Examines the effects of hate speech and bigotry on the lives of Muslim-Americans.
Day One
- Description
- Reviews
- Citation
- Cataloging
- Transcript
DAY ONE follows a group of teenage refugees from war-torn countries who are enrolled at a unique public school for refugees and immigrants-only in St. Louis, MO, where they are guided through an inspirational program of education, healing and trauma intervention by devoted educators, some of whom have chosen to relocate to the inner city to support their students.
Over the course of a year, we watch the kids progress through layers of grief and loss as they attend school, forge new friendships, and prepare to be mainstreamed into local public high schools. Their triumphs and tribulations all unfold with St. Louis as the backdrop: a rust-belt city that has taken the bold step of welcoming immigrants as a solution for their growing socio-economic problems.
'This is a truly inspiring film, with lessons for all of us - not only about what kind of society we can be but also about how we can and should guide and instruct students. It is a story of resilience and hope, told with warmth and compassion. A must-see for schools, libraries, civic organizations, as well as school boards and other elected officials.' David J. Harris, Managing Director, Charles Hamilton Houston Institute for Race and Justice, Harvard Law School
'A film everyone should see...Reveals the incredible courage and determination these young people have with the difficult challenge of learning to navigate in a new school environment and a new culture. At our school, the personal histories and the personal triumphs of our first generation students are too often invisible. Day One renders them visible.' Brian Jennings, English Teacher, Bosnian Studies, Affton School District
'Day One humanizes the modern national discussion of refugees coming to the United States. We see the trial and tribulations of refugees, with the help of dedicated educators, adjusting to life in the heartland of the United States. The film is a heartwarming antidote to the poisonous attacks on refugees and immigrants. As the newcomers adjust to life in St. Louis, they inspire the community that they join.' Kevin R. Johnson, Dean, UC Davis School of Law, Co-Editor, ImmigrationProf Blog, Co-Author, Opening the Floodgates? Why America Needs to Rethink Its Border and Immigration Laws
'Day One is proof that when a community comes together to educate, empower, and support our most vulnerable, then we become the best we can be. Thank you for this glimpse into a journey of struggle, hope, and perseverance for both the students and educators.' Susan Werremeyer, Community Advocate, Welcome Neighbor St. Louis
'An excellent tool to raise awareness and provide insight into the tumultuous first years of a refugee's placement in the U.S. By honing in on education, the film acquaints audience members with the unique perspectives of refugee children and school administrators, and it highlights the dedication and perseverance of both parties which facilitates the successful integration of newly arrived immigrants. Day One is a prime example of storytelling as education, outreach, activism and advocacy and it is a wonderful film to promote understanding and tolerance.' Ashley Faye, Development Director, Refugee Services of Texas
'Day One offers an insightful and moving look at the difficult journey refugees take in navigating the US educational system. This wonderful documentary takes us on an emotional roller-coaster ride with the new refugees as they sift through the excitement, grief and socioeconomic challenges of coming to a new land. Surrounded by hardworking and selfless individuals who provide a safe environment for learning and growth, the young refugees get a chance to start over and rebuild their shattered lives. This timely film provides an excellent springboard for classroom discussion; it allows students to see the world through the eyes of refugees and ask critical questions about our responsibilities as Americans to our fellow humans and migrants.' Joshua Landis, Director, Center of Middle East Studies and Arabic Flagship Program, University of Oklahoma
'The United States is at its best when it welcomes those who have been displaced by violence and strife, and St. Louis exemplifies this spirit in Day One, creating a space for young refugees to learn and heal. The humanity of the students and teachers shines from the screen and renews our faith in the promise of America.' Jorge Riopedre, President, Casa De Salud
'Amazing...It was eye opening to see the lives of refugees in St. Louis, and learn about how current policies are affecting those lives. It was the first film I have watched where the audience immediately stood up to see how they could help, and hopefully it will inspire action in many communities to come.' Matthew Padgett, Student, Washington University in St. Louis
'A film for all. The film educates the community and teaches the audience the importance of a community, the importance of diversity and the importance of working together. Together we can do amazing things and build a better future. The film creates awareness of various issues in many fields that may affect educators, humanitarians, advocates and mental health advocates...Day One was not only a heartfelt film but funny and educational.' Itzel Iniguez, Global Experiential Learning, University of Arizona
'As a physician who has had the opportunity to take care of refugee children, this inspiring documentary provides a vivid, moving and heartwarming story on the struggles and successes of this group of children. It's an exceptionally important film as it depicts a group of dedicated members of a school and community providing numerous educational and social opportunities to these children who are eager to be part of this country.' Dr. Blakeslee Noyes, MD, Professor and Interim Chair of Pediatrics, Saint Louis University, Director of Pulmonology, SSM Cardinal Glennon Children's Medical Center
'An amazing film that shows how lives can be impacted to overcome trauma and tragic starts to life by compassionate educators and people. Shows the good in humanity at several levels.' Scott E. Walker, President and CEO, Kingdom House
'Day One remind[s] me of the power of community and solidarity, especially as we strive to be of service to one another...[It] narrates and weaves together the hopes, challenges, aspirations, and social-cultural complexities of our immigrant and refugee sisters and brothers. The movie left me feeling grateful and hopeful.' Dr. F. Javier Orozco, OFS, PhD, Executive Director, Human Dignity and Intercultural Affairs, Archdiocese of St. Louis
'Day One brings humanity back into the focus. You will be inspired by a story about newcomers through the eyes of children, their families, and their support systems in a city that (like many metropolitan areas) has declined over the past decades, trying to find its way back through welcoming immigration and other strategies. Day One encourages all Americans to remember how they got here and to investigate their own American lineage and discover that their ancestors' story was not unlike the modern refugee story. Day One is step one to inspiration and hope that cities like St. Louis can and must create a better place for all.' Al Li, President, Asian American Chamber of Commerce of St. Louis
'Day One reminded me of my own adjustment as a young immigrant in the United States and the challenges my own family faced...By coming together and working together we can and do make a difference...I believe that our city and region becomes stronger when our community is diverse and inclusive.' Gabriela Ramirez-Arellano, Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan St. Louis
'This film reminds us of the beginning hardships and struggles of being immigrants in this country...Their stories inspire us to be appreciative for our fortunate life and to be supportive for the struggling new refugees and new immigrants in this country.' Lucy Burns, President, OCA St. Louis (An Asian American Advocacy Group)
'A remarkable view of what a welcoming community does to serve the children of refugee and immigrant families. The dedication of the teachers, the vulnerability of the students, and the predicament of their young lives is so poignantly captured...It is a film that should be widely shared, especially now when fear of the 'Other' seems magnified throughout the country.' Dr. Frances Levine, President and CEO, Missouri Historical Society
'Educative and inspiring. [I hope] the message will reach every household in America to enlighten people of the story behind refugees.' Geoffrey Soyiantet, President and Executive Director, Vitendo 4 Africa
'The film would seem to suggest that 'our nation's moral moment is upon us.' Do we have the capacity to fiercely love in the way that honors the Beloved Community that Dr. Martin Luther King so vividly envisioned from his mountaintop? Day One answers that question and many others.' Brian W. Thomas, Assistant Head of School, Mary Institute and Saint Louis Country Day School
'Day One contains life lessons that everyone can relate to at some level, and as an educator of foreign languages, the cultural connections and stories that are told weave a tapestry of human experience that is accessible and interesting to my students. They understand and value their own heritage better by glimpsing through the lens of the brave refugees in the film.' Patrick Huewe, Chair of World Languages, Mary Institute and Saint Louis Country Day School
'A very powerful film. It is beautiful and yet challenging. It clearly illustrates the diversity of backgrounds in St. Louis and the complexities this richness gives our educational system. I think it will be well received by all age audiences and especially college students.' Edward Macias, Provost Emeritus, Washington University in St. Louis
'I am empowered and compelled by this movie to continue to advocate for equity in education for refugee students. It was such an honor to be a part of this phenomenal movie.' Donnie Harris, Former Principal NCNAA, Director of Higher Education Consortium TRIO Educational Talent Search
'A powerful learning experience for our school community...The film refreshed our understanding of the power of schools to make a difference in students' lives. [Day One] encourages generosity and compassion for refugees at a time when some of our leaders stoke self-interest and fear.' Frank Kovarik, English Department Chair, Director of Equity and Inclusion, St. Louis University High School
'A remarkable documentary. It should be viewed by all school districts in the country...Thank you for your work in helping people understand the English learners, not only in the in the city of St. Louis, but all students coming to a new country. Great work!' Julie Hahn, 2018 Counselor Advocate/Administrator of the Year, Ritenour School District
