physically and emotionally? How did their poverty make learning more difficult?

The students face a lot of adversities, like alcoholism and violence; also, their parents could not provide them the necessary things for them to develop all their skills. The students did not have the opportunities that every kid needs, and even some of them did not have their both parents. Their poverty made learning more difficult because some of them did not have breakfast, were not able to go to school before and could not read or write.

-          The classroom initially came with almost no supplies and little support from school board officials and reluctant parents. Despite these challenges, Stacey Bess was able to create a warm, safe place for the children to learn. In addition, she was able to earn the support and respect of parents and administrators.

She was able to do it because of her determination and her will. Also, the administrators and the parents saw that she only wanted to create a good place for the kids’ learning, for she asked for help to every person in the shelter and the people who was involved or related to the school.

-          Resourcefulness is the ability to find a way to solve problems in a difficult situation. What creative solutions did Stacey find to transform The School With No Name? How did she overcome the lack of supplies, environmental distractions and other issues?

She found certain creative solutions like bringing food for the kids, and decorating the classroom like a real classroom. She, also, asked the parents to help her with the environment inside and outside the classroom. She overcame the lack of supplies, environmental distractions and other issues with determination, and she did all the things that she could in order to convince every person related to the school that they could create a safe place for the kids.

-          Poverty impacts people of all ages, races and backgrounds. The reasons for people being at the shelter are as different as each individual. What are some of the reasons for characters in the film coming to the shelter?

Some of the reasons where that some of the parents were alcoholics or drug addicts, some others did not have a job, and some of them could not read, so they did not have stable jobs.

-          The previous teacher placed “Shame names” on the board and played movies all day to keep the kids occupied. The students and parents were initially wary of Stacey because they thought she would be the same as her predecessor. What actions did she take to earn their trust? How did trust play a role in the school’s success?

She began doing the things differently, and she placed the kids before anything else in her priorities. Because she was doing the things for the kids, she earned the trust of the parents and the kids. Trust played a big role because when the parents, the kids and the administrators began trusting her, they began helping for the success of the school and for the kid’s learning.

-          Stacey talked to the children about respect. They began to share their experiences of when they encountered a lack of respect – from police, from a parent or from another person. The classroom could only be safe, calm and quiet place to learn if everyone showed respect for each other.

Respect is important for them because almost all the problems they had before were the ones that made them be who they were at that point. If students could share their bad experiences with the lack of respect, they were creating a good rapport with Stacey, and they would be able to feel safe and comfortable with all their classmates.

-          Discuss how respect or a lack of respect was shown in the film. Why is respect important in a school setting?

Respect is important in a school setting because when the kids respect the teacher and the opposite, the kids are going to be able to create a good rapport. This is so important because if there is a good rapport among students and the teacher, there is going to be a good environment controlled by the teacher but still having fun.

-          Stacey encourages the students to think of words to put on the board to describe their feelings. By giving these feelings names, the children were able to express themselves more clearly. What vocabulary words were used? Why were these words so important to the children?

Brave is the one we remember the most because if the story the little blonde girl told to her classmates. Those words were important because they could express themselves better, and they were able to begin create a good environment in the classroom. With all the stories, the kids learnt something about their classmates, and they were creating a relationship with each other.

-          Describe Stacey Bess.

Stacey Bess was a teacher from a school in a shelter; she was so interested in the kid’s learning that she fought for the things she wanted to do in order to create a good place for them to learn. She was a very determinate person with a big heart, and she loved her students so much. Her determination helps her to be a good role model, besides a good teacher, for the children.

-          What struck you about the movie?

The thing that struck us about the movie was Stacey’s determination to create a good environment in that kind of place for the kids; also, she wanted to help the kids without anything for her benefit. She was so focused on what she wanted for the kids that she faced a lot of adversities.

-          COOL-SCHOOL MODEL: What’s in a name? Why do you think the school did not have a name? Would the school have had an easier transition to success if it did have a name? What would you name the school? Imagine if you could build your own school. Build a model of your school using colors of markers. Now name your school! Explain your reasons to do so!!

The school did not have a name because no one was interested in the education of the kids and in making a good environment for them to learn. The school had had an easier transition to success if it had a name because the administrators and the parents would take it into consideration. I would name the school “Everyone can school” because everyone with a little chance to learn can do whatever he or she wanted to do with his/ her life, in order to become better people.

-          A MENTOR IN MY LIFE: In the film, Danny is encouraged by Stacey to be the best person he can be. She helps him to be a leader. In addition, she plans to hold him accountable to continued learning, by giving him a booklist each year he is eighteen. Stacey served as a mentor to Danny and he in turn mentored his classmates. Create the shape of the country you would like to visit in the future and describe someone who has been a mentor to you. You can use pictures from magazines, drawings and photos, and markers or paints to add color and detail.

Someone who has been a mentor to me is my dad because he always had inspired me to do my best in everything I do. Also, he says that if we do everything with passion, we are going to make it the best way possibly. When I am feeling frustrated, he always says that everything is going to get better.