'Viewing Day One was both awe-inspiring and challenging...I am in awe of the brave students attending Nahed Chapman New American Academy, many of whom are simultaneously learning a new language and culture while also dealing with their traumatic past experiences. I am challenged to more intentionally teach my students about the importance of empathy and compassion, as well as to show them all that we have to learn from the diverse immigrant community in our own city.' Christy Keating, Spanish Teacher, Parkway Central High School
'The City of St. Louis has a long and strong history of welcoming immigrants and refugees. Because of this, it has strengthened the diversity and richness of our city and community, both culturally and economically. Day One illustrates how St. Louis has and will continue to embrace those who come to our city to seek refuge and find a new life. It also shows how our community of institutions and individuals will be there to address the challenges, to support them and to be welcoming. We hope other cities and communities will be able to view Day One and empathize with the unique struggles some of our neighbors face on a daily basis.' Mayor Lyda Krewson, City of St. Louis
'Day One inspires us to be welcoming to newcomers...All communities that aspire to grow through diversity can learn from this documentary.' Betsy Cohen, Executive Director, St. Louis Mosaic Project
'I thought immediately about the impact and new lens views that my undergraduate nursing students would have if I used the film in my Population Health course. The messaging on how to approach all persons in a trauma...would be an enormous lesson in planning and executing health literacy programs in diverse communities. The film also brought to life the extraordinary strength and resilience of the human spirit that cannot be found in a text book.' Dr. Kathleen Thimsen, Assistant Professor, Goldfarb School of Nursing, Barnes Jewish College
'Impactful...Tells a much-needed and important story especially now, during this time of anti-immigrant, anti-Muslim rhetoric. The school and children are located in St. Louis, Missouri, but their stories are relevant in Minneapolis, Boston, and anywhere else that refugees are resettling.' Anna E. Crosslin, President and CEO, International Institute of St. Louis
'Day One does a great job capturing the struggles faced by many young students who have been resettled in the United States - language barrier, educational access, coping with trauma, overcoming systemic obstacles, and searching for a sense of belonging. The film not only discusses the realities of the education system in Saint Louis but is a fantastic educational opportunity for all those in the audience.' Shannon Elder, Development Manager, GirlForward (Austin)
'The stories told are inspirational and even, at the end, triumphant. We see friendships made, school lessons learned - and past traumas overcome...You can't help but be inspired by Day One. It's a story of truly good people doing truly good work.' Daniel Neman, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
'The audience for the screening I attended was the more diverse in race and age than other films I attended. The film offered insight into a lesser known St. Louis community while treating its members with respect and individuality.' Christy Gray, Executive Director, Whitaker Foundation
'Day One not only takes us along on their educational journey; it offers a glimpse into the various conflicts across the globe that have caused their forced migration and gives us insights into their dedicated teachers' lives as well as St. Louis' class dynamics and racial history. Perfect for courses on forced migration and refugee resettlement as well as communities interested in learning about those issues, the film fills in important gaps in our general knowledge...This is a beautiful and engrossing film that covers so much without losing its focus.' Dr. Diya Abdo, Associate Professor of English, Guilford College, Founder/Director, Every Campus A Refuge
'Day One brings us the nuanced human stories behind the broad category of 'refugees' and shows specifically how schools can provide a 'soft landing for refugees.' At a time when harsh policies and harsher rhetoric have halved the numbers of refugees finding homes in the U.S., this important film gives credence to the idea that schools can indeed set refugee children up to thrive in their new home country.' Deborah Cunningham, Senior Program Director, Primary Source
'The narrative feels like a soft quilt, with pieces collected from fragments of war-torn lives, new-found friendships, and brave efforts to turn deficits into assets from refugee camps to a newcomers' school in St. Louis, MO. This is a truly multi-layered collage of humanity against a hard backdrop of desperate immigration policies, bigotry and violence. The film highlights the hopes and fears shared by teachers and students in a transition high school in inner-city America as they re-write the present while untangling the threads of the past and the uncertainties of the future of young refugees. This film is a looked-for resource for educators trying to make sense of the dichotomies of nationalism and globalism within their own politically divided neighborhoods.' Dr. Flavia Ramos-Mattoussi, Senior Research Associate, Learning Systems Institute, Florida State University
'Recommended...Engaging...There are many layers to the film that make for great discussion in and out of the classroom. Some of the film's themes include the mental health, globalization, precarity, and social justice. The film has a wide-reaching appeal and would support curriculum in a variety of social science programs at colleges and universities...A great addition to library collections.' Brandon West, State University of New York at Geneseo, Educational Media Reviews Online
Citation
Main credits
Miller, Lori (film director)
Miller, Lori (film producer)
O'Connell, Brian (director of photography)
O'Connell, Brian (film producer)
Other credits
Director of photography, Brian O'Connell; editor, David Beerman; composers, Tom Howe, Mike Reed.
Distributor subjects
African Studies; Anthropology; At-risk Youth; Community; ESL; Education; Global Issues; Health; Human Rights; Immigration; Language Arts; Mental Health; Middle Eastern Studies; Migration and Refugees; Multicultural Studies; Political Science; Poverty; Psychology; Social Justice; Social Psychology; Sociology; SpiritualityKeywords
[00:00:20.04]
- Good morning NCNAA Globetrotters!
[00:00:27.04]
- Let's say it one more time!
[00:00:29.02]
Good morning, NCNAA Globetrotters!
[00:00:37.00]
Wow, thank you, what a
pleasant greeting this morning.
[00:00:40.07]
Also, I wanna say good morning
[00:00:43.03]
to our world champion teachers!
[00:00:46.03]
Good morning, world champion teachers!
[00:00:48.07]
- [Students] Good morning,
world champion teachers!
[00:00:52.04]
- Raise your hand if you know why
[00:00:54.01]
we don't have school tomorrow.
[00:00:56.05]
Who can tell me why we
don't have school tomorrow?
[00:00:59.07]
A.B.!
[00:01:01.04]
It's a holiday, it's called Good Friday.
[00:01:06.03]
And Good Friday is a
Christian holiday, OK?
[00:01:11.02]
So remember, we have
different religions here,
[00:01:15.01]
but we celebrate all of them, OK?
[00:01:19.03]
- Our student body is 100% immigrant
[00:01:21.06]
and/or refugee students.
[00:01:23.03]
They come from all over the world.
[00:01:25.08]
- We have found children
who need dental work.
[00:01:28.02]
We have found people who need counseling.
[00:01:29.09]
We have found people
who really are hungry.
[00:01:33.07]
- Most of these kids are
coming out of refugee camps,
[00:01:36.04]
they're traumatized, they are
learning a brand new language,
[00:01:39.09]
they're learning a new culture.
[00:01:41.06]
- Vision first.
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I pledge allegiance to the flag
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of the United States of America.
[00:02:02.03]
[uplifting piano music]
[00:02:05.05]
I know that the journey
here was difficult,
[00:02:08.04]
so when they come here I
want them to feel welcome.
[00:02:11.04]
I want them to feel the
potential that they have
[00:02:15.03]
to make a better life for themselves.
[00:02:19.09]
[uplifting orchestral music]
[00:02:38.07]
- 100% of our students are
newcomers to the United States.
[00:02:42.02]
At this point, we have about 56
[00:02:44.04]
different languages represented.
[00:02:47.00]
- We really spend a lot of time
[00:02:48.07]
getting to know them personally,
hearing their stories
[00:02:51.00]
and learning about their
educational background.
[00:02:53.07]
We are doing some pretty
good testing to find out
[00:02:56.02]
where their proficiency levels
are and what their needs are.
[00:02:58.06]
And we are receiving them with open arms,
[00:03:01.04]
and we're helping them to heal.
[00:03:03.02]
Stella, what are you writing?
[00:03:04.03]
OK, so let's see if we can
find one that starts with 'M'?
[00:03:07.04]
- M?
[00:03:08.02]
- OK, so look around, do
you see a word with 'm'?
[00:03:11.03]
That's right, so this is Morocco.
[00:03:14.03]
And you can look on the posters here, too.
[00:03:16.00]
So this is a poster, and
here are country names also.
[00:03:19.05]
Do you see these?
[00:03:20.04]
- Yeah.
[00:03:21.03]
- OK, there's one.
[00:03:22.01]
- I give up alot of lunch time
[00:03:23.06]
to spend one-on-one time with kids.
[00:03:26.01]
"Miss Ritchie, I need
a little extra help."
[00:03:27.06]
"Can you show me this? I
didn't quite understand it."
[00:03:29.05]
"Will you listen to me read this to you?"
[00:03:31.03]
"Will you correct my pronunciation?"
[00:03:33.09]
We're going to class six, guys, class six.
[00:03:43.01]
- They're not camera shy, are they?
[00:03:47.07]
No, my sons.
[00:03:49.05]
I had school, I-- my sons are grown.
[00:03:51.08]
I may have a coat for you at home.
[00:03:55.04]
OK.
[00:03:56.03]
I didn't really know that I
would get a chance to work
[00:03:59.04]
with people from all over the
world right here in St. Louis.
[00:04:02.00]
And so it opened my eyes to diversity
[00:04:05.00]
and the beauty of all people.
[00:04:07.01]
It's been so rewarding for me to work
[00:04:10.01]
with this particular group of students.
[00:04:12.05]
It's not a job, it's my calling.
[00:04:16.00]
It's my purpose.
[00:04:18.02]
It's not a job.
[00:04:27.01]
[barge horn blaring]
[00:04:31.05]
- My highest English One
students, I challenge them
[00:04:34.05]
to do this writing project,
and we start with writing
[00:04:37.04]
their own story, because it's
familiar and it's something
[00:04:40.04]
that they can easily
recall and write about.
[00:04:43.04]
It's just hard to write a paragraph
[00:04:45.01]
about something that's
just out of context.
[00:04:48.02]
"My dad was a professional
soccer goalie and a taxi driver.
[00:04:52.09]
"My mom was a homemaker, and
my uncle's family was nearby."
[00:04:56.06]
"Two adjectives to
describe my entire family
[00:04:58.09]
"are big and loud."
[00:05:00.05]
"One day a decision was
to leave my country.
[00:05:03.06]
"I was living in Syria.
[00:05:05.02]
"My dad told me, and he said
we have to leave the country.
[00:05:08.05]
"The decision was made
because there was war,
[00:05:10.07]
"fighting in my city.
[00:05:12.01]
"It was not safe to live there.
[00:05:13.08]
"We rode bus, car, and
we walked for some hours.
[00:05:18.03]
"We went to Iraq.
[00:05:20.00]
"I remember all my bad days.
[00:05:22.04]
"Then we brought only our
clothes and some special things
[00:05:25.00]
"like a phone and watches.
[00:05:26.07]
"I left behind my school, my
relatives, and my memories."
[00:05:32.00]
[machine guns firing]
[00:06:23.06]
- For refugees, we refer to
them as "reluctant immigrants,"
[00:06:26.09]
because they haven't chosen
to come to the United States,
[00:06:30.04]
they didn't choose to leave their homes.
[00:06:31.09]
They had to leave.
[00:06:32.07]
It was either remain and be
persecuted or possibly die,
[00:06:36.05]
or escape, which was many times
done under the dead of night
[00:06:39.05]
and with only the clothes on their backs.
[00:06:42.03]
These are people who were forgotten.
[00:06:45.04]
Some of them had been
what we call "warehoused."
[00:06:47.06]
For them, it's a wonderful thing
[00:06:49.00]
to be able to come over
here and get a chance,
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have a chance to start over again.
[00:07:36.03]
- Some of our students have reported--
[00:07:38.06]
the young boys have been boy soldiers,
[00:07:41.00]
and a lot of them were
very traumatized by it.
[00:07:44.02]
It's almost like their
childhood was taken.
[00:07:47.01]
When you see them interact
with other kids their age,
[00:07:49.03]
you see that there's
a very big difference.
[00:07:52.02]
Once they've been a man in their country,
[00:07:54.01]
it's hard to go back to
being a 10-year-old boy.
[00:07:57.03]
- I had one student, I was saying, y'know,
[00:07:59.08]
"You need to go to class,
get to class on time,"
[00:08:02.08]
and he was kind of
refusing to do something.
[00:08:04.09]
And he didn't speak good English,
[00:08:06.00]
but he said something about "machete."
[00:08:09.00]
"Even if you get a machete,
I'm not going to do that."
[00:08:13.00]
And so I said, "What?"
[00:08:14.03]
And so I just kind of
talked to him and said,
[00:08:15.07]
"What's a machete?"
[00:08:16.06]
I said, "I would never do that.
[00:08:19.03]
"I care about you, there
are no machetes here."
[00:08:22.03]
And he just totally turned around
[00:08:24.02]
and did exactly what I asked him.
[00:08:26.02]
[muffled voice over intercom]
[00:08:27.07]
- Or you can plus or minus?
[00:08:29.05]
- [Students] Plus.
[00:08:30.07]
- Plus, what is the next thing?
[00:09:36.01]
[downbeat instrumental music]
[00:09:41.09]
- As more and more refugees
trying to leave the Middle East
[00:09:44.06]
for Europe, their plight
has caught the attention
[00:09:46.09]
of many here in St. Louis.
[00:09:48.07]
- On Sunday, organizers
held a rally and march
[00:09:50.07]
in the Delmar Loop to push the idea
[00:09:52.09]
of bringing Syrian refugees
right here to St. Louis.
[00:09:55.08]
News 4's Courtney Bryant
was at that rally.
[00:09:58.04]
- [Crowd] Bring them here!
[00:09:59.04]
Bring them here!
[00:10:01.00]
Bring them here!
[00:10:02.06]
Bring them here!
[00:10:04.00]
Bring them here!
[00:10:07.00]
[children shouting]
[00:10:15.08]
[muffled chatter]
[00:10:18.09]
- It's a place where you
can catch your breath.
[00:10:21.04]
It's a place where there
is a sense of refuge,
[00:10:24.06]
where it is safe, where you feel validated
[00:10:28.05]
and culturally equal.
[00:10:33.07]
- Nahed Chapman felt that there
was a need to immerse them
[00:10:36.06]
in English and try to
bridge that gap more quickly
[00:10:39.09]
than when they go to a regular school
[00:10:41.03]
and they're just in a pullout program
[00:10:43.04]
for, you know-- you get pulled
out for 45 minutes a day
[00:10:46.04]
as opposed to being surrounded
with certified ESL teachers
[00:10:50.04]
that are able to help them
access the curriculum.
[00:10:53.08]
- And you're going to have
to describe your drug.
[00:10:56.09]
How it's used, the slang
names, what it looks like.
[00:11:01.02]
Does that mean your
spelling has to be perfect?
[00:11:03.01]
- Yes.
- No.
[00:11:04.00]
- Yes.
[00:11:04.08]
- It doesn't have to be perfect.
[00:11:06.01]
As long as I can read it and
it's not hard or impossible,
[00:11:11.09]
I'll give you your five.
[00:11:13.03]
Moving down.
[00:11:14.01]
- What these kids needed to be successful
[00:11:15.08]
was not to be thrown out into the masses,
[00:11:18.03]
but to first have a soft place to land.
[00:11:23.02]
[children shouting]
[00:12:02.07]
- What makes someone wise?
[00:12:04.05]
Because they have wisdom.
[00:12:05.08]
What is wisdom?
[00:12:06.07]
- [Student] What's wisdom mean?
[00:12:08.08]
- It's finished, [speaks
foreign language].
[00:12:10.06]
Did you learn something today?
[00:12:11.08]
- [Students] Yes.
[00:12:12.07]
- Did you become wiser?
[00:12:14.00]
- [Students] Yeah.
[00:12:14.08]
- Yes, we do every day, right?
[00:12:16.09]
As we get older, as we
grow up, we get wiser,
[00:12:20.04]
we get more experience,
we get more knowledge.
[00:12:24.06]
We have good judgment, or
we learn to make decisions.
[00:12:48.02]
[children shouting and chatting]
[00:12:53.01]
- So I asked the students, well,
[00:12:54.06]
would they like to make
this school more like home?
[00:12:57.06]
And they told me they wanted a garden.
[00:13:00.09]
Gardening is a great, therapeutic
way to relieve stress.
[00:13:06.00]
A lot of our students suffer from traumas
[00:13:08.07]
and just being able to put
their hands in the soil
[00:13:11.04]
and to dig and connect with
nature is an awesome way
[00:13:15.02]
to take their minds off of things
[00:13:17.09]
that may be going on with them.
[00:13:21.00]
- We offer a variety of food
for the students to consume,
[00:13:24.07]
but we have beans and rice every day
[00:13:26.07]
because that's an international food.
[00:13:29.02]
And some students will
just get beans and rice,
[00:13:31.06]
salad and fruit.
[00:13:32.08]
Some don't eat any meat.
[00:13:34.09]
This group is the world champion cooks.
[00:13:37.09]
And they provide a
wonderful, nutritious meal
[00:13:42.02]
as you can see the fresh produce.
[00:13:43.09]
They're hand cutting it,
it's not coming out of a bag.
[00:13:47.06]
- I love this school.
[00:13:48.06]
[laughing]
[00:13:49.05]
I love my people.
[00:14:04.06]
- For the most part, our
kids like coming to school,
[00:14:07.08]
even if it's just, it's something to do.
[00:14:10.00]
They don't have any
recreational or fun time.
[00:14:12.09]
Their friends are here.
[00:14:14.01]
They get to eat here.
[00:14:15.03]
They have fun here, they
have teachers that care.
[00:14:17.06]
They're safe.
[00:14:22.01]
- And have you gotten
any mail about your I-94
[00:14:25.03]
and when-- I mean your green card,
[00:14:26.09]
and when you'll be
receiving your green card?
[00:14:31.04]
And when you met with Sajada last time,
[00:14:33.06]
did she talk with you at
all about your green card?
[00:14:40.06]
- Well, since Harun is an
adult and he's unaccompanied,
[00:14:43.07]
he often needs assistance
with figuring out
[00:14:47.02]
how to be in the adult
world in the United States.
[00:14:50.03]
He last year was homeless,
and so he started using
[00:14:54.00]
our address as his permanent address.
[00:14:56.05]
And so he gets a lot
of his documents here,
[00:14:58.07]
so he and I go over them
together and figure out
[00:15:01.03]
kind of what next steps he needs to take.
[00:15:26.05]
- And then Harun is just
an extraordinary young man,
[00:15:29.05]
so a lot of people in
this school are working
[00:15:32.09]
to help him be successful.
[00:15:34.09]
- Thank you.
[00:15:36.08]
[upbeat dance music]
[00:17:36.06]
- [Reporter] As supporters
waited in line to hear
[00:17:38.05]
Donald Trump speak
tonight in South Carolina,
[00:17:41.02]
word started to spread
about his latest idea--
[00:17:44.02]
banning all Muslims from entering the U.S.
[00:17:46.05]
- He's not saying
screening, he's just saying
[00:17:48.05]
no Muslims should be allowed
to enter the country right now.
[00:17:51.05]
Do you agree?
[00:17:52.05]
Yes or no, it's that simple.
[00:17:56.00]
- Yes.
[00:17:58.09]
- First thing I do is
I turn on the lights,
[00:18:01.05]
because this overhead
light can be pretty harsh,
[00:18:03.08]
and especially with kids
who have experienced trauma,
[00:18:07.00]
things like that.
[00:18:07.09]
And then I've got my noise machine
[00:18:09.02]
that I always turn on to cancel out stuff.
[00:18:11.02]
And then turn off the harsh lights,
[00:18:13.04]
and then we have a little bit
more of a zen environment.
[00:18:15.09]
This ball is really good,
especially for my kiddos
[00:18:18.05]
that check out or maybe
aren't necessarily grounded.
[00:18:21.02]
And I'll usually try
to catch them off guard
[00:18:23.04]
and toss it at them, to
kind of bring them back
[00:18:25.09]
into the present moment to catch it.
[00:18:27.09]
I'll meet with a child,
build that relationship,
[00:18:30.01]
and then from there I sort of
determine where they're at.
[00:18:32.04]
Good.
[00:18:33.02]
We use two different
types of interventions.
[00:18:34.08]
We use somatic-based interventions,
[00:18:36.07]
like movement-based things.
[00:18:38.03]
You see all these crazy balls around here.
[00:18:40.01]
Different activities to
help their bodies process
[00:18:42.08]
what's happened through movement.
[00:18:44.07]
We'll use TheraTappers,
these guys are really good.
[00:18:47.04]
And that's going to be
sort of that integral piece
[00:18:49.00]
for doing EMDR, when we're
reprocessing a traumatic memory.
[00:18:53.02]
I want them to be able
to make a lot of choices
[00:18:56.01]
and have that sense of control
over their environment.
[00:18:59.03]
So when they're in here, they
get to make all the choices.
[00:19:01.07]
I will never make them do something
[00:19:03.06]
they're not comfortable with.
[00:19:06.08]
Just bearing witness to
what they've experienced,
[00:19:09.06]
it makes you understand your privilege
[00:19:11.05]
that you have every day.
[00:19:14.08]
To be able to hear these stories,
[00:19:16.06]
and to be able to be with these families
[00:19:18.03]
and get to know these families
[00:19:19.06]
is for me such an honor.
[00:19:25.01]
- I think a lot of these kids,
[00:19:26.06]
they will get lost in the cracks.
[00:19:29.02]
We've seen it with our
refugees in the past
[00:19:32.05]
before we had this program.
[00:19:34.05]
A large percentage of them would drop out.
[00:19:37.04]
A large percentage of them
[00:19:39.05]
had a lot of discipline
problems at school.
[00:19:42.02]
And when you don't
understand the language,
[00:19:43.08]
when you don't understand the content,
[00:19:46.02]
when you don't know how
to be in a formal school,
[00:19:49.03]
that creates the potential for
a lot of discipline issues.
[00:19:53.08]
So we had kids not only
drop out but get expelled,
[00:19:56.05]
be suspended, just because
they had not had teachers
[00:20:02.01]
and a place to get them acclimated
to being in school here.
[00:20:08.04]
- They're coming from a place
[00:20:09.06]
where they were in refugee
camps and they have to fight
[00:20:13.08]
to get their food, they have
to be first to get their food.
[00:20:16.03]
So that manifests itself in the lunchroom,
[00:20:19.02]
because they wanna be first in line.
[00:20:21.04]
That manifests itself at the bus,
[00:20:23.04]
because they have to be first on the bus.
[00:20:25.07]
That mentality, "I have to be first,
[00:20:27.02]
"because that's how I was safe."
[00:20:29.06]
And it's a daily struggle,
because these kids,
[00:20:31.07]
they have to feel that safety.
[00:20:33.03]
And until that happens,
it's hard to do much more.
[00:20:37.09]
- When they're coming in,
[00:20:38.08]
there are so many different
factors to consider.
[00:20:40.08]
Every target behavior is different.
[00:20:42.07]
Triggers.
[00:20:43.06]
It could be the sound of the alarms,
[00:20:45.07]
which might remind them
of a catastrophic event
[00:20:48.09]
in their country.
[00:20:50.07]
One child in particular
that I was talking about
[00:20:53.01]
that was having extreme behavior issues,
[00:20:55.02]
he came in and very, very quiet.
[00:20:58.02]
Very, very quiet.
[00:20:59.01]
- This is also the same
kid who exposed himself
[00:21:01.03]
to his class for a semester.
[00:21:03.07]
- Yes, that's what he was--
[00:21:04.08]
that was another behavior he
was doing at the beginning.
[00:21:07.02]
And he's still doing that?
[00:21:08.03]
- He did that at the
beginning of the year.
[00:21:09.06]
- Oh.
[00:21:10.06]
- But I also feel like he's
acting up just to the point
[00:21:14.05]
where, like, he knows he's
not going to get put out.
[00:21:16.08]
- Mm-hmm, because he knows
this is a newcomer school
[00:21:18.06]
and our tolerance is bigger.
[00:21:21.00]
- So I'm wondering if he's
going to figure that out
[00:21:22.03]
when he goes to--
[00:21:23.02]
- He's gonna test the
waters just a little,
[00:21:24.08]
but not to get suspended or kicked out.
[00:21:29.04]
- Gentlemen, gentlemen.
[00:21:32.07]
- In English?
[00:21:33.07]
- We're all sitting here together
[00:21:35.03]
- Yeah.
- at the same table.
[00:21:36.07]
- Yeah.
[00:21:39.02]
- Language?
[00:21:40.01]
- Somali.
- Somali.
[00:21:41.05]
Language?
[00:21:42.03]
- Spanish.
- Spanish.
[00:21:43.09]
You guys, three of you
are speaking Somali.
[00:21:46.06]
You're speaking Spanish.
[00:21:48.06]
- Yup.
- Mm-hmm.
[00:21:49.04]
- Why can't we be inclusive?
[00:21:51.04]
What language do we speak
where everyone will understand?
[00:21:54.06]
- [Students] English.
[00:21:55.09]
- English.
[00:21:57.02]
The thing is getting
the different cultures
[00:21:59.02]
to have a unified base.
[00:22:03.06]
And sometimes they do
come with already, um,
[00:22:08.01]
isms that they learned
in their own countries
[00:22:10.09]
against people that don't look like them.
[00:22:13.09]
I just want you guys to
practice more of your English--
[00:22:16.04]
even socially, when you're
just talking with each other--
[00:22:19.01]
and feel comfortable to
sit together at lunch
[00:22:22.01]
and not all Somali at one table,
[00:22:24.07]
and all Spanish.
[00:22:26.08]
- If we communicate-- I know
you have lunch detention.
[00:22:29.05]
[laughing]
[00:22:31.06]
- You're all good students, OK?
[00:22:32.09]
Let's get to class.
[00:22:33.07]
Where you going, where you going?
[00:22:34.07]
So I can walk you.
[00:22:37.05]
What about you?
[00:22:41.00]
- I was walking down the hall
[00:22:42.02]
and a teacher pulled me
to the side to tell me
[00:22:44.04]
that I needed to speak to Harun
along with another student.
[00:22:47.04]
I guess they had an outburst in class,
[00:22:48.09]
which is really unusual for Harun.
[00:22:51.02]
He's one of our model students, actually,
[00:22:53.01]
so that never happens.
[00:22:54.09]
I don't know what he said or did,
[00:22:56.02]
but another young lady thought
he was talking about her,
[00:22:59.01]
and so she turned around
and whacked him with a book.
[00:23:02.04]
And so I guess he turned
around and swatted her,
[00:23:04.02]
and so the teacher's like,
[00:23:05.02]
"Oh no, you guys have
to get out the class."
[00:23:07.02]
So once they came in here
and talked to me about it,
[00:23:09.02]
it was just a misunderstanding.
[00:23:10.03]
They were all just excited,
[00:23:11.05]
but she thought Harun
said something about her.
[00:23:13.05]
And so I would've been surprised
[00:23:15.02]
if he really did something to upset her.
[00:23:17.07]
So it's great that it
turned out the way it did.
[00:23:20.09]
Lots of girls have a crush on Harun.
[00:23:23.01]
He's a great guy.
[00:23:28.00]
[gentle piano music]
[00:23:33.01]
- We intentionally moved
into the city of St. Louis
[00:23:35.09]
to live where the fatherless live.
[00:23:38.02]
It's more than 90?rican-American,
[00:23:41.07]
and the other 10% are refugees,
[00:23:43.07]
and I ended up moving into the community
[00:23:45.03]
where my students live.
[00:23:47.02]
- That's what kind of entered us in
[00:23:49.01]
without us fully knowing what
the neighborhood was like,
[00:23:51.01]
other than there was lots of
crime and lots of gunfire.
[00:23:53.02]
- We heard a statistic when
we first moved down here
[00:23:55.01]
that close to 90% of the
kids in this neighborhood
[00:23:58.08]
barely know their fathers.
[00:24:00.02]
They're not in a relationship with them,
[00:24:01.06]
and if they do know them
[00:24:02.07]
it's "I know who he is but he's
just not a part of my life."
[00:24:06.04]
- They use the word in
our neighborhood, "stay,"
[00:24:08.00]
because they're constantly moving.
[00:24:10.01]
I lived in Bridgewater.
[00:24:11.07]
I grew up-- y'know, I've never
even used the word "stay"
[00:24:14.02]
in terms of where I was.
[00:24:15.05]
I mean I "stay" at a hotel,
[00:24:17.03]
but I never "stay" in a home.
[00:24:19.02]
- They stay on this street,
[00:24:20.04]
or they stay in this part of town.
[00:24:23.00]
And it lends itself to think,
[00:24:25.01]
"Well I can move at any
moment, I might need to."
[00:24:27.08]
- Right.
[00:24:29.00]
- Who's buried over here?
[00:24:31.03]
- Finley.
[00:24:32.03]
- Finley our dog, yeah.
[00:24:34.03]
- He died from crossing the road.
[00:24:37.06]
- So this is an old
Catholic church, St. Rose.
[00:24:40.01]
This one and a couple other
churches in the neighborhood
[00:24:42.01]
were Catholic until the '60s,
[00:24:43.06]
and then when a lot of
people left the area--
[00:24:45.07]
parishioners or congregants went down
[00:24:47.04]
and they didn't have a lot of money,
[00:24:48.04]
so they started selling off buildings.
[00:24:49.09]
- So directly behind us
is a home that at one time
[00:24:52.06]
was for people who were
working in this church,
[00:24:55.08]
and now it's our
understanding that it's a home
[00:24:58.03]
for women that are in drug recovery.
[00:25:00.03]
[dog barking]
[00:25:01.06]
This home is about six blocks
from a pretty major street
[00:25:05.05]
in St. Louis, and this
street has a reputation
[00:25:09.03]
of being a divide in our
city between the wealthy
[00:25:12.09]
and the not so wealthy.
[00:25:15.00]
It's called the Delmar Divide.
[00:25:16.08]
We're on the north side of that.
[00:25:18.06]
The average income the last time I checked
[00:25:20.04]
in this neighborhood is
about $22,000 a year.
[00:25:23.04]
A third of the properties in
this part of town are vacant.
[00:25:31.00]
- I was born in Greenwood, Mississippi,
[00:25:33.08]
to an unwed 17-year-old mom
[00:25:37.07]
who lived in a family that
already had 10 children.
[00:25:41.07]
And then my mom asked my
biological mom, she said,
[00:25:45.04]
"Virgie, let me take the baby home
[00:25:47.03]
"and keep her for the summer."
[00:25:48.09]
And she said, "OK," so
then I never came home.
[00:25:53.09]
I grew up St. Louis public schools,
[00:25:56.01]
all-black elementary school, K through 8,
[00:25:58.06]
all-black high school, I
was in a black neighborhood.
[00:26:02.04]
The neighborhood was so clean,
we used to play in the alley.
[00:26:05.05]
The alleys were just that
clean because people cared
[00:26:08.04]
and those values were taught, y'know,
[00:26:10.02]
"Pick up your paper, don't
walk all over the grass."
[00:26:15.00]
This is Farragut Elementary School.
[00:26:16.07]
This was my very first school.
[00:26:19.00]
I could name every
elementary teacher I had.
[00:26:22.07]
That's how impactful they were on my life.
[00:26:26.07]
I can start with kindergarten
and name every teacher I had.
[00:26:29.08]
I don't think you wanna hear all that,
[00:26:31.04]
but I can do it [laughs].
[00:26:35.01]
- [News Anchor] This is
the future of public school
[00:26:37.00]
in the Sadr Fasor neighborhood.
[00:26:39.04]
1,400 students are packed
into these classrooms.
[00:27:22.01]
[melancholy piano music]
[00:29:21.05]
- If your soil is welcoming,
the seeds will come
[00:29:24.00]
and they will flourish.
[00:29:25.04]
We have gone from being the 10th largest
[00:29:27.04]
major metropolitan area in the country,
[00:29:29.02]
and now we are at 20th.
[00:29:30.05]
The city of St. Louis at the
core had gone from 850,000
[00:29:35.05]
right after World War II,
and now it's at 316,000.
[00:29:39.08]
There was research done
in 2012 by a professor
[00:29:42.08]
at St. Louis University,
and it showed that we have
[00:29:45.02]
less than 5% foreign-born people.
[00:29:48.01]
And as part of that study,
[00:29:49.04]
it showed that we were missing
economic and cultural growth.
[00:29:53.02]
Whether they are coming to
our universities academically
[00:29:55.04]
or if they're coming as refugees,
[00:29:56.09]
they are part of the
rejuvenation of our city.
[00:29:59.08]
- One of the challenges
that we have right now
[00:30:01.05]
is that the economy in St. Louis
[00:30:03.03]
is actually starting to pick up.
[00:30:04.07]
We moved into the recession
slower than other areas
[00:30:08.08]
of the country did, but
it has taken us longer
[00:30:11.05]
to come out of it.
[00:30:12.09]
So my employment department,
for instance, is telling me
[00:30:15.09]
that they have more people
calling and looking for people
[00:30:19.08]
to fill jobs than we
necessarily have available.
[00:30:25.02]
- We need people,
[00:30:26.02]
and we wanna be really a
growing dynamic region.
[00:30:30.08]
The biggest question
that we get is, y'know,
[00:30:33.02]
"Are they taking our jobs?"
[00:30:35.01]
People sometimes think that
refugees are uneducated
[00:30:38.02]
and they're needy, and what we explain
[00:30:40.09]
is that foreign-born
people are entrepreneurs.
[00:30:44.01]
They start high-tech businesses,
[00:30:45.08]
they start neighborhood businesses.
[00:30:47.05]
For example, one of our
entrepreneurs came from Malaysia.
[00:30:50.04]
He started a chain of yogurt
stores, hires 44 people.
[00:30:54.03]
People say, "Well, can't
you put one of them
[00:30:55.08]
in my neighborhood?"
[00:30:56.07]
And so all of a sudden people
see what's in it for them.
[00:30:58.08]
It's not just helping
him, but he's helping us.
[00:31:02.06]
Refugees come with legal ability to work
[00:31:05.02]
right from the start, and
because they need to start
[00:31:07.04]
paying back their
airfare for their family,
[00:31:09.04]
they need to start
earning money right away.
[00:31:12.00]
The services that our
country provides to them
[00:31:15.00]
are over in four months.
[00:31:16.09]
And then they need to pay for their rent,
[00:31:18.05]
they need to pay for all
their own family expenses.
[00:31:20.03]
And they often have $1,000
per person airfare to repay.
[00:31:24.08]
Many of the refugee families
[00:31:26.01]
now have six to eight family members,
[00:31:28.02]
so they immediately start
working one, two or three jobs.
[00:31:31.04]
- All cities all over America
[00:31:33.00]
have been boosting their minimum wage,
[00:31:35.01]
but it's going in the opposite
direction in St. Louis.
[00:31:38.00]
- [Reporter] Next month,
the minimum wage will return
[00:31:40.03]
to $7.70 an hour.
[00:31:42.02]
"Ten bucks an hour was
a mistake," he says.
[00:31:45.00]
"Despite what you hear
from liberals," he added,
[00:31:47.05]
"it will take money out
of people's pockets."
[00:31:50.00]
- Harun is leaving on his bike for work.
[00:31:55.01]
Bye Harun, what time do
you have to be at work?
[00:31:59.01]
OK, be careful.
[00:32:01.03]
See you tomorrow, OK?
[00:32:45.08]
[bell rings]
[00:32:50.02]
- So I wanted to talk about Dieumerci,
[00:32:52.04]
just because there are some
concerns about his grades.
[00:32:55.06]
And if you look at his
first quarter report card,
[00:32:58.02]
he was failing Health
[00:33:02.00]
and then he was also failing Algebra.
[00:33:05.01]
Double-dose.
[00:33:06.04]
And then he had a D in Physics.
[00:33:08.07]
- He's a very good student
in that he wants to be there.
[00:33:12.01]
He is there every day.
[00:33:18.05]
- He's working really long
hours, so frequently he's there
[00:33:22.03]
but he's half asleep while he's there.
[00:33:32.08]
- Now, is he doing significantly
worse than the other kids
[00:33:37.03]
in your class, like do you
see a big difference with him?
[00:33:39.02]
- No, no, not because of that.
[00:33:41.02]
He had interrupted
learning in his country.
[00:33:43.07]
Concepts he understands,
but the word problems
[00:33:47.08]
related to that is hard for him.
[00:33:50.05]
Give the force diagram, can I get that?
[00:33:53.02]
What are the forces acting here?
[00:33:55.06]
- It would be nice if we knew
at this stage of the game
[00:33:58.03]
what school he would be going to
[00:34:00.00]
and what the environment
would be like over there.
[00:34:03.00]
Because there's such a
difference between the schools
[00:34:05.09]
in our district, and the amount of help
[00:34:07.08]
that those kids can receive
in their content classes.
[00:34:11.05]
You just don't know, which
is also an unfortunate thing
[00:34:15.01]
because the kids who
are struggling the most
[00:34:18.04]
are gonna end up at the
school with the least amount
[00:34:21.03]
of support.
- Right.
[00:34:23.02]
- So here's the name of what
we're reading, it's big.
[00:34:26.04]
And many times it's in a different color.
[00:34:28.06]
Our title is "Smart Rocks."
[00:34:31.05]
Let's review these four
yellow words first.
[00:34:33.09]
These are vocabulary
words that we have learned
[00:34:36.03]
and they're inside our reading,
so let's review these words.
[00:34:38.08]
What is this?
[00:34:40.09]
- [Teacher] Learn.
[00:34:41.08]
- [Students] Learn.
[00:34:42.06]
- [Teacher] Learn, OK, and this one is?
[00:34:43.04]
- [Students] Rocks.
[00:34:44.03]
- [Teacher] Rocks.
[00:34:45.03]
- [All] Scientists.
[00:34:48.01]
- [Teacher] And study.
[00:34:50.05]
- I have students who
have never been to school
[00:34:51.09]
in their entire life.
[00:34:53.03]
Students who started
school at some point--
[00:34:56.02]
either in a traditional
school in their home country
[00:34:58.07]
or maybe even a refugee camp--
[00:35:00.04]
and for whatever reason,
that education had to stop.
[00:35:03.06]
And my job is to
differentiate my instruction
[00:35:08.02]
to meet their needs wherever they are.
[00:35:11.00]
- OK everyone, let's do this together.
[00:35:12.04]
A mountain of layers.
[00:35:14.01]
- [Students] A mountain of layers.
[00:35:15.07]
- OK, Forah, a mountain of layers.
[00:35:17.06]
- A mountain of layers.
[00:35:19.00]
- OK, great.
[00:35:19.09]
OK, so that's the title,
[00:35:20.07]
"A mountain of layers," it
is the name of this page.
[00:35:22.09]
It's the name of the
text that we're reading.
[00:35:25.05]
OK, so let's go back and
let's listen to this text,
[00:35:30.04]
and I'm gonna click right here.
[00:35:32.04]
And what I want you to do is I
want you to look at your book
[00:35:34.06]
and read as you're listening.
[00:35:36.06]
- [Book Narrator] Smart rocks.
[00:35:38.03]
What can we learn from rocks?
[00:35:40.06]
Rocks tell us about the past.
[00:35:42.07]
Geologists are scientists who study rocks.
[00:35:45.07]
- Nice tracking.
[00:35:48.07]
- I am the Teacher's Assistant
for high school math.
[00:35:51.02]
I work with them, help them emotionally
[00:35:53.09]
more than their academics
[00:35:56.01]
because they come in
through wars and stuff,
[00:35:59.05]
and they're also suffering here alot.
[00:36:19.09]
- She was very shy, she doesn't
like to express her ideas
[00:36:23.04]
or say her answers.
[00:36:25.01]
And actually I asked
her, "In your country,
[00:36:28.05]
"did the teacher expect
you to raise your hand?"
[00:36:32.07]
She said, "No, They call
on us and that's it."
[00:36:36.01]
"We don't raise our hands."
[00:36:37.05]
But now she's started
participating in classes
[00:36:40.04]
and raising her hands and
say whatever she likes.
[00:36:48.06]
- That's so good.
[00:36:50.07]
I'm happy to hear that.
[00:36:52.01]
[laughing]
[00:36:53.00]
Yeah.
[00:36:54.05]
- Those are wonderful, now make your...
[00:36:56.04]
- Oh but me, please!
[00:37:00.00]
- Make sure, though.
[00:37:01.00]
What I like about Jolie's
[00:37:03.04]
is that Jolie's lines are very light,
[00:37:05.05]
so they're going to be
easy to erase later.
[00:37:09.01]
Ansir, you're making your
lines a little bit dark.
[00:37:12.00]
They're gonna be more difficult to erase.
[00:37:14.03]
- Oh, oh, oh, OK.
[00:37:28.09]
[students chatting]
[00:37:36.06]
- This is a transition program,
[00:37:38.00]
so students only stay here two years.
[00:37:40.06]
They can leave earlier than
that if they acquire English
[00:37:44.04]
and they can move on and be successful
[00:37:47.04]
in one of the other schools
and in another ESL program.
[00:37:51.05]
- Do the best you can now,
[00:37:53.00]
because the fewer mistakes
the easier, right?
[00:37:56.02]
Moving on.
[00:37:57.01]
When we make presentations, we
talk about the 'rule of six.'
[00:38:00.04]
No more than six bullet points on a slide.
[00:38:05.05]
- Alaya was recommended to transition,
[00:38:08.00]
and Miss Carter told her
about that in the cafeteria.
[00:38:11.09]
And she just called me and
she said she was having
[00:38:14.01]
a very extreme reaction and was not--
[00:38:16.07]
- She doesn't wanna leave.
[00:38:17.05]
- She doesn't wanna leave.
- Yeah.
[00:38:18.06]
- Looking at Alaya socially,
she had a hard time
[00:38:21.03]
in the beginning.
[00:38:22.05]
She's now got a leadership role,
[00:38:23.08]
she's one of the ambassadors,
and she's beginning to shine.
[00:38:27.03]
I think that moving her out at this point
[00:38:30.05]
might be a mistake, that
we need to give her time
[00:38:32.08]
for more confidence so
that when she does move
[00:38:34.09]
into the next school, she
hits the ground running.
[00:38:37.01]
- And that's kind of what
Danielle had said, too.
[00:38:40.04]
That she feels like Alaya
has sort of come into her own
[00:38:44.02]
in the last year over here
[00:38:45.09]
and is really developing socially,
[00:38:49.06]
and to try to transition her
now might not be a good--
[00:38:54.05]
a good thing.
[00:39:15.04]
- We had local contractors
donate the soccer field.
[00:39:20.06]
What was just simply a
request to resurface--
[00:39:24.06]
so that we won't have all
these potholes in the ground
[00:39:27.02]
and kids can play safely--
[00:39:29.00]
became a huge project.
[00:39:31.01]
And Peter Tao was the lead,
[00:39:33.03]
and we ended up with a
beautiful soccer field.
[00:39:36.04]
- Donnie Harris said one of the kids said,
[00:39:38.05]
"How did you afford to do this?"
[00:39:40.08]
And then Ms. Harris
actually said to the child,
[00:39:43.05]
"This was actually all free,
[00:39:45.03]
it's donated to us by the community."
[00:39:48.02]
And I think that was a
real neat moment to learn
[00:39:50.06]
that even this child realized
coming to this new place,
[00:39:55.00]
there was someone looking after them.
[00:39:57.01]
There was someone trying to help.
[00:39:59.06]
Maybe something was
instilled in that child
[00:40:02.02]
to remember that someone helped them,
[00:40:04.02]
that maybe one day they
might help someone else.
[00:40:11.03]
- It's great to see you!
[00:40:13.00]
Are you guys ready?
[00:40:14.03]
[applause]
[00:40:15.09]
My name's Heather Huewe,
and a few weeks ago,
[00:40:19.01]
I was running through
Forest Park and heard on NPR
[00:40:22.07]
about the initial ban on refugees.
[00:40:25.06]
And of all the things that I was hearing,
[00:40:29.04]
this one really broke my heart.
[00:40:33.04]
And so I had to do something,
and I wanna thank you
[00:40:36.04]
for showing my children
and the kids I taught
[00:40:39.05]
and most importantly the new Americans
[00:40:42.03]
that we can have a lot
of power through kindness
[00:40:45.04]
and personal connection.
[00:40:46.07]
[megaphone blaring]
[00:40:47.05]
[crowd cheering]
[00:40:50.04]
I've run a lot of races before,
[00:40:53.01]
and we were hoping for 250--
[00:40:56.02]
we thought that would be dreamy.
[00:40:57.09]
And we ended up with
630 registered runners.
[00:41:02.07]
- The International Institute as you know
[00:41:04.09]
has been providing adjustment services
[00:41:07.01]
to immigrants and refugees
for almost 100 years.
[00:41:10.08]
Recently, it's been harder
than it's been in the past.
[00:41:14.00]
And I think if all of us
continue to reaffirm the value
[00:41:17.06]
of immigrants and immigration,
then we can turn this cycle
[00:41:20.09]
back to the world in which we want to live
[00:41:23.08]
and we want our children to
grow up and live as well.
[00:41:29.06]
- [Anna] What I worry about
is the short-sightedness.
[00:41:32.09]
The strategy of,
[00:41:33.09]
"Let's just toss out the
immigrants," basically.
[00:41:39.03]
- And this is the protection of the nation
[00:41:43.08]
from foreign terrorist entry
into the United States.
[00:41:48.04]
We all know what that means.
[00:41:49.08]
[crowd applauding]
[00:41:51.00]
- But when President Trump
made the announcement
[00:41:53.03]
that he was cutting the
overall admissions numbers
[00:41:56.03]
from 110,000 to 50,000
refugees for the year,
[00:42:00.02]
25,000 refugees had already been admitted
[00:42:03.02]
in the first fiscal quarter.
[00:42:05.09]
So this created a dramatic challenge
[00:42:09.02]
for refugee resettling
agencies that were geared up
[00:42:13.07]
for a larger population,
staffed for a larger population.
[00:42:17.05]
And the program just went like this.
[00:42:20.08]
In our case, for instance,
we had to lay off 10 staff,
[00:42:23.06]
and these are all people
who are really dedicated
[00:42:26.01]
to refugee resettlement.
[00:42:28.08]
- We worked really hard
to try to show them
[00:42:31.05]
that you are welcome
here, that we love you.
[00:42:34.00]
But it's hard.
[00:42:35.00]
They're hearing that from
us, but they're getting
[00:42:37.02]
all sorts of different
messages from outside.
[00:42:41.02]
- Many of the students
are from the countries
[00:42:43.04]
that the President has banned,
or at least tried to ban.
[00:42:46.06]
So this has caused quite a bit of tension.
[00:42:49.04]
Our students are new to this country,
[00:42:51.05]
and they're coming into a
climate that's unpopular.
[00:42:54.01]
I can only imagine how
difficult it can be for them.
[00:42:58.03]
- There's been a lot of
fear in the community.
[00:43:00.01]
So we brought on an
immigration lawyer to come in
[00:43:02.04]
and educate the students about
what that means for them,
[00:43:05.03]
because a lot of them
are bringing so much fear
[00:43:07.05]
into the school.
[00:43:40.05]
- I believe that sometimes
God's preparing you
[00:43:42.05]
for something you don't even know.
[00:43:43.06]
You just doing this and the next step, OK,
[00:43:45.07]
and the next step.
[00:43:47.01]
You don't really know the whole plan.
[00:43:50.00]
When I was a little girl,
one of the mothers told me
[00:43:53.03]
"Donnie, you're gonna be a missionary."
[00:43:55.09]
And I said, "Hmm. Uh-uh,"
[00:43:58.03]
'cause in my mind that
was like Mother Theresa,
[00:44:00.05]
and I'm getting married
and I'm having children.
[00:44:02.08]
And so years later when I began to work
[00:44:05.06]
with a diverse group of students
[00:44:07.09]
from all over the world,
international students,
[00:44:10.03]
and that same mother who I
shared this story with, she says,
[00:44:13.04]
"See there? I told you you were gonna--"
[00:44:15.03]
I'm gonna cry.
[00:44:16.05]
She said, "See there, I told you
[00:44:17.09]
"you were gonna be a missionary."
[00:44:19.08]
And I didn't make the
connection until then,
[00:44:21.09]
because it's not about
trying to convert students
[00:44:25.03]
who have their own faith.
[00:44:27.00]
It's just about showing love.
[00:44:32.00]
So this is our place of worship.
[00:44:34.01]
In the beginning, it
was a Jewish synagogue
[00:44:36.05]
as you can see evidenced
[00:44:38.03]
by our beautiful stained glass windows.
[00:44:41.01]
Our church, Pleasant
Green, which moved from--
[00:44:44.02]
I always forget the street, honey.
[00:44:46.00]
- Elliot and Cole.
[00:44:46.08]
- Elliot and Cole, it
moved from Elliot and Cole
[00:44:50.00]
to this location, April 1945.
[00:44:54.07]
African-Americans didn't live
over in this neighborhood.
[00:44:58.06]
- We moved here, which was
like crossing a barrier.
[00:45:02.09]
But at that time, African-Americans
somewhat segregated
[00:45:07.07]
to east of Grand.
[00:45:09.07]
And we moved here, which
crossed Grand, in '45,
[00:45:13.00]
So our church was basically
always like a forerunner.
[00:45:16.06]
- It was a historical
event, integration in 1945.
[00:45:22.01]
Before King, before civil
rights was really implemented,
[00:45:26.08]
we were already here.
[00:45:28.04]
We had already integrated
this neighborhood
[00:45:30.09]
because of our church.
[00:45:33.07]
- My husband and I really feel strongly
[00:45:35.04]
that a healthy community is
looking out for one another.
[00:45:38.00]
We really believe that every
community has the resources
[00:45:41.01]
that it needs within it
to take care of itself.
[00:45:44.02]
We have resources to share,
[00:45:45.08]
and maybe it's not necessarily monetarily
[00:45:48.06]
but we have an education
that we can share.
[00:45:51.00]
We have life experience that we can share.
[00:45:53.07]
We have children who speak the language
[00:45:56.04]
that our children in this
community are missing.
[00:45:58.05]
And so the relationship part
of it is really big to us.
[00:46:02.08]
So the first visit is always,
[00:46:04.08]
"Hello," I'm a little nervous.
[00:46:06.02]
"Nice to see you," a hug.
[00:46:08.06]
Warm, but not deep.
[00:46:10.02]
But what I found is
this continual visiting,
[00:46:13.00]
this continual presence,
this continual commitment
[00:46:15.09]
of faithfulness to them,
[00:46:17.03]
that's when these families will open up
[00:46:19.00]
and you'll really start to
hear what they really need.
[00:46:23.05]
[greetings in Arabic dialect]
[00:46:31.03]
- Hello, nice to see you.
[00:46:32.08]
Good morning, thank you.
[00:46:35.04]
This is for you.
[00:46:36.09]
- Thank you.
- Thank you.
[00:46:39.05]
[conversing in Arabic dialect]
[00:46:47.07]
- Mohammed is with an 'M.'
[00:46:50.01]
- That's--
[00:46:51.00]
- Huh?
[00:46:52.02]
OK, that's right.
[00:46:53.06]
And 'Mom?' Mom starts with 'M.'
[00:47:17.04]
- What was life like there?
[00:47:18.09]
What kind of work did
the family involved in?
[00:47:22.01]
Oh, oh I'm so sorry.
[00:47:25.09]
[crying softly]
[00:47:29.04]
[conversing in Arabic dialect]
[00:47:58.01]
[muffled explosions]
[00:48:35.03]
- Loss of family, loss of
country, loss of language,
[00:48:37.06]
loss of control.
[00:48:38.09]
Just lots of different layers of loss.
[00:48:41.03]
They just have experienced some trauma
[00:48:43.02]
that back at home, their family
is just still processing.
[00:49:10.07]
- We have to remember
it's tough to be poor.
[00:49:12.07]
That refugees are a
microcosm of a larger issue
[00:49:16.00]
of poverty in this country,
[00:49:17.07]
and large families and the
lack of reasonable housing,
[00:49:21.09]
safe affordable housing.
[00:49:23.08]
Our refugees perceive
of their neighborhoods
[00:49:27.02]
as being really unsafe
[00:49:28.04]
because they can hear the
shots in the distance,
[00:49:30.05]
because there have been
some issues of muggings.
[00:49:34.01]
- So if you're living in a
neighborhood that's crime-ridden
[00:49:36.08]
and you don't have locks on your doors
[00:49:38.00]
and there's rats and mice,
[00:49:39.03]
and your parents can't find a job
[00:49:40.07]
and there's tons of stress,
[00:49:42.03]
you can't get at those past traumas
[00:49:44.04]
because things just aren't
safe enough right now.
[00:50:50.00]
- This particular family,
[00:50:51.06]
they were living in the
neighborhood apartments
[00:50:53.08]
that many of our children live in.
[00:50:57.00]
They were in conflict with the neighbors.
[00:50:59.07]
Y'know, I guess you
just don't think of them
[00:51:01.03]
being in conflict with one another.
[00:51:03.02]
Whatever unreconciled issues
they had in their homeland
[00:51:06.02]
are now the same issues
that they have here.
[00:51:08.05]
So when you have a Sunni
family and a Shia family
[00:51:10.07]
living side by side with
each other, there's tension.
[00:51:16.00]
- For some students, success
is going from getting
[00:51:19.05]
in four fights during the week
to maybe one fight a week.
[00:51:23.02]
A recent friend of mine,
he was to the point
[00:51:26.04]
where he wasn't sleeping at night.
[00:51:28.07]
He felt so unsafe in his house
[00:51:30.04]
that, like, he couldn't use
the restroom by himself.
[00:51:32.08]
He had to have one of
his parents come with him
[00:51:34.08]
because being alone, even
that was scary for him.
[00:51:38.06]
Do you wanna check in like normal?
[00:51:40.00]
Are you OK to talk a little bit?
[00:51:41.04]
Here.
[00:51:43.01]
So how ya doing today?
[00:51:44.05]
- Good.
- Good?
[00:51:45.04]
So some of the main events
that we were working with
[00:51:46.06]
was a bomb falling on their home.
[00:51:50.06]
Best friend's family being murdered.
[00:51:53.05]
Does your red bubble still on really well?
[00:51:55.07]
It's nice and strong?
[00:51:57.07]
So you're protected through the day,
[00:51:59.03]
even if people are
bullying you or being mean
[00:52:01.03]
or saying mean things?
[00:52:03.03]
Are those words just gonna bounce off?
[00:52:04.07]
Can you play me a good,
happy song of how you feel?
[00:52:10.03]
Are you gonna get shy on me now?
[00:52:12.00]
[rhythmic drumming]
[00:52:15.07]
Or if you were feeling mad,
let's play an angry song.
[00:52:18.04]
[stacatto drumming]
[00:52:20.01]
Can I hear a mad song?
[00:52:21.07]
All right, let's go.
[00:52:22.08]
[rapid drumming]
[00:52:26.03]
[laughing]
[00:52:27.02]
You're too happy today to even
play a mad song, aren't you?
[00:52:30.06]
It was really incredible,
in about three months
[00:52:33.05]
his parents were reporting
he's sleeping fine,
[00:52:35.08]
he's completely independent
in the household.
[00:52:38.06]
Like, he's doing great.
[00:52:40.00]
And then we did assessment in here,
[00:52:41.06]
and the same, just clinically.
[00:52:43.03]
He went from scores being through
the roof, indicating PTSD,
[00:52:47.02]
to just good.
[00:52:50.01]
[children shouting and yelling]
[00:53:00.04]
♪ I said something wrong ♪
[00:53:04.02]
♪ now I long for yesterday ♪
[00:53:08.07]
- So this is if he says, like,
[00:53:11.06]
♪ I am not half the man I used to be ♪
[00:53:15.07]
But music is not like,
[00:53:17.04]
♪ blah, blah blah, blah ♪
[00:53:18.04]
♪ blah, blah blah, blah, blah ♪
[00:53:20.05]
It's smooth, right? Like,
[00:53:22.06]
♪ I'm not half the man I used to be ♪
[00:53:25.08]
So we have to say like this.
[00:53:28.09]
- I'm, I'm.
[00:53:30.05]
♪ I said something wrong ♪
[00:53:34.04]
♪ now I long for yesterday ♪
[00:53:38.07]
- Now I long for yesterday.
[00:53:41.01]
- L-O-N-G.
[00:53:42.01]
- L-O-N-G, yeah.
[00:53:43.03]
- It's an "I wish."
[00:53:44.05]
- I wish, yeah.
[00:53:45.07]
To long...
[00:53:48.09]
...means to wish, yeah?
[00:53:53.03]
Wish very deeply.
[00:53:55.07]
And also you can have
a feeling of longing.
[00:54:00.07]
I believe.
- I believe.
[00:54:02.04]
- "I believe in
yesterday," so kind of like
[00:54:06.06]
maybe even though he's really sad,
[00:54:08.08]
maybe he still holds hope.
[00:54:12.03]
- He knows what he did wrong now.
[00:54:29.03]
- He didn't think he was
gonna lose her, right.
[00:54:31.04]
And he was, like, playing around.
[00:54:33.07]
And my husband says that
Paul McCartney was sleeping
[00:54:38.07]
and in his sleep, he heard the song
[00:54:41.08]
♪ Ham and eggs, do do do do do do ♪
[00:54:46.00]
And he woke up, and he said,
[00:54:48.05]
♪ Ham and eggs, do do do ♪
[00:54:50.09]
But then he said,
[00:54:51.07]
"No, we can't make a
song about ham and eggs."
[00:54:54.00]
You know, ham and eggs?
[00:54:55.06]
- [Students] Yeah, ham and eggs.
[00:54:56.04]
- Yeah, so then he made
"Yesterday," you guys.
[00:54:59.03]
So that was much more famous
than ham and eggs, yeah.
[00:55:02.03]
♪ All my troubles seem so far away ♪
[00:55:07.01]
♪ Now it looks as though they're... ♪
[00:55:09.05]
- And all the girls, like, scream, like,
[00:55:11.07]
"Ahhhh! We love you, Paul McCartney!"
[00:55:14.07]
He was so famous.
[00:55:16.07]
♪ Suddenly, I'm not half
the man I used to be ♪
[00:55:36.07]
- For my ESL class, we read
the book "Frankenstein,"
[00:55:39.01]
and for their final exam I
had them rewrite the story.
[00:55:43.01]
The bare bones of the Frankenstein story
[00:55:44.08]
is that the doctor creates the monster,
[00:55:47.02]
the monster comes to life,
[00:55:49.00]
and the doctor is terrified
of him and takes off.
[00:55:51.09]
So this monster is fending for himself,
[00:55:54.06]
and at various points in
the story there are places
[00:55:57.08]
where somebody could've been kind to him,
[00:56:00.04]
could've shown love, could've taught him,
[00:56:02.04]
could've taken time
for him, cared for him,
[00:56:04.09]
and the story would be very different.
[00:56:22.05]
- So their assignment was,
make the story different.
[00:56:26.00]
Well, a universal theme
through their remade stories
[00:56:29.06]
were that, A, people helped the monster.
[00:56:31.09]
Somewhere along the line
one of those characters,
[00:56:34.04]
instead of running away,
stayed and helped him.
[00:56:36.08]
And B, the monster went on to help people.
[00:56:39.05]
The monster becomes a hero
in one of the stories,
[00:56:42.04]
pulling a girl out of a lake.
[00:56:44.00]
Another one, the monster's
just helping people
[00:56:46.06]
who are different throughout the story.
[00:56:49.03]
I mean, all of this comes through.
[00:56:53.02]
- Because he's doing a
lot of this on his own,
[00:56:56.03]
we've been a lot of support for him
[00:56:58.06]
in figuring out next steps.
[00:57:01.00]
If he were here with his
family, he would have
[00:57:04.00]
his parents' support
or something like that.
[00:57:06.00]
But because he's figuring this out
[00:57:07.05]
kind of as an unaccompanied
young man himself now,
[00:57:12.04]
it's been a harder struggle
and he's needed more support
[00:57:15.04]
from the staff here.
[00:57:25.05]
- According to all of
Harun's official documents,
[00:57:28.05]
he is 21, so this will be
his last year in school.
[00:57:33.03]
We have about seven weeks
of school left, which is why
[00:57:36.04]
he's taking the virtual
classes and attending school,
[00:57:39.07]
because he's trying to get enough credits
[00:57:41.02]
to actually graduate.
[00:57:43.03]
Now we know he's actually not 21.
[00:57:45.08]
And a lot of times when
these kids enter the country
[00:57:48.04]
their documents are falsified,
[00:57:50.07]
because they want these
kids to be able to work.
[00:57:53.06]
So he's actually only about 18 or 19,
[00:57:56.02]
but because we can only go
by the official documentation
[00:57:59.07]
he's going to be timed
out of school, basically,
[00:58:03.04]
at the end of this semester.
[00:58:05.03]
- Whatever their I-94 says,
whether it's right or wrong,
[00:58:08.06]
they get a chance to leave, they take it.
[00:58:10.04]
They don't say, "Wait a minute,
you got my birthday wrong.
[00:58:13.02]
"You need to fix it."
[00:58:15.03]
- A good chunk of these kids
all have birthdays January 1,
[00:58:19.06]
which means we don't know
when their actual birthday is
[00:58:23.00]
and it's just an estimate.
[00:58:26.01]
[students chatting]
[00:58:29.06]
- If a parent says,
[00:58:30.06]
"It's wrong and I want
them in this grade,"
[00:58:33.05]
then we can do something,
but I think parents don't--
[00:58:37.00]
I think they're fearful that,
[00:58:38.05]
"My papers say that, I can't
afford to go against it anyway.
[00:58:42.00]
I don't know-- I don't know that process.
[00:58:43.03]
I don't know if they send
you back, but it's something
[00:58:45.04]
with that paperwork that we have to honor.
[00:58:47.09]
That's why I'm saying it's
not just about academics.
[00:58:51.01]
It's about the whole child.
[00:58:56.04]
- Quoting this missive from no less
[00:58:58.00]
than the Department of Education,
[00:58:59.05]
"All children in the
United States are entitled
[00:59:01.09]
"to equal access to a public elementary
[00:59:04.02]
"and secondary education,
[00:59:05.05]
"regardless of their or their
parents' actual or perceived
[00:59:09.07]
"national origin, citizenship,
or immigration status."
[00:59:15.00]
- Many times, people do ask,
[00:59:17.04]
"Why are they spending
money on those children?
[00:59:21.04]
"Why are they using all those
resources on those children?
[00:59:24.04]
"They're not even American.
[00:59:26.02]
"They don't speak English.
[00:59:27.07]
"What about American
children who need funding?
[00:59:30.05]
"What about American children
who need more services?"
[00:59:34.01]
- The real costs are going
to be incurred here, Neil,
[00:59:37.01]
by the children.
[00:59:38.07]
Whatever happened to everybody on the Left
[00:59:41.08]
always talking about the children?
[00:59:44.00]
They don't seem very
concerned about the children
[00:59:46.05]
that are in our schools now.
[00:59:48.05]
- My response is, all children
[00:59:54.04]
should have equal access to education.
[00:59:58.07]
Equal is a funny word [laughs].
[01:00:01.03]
Equity in education-- it's implied,
[01:00:04.05]
but it's really not even
totally a constitutional right.
[01:00:08.05]
Some people think you're
pulling their money
[01:00:10.02]
away from American children,
where the funding is different.
[01:00:13.09]
If we work together to push everybody
[01:00:16.03]
instead of deciding who's
fit and who's not fit,
[01:00:19.01]
we'd be a better world.
[01:00:22.05]
Hi.
[01:00:24.01]
- Good, good to see you!
[01:00:26.08]
- We gotta talk.
[01:00:29.00]
- My goodness, it's so good to see you.
[01:00:33.01]
- So who lives here now?
[01:00:35.02]
Who's all in your family in this house?
[01:00:45.00]
- So what is your plan for school?
[01:00:47.04]
Because you didn't tell us anything,
[01:00:48.03]
we just knew that we didn't
see you for a long time.
[01:00:55.04]
- Oh, I'm sorry to hear that.
[01:00:56.09]
- He died?
[01:00:57.09]
- Mm-hmm, he died.
[01:00:58.08]
- So is that when you
stopped coming to school?
[01:01:13.02]
- I'm going to start looking.
[01:01:15.00]
We need to find out if we
can get you a better job
[01:01:18.09]
where you can come back to school.
[01:01:20.04]
- Yeah, we can go inside.
[01:01:40.05]
- Your rent, for upstairs and downstairs?
[01:01:42.00]
- Yeah, uh-huh.
[01:02:09.01]
- Well, you have to talk
to us and let us know
[01:02:10.06]
because you shouldn't have
been out of school this long.
[01:02:12.06]
- Why didn't you come and talk to us
[01:02:13.09]
before you just dropped out?
[01:02:16.00]
Can I ask you that?
[01:02:43.09]
- I'm glad it wasn't
because you didn't think
[01:02:45.06]
you could come to me.
[01:02:46.04]
You just felt like you
didn't have the opportunity
[01:02:49.01]
to actually physically get
back to school to tell us
[01:02:51.08]
because everything kind of happened.
[01:02:53.06]
And each day, you had to stay
here with the younger children
[01:02:59.02]
so that your mom could go to work.
[01:03:01.04]
- So before you get a new job,
[01:03:03.05]
will you be able to return to school,
[01:03:04.07]
and maybe we can work something
out with the teachers?
[01:03:07.03]
- Yes.
[01:03:08.02]
- Because we need you to be in school.
[01:03:09.05]
- Mm-hmm.
[01:03:13.02]
- OK.
[01:03:14.05]
Remember our true mission and vision--
[01:03:19.00]
even though sometimes it
seems like we're being forced,
[01:03:21.03]
I feel like we were
sometimes forced in this box
[01:03:24.03]
but this is not the box we're in.
[01:03:26.04]
Hooking them on education.
[01:03:27.07]
Hooking them on learning.
[01:03:29.00]
Helping them to acclimate.
[01:03:30.05]
Helping them to navigate and be safe
[01:03:32.06]
when they're even not with us,
[01:03:34.05]
when they're at home,
[01:03:36.00]
when they're in their neighborhoods.
[01:03:38.03]
When we think about where
we were with Ms. Chapman
[01:03:40.05]
who was exceptional, awesome,
[01:03:41.08]
I just think-- I just
wanna give her a hand-clap.
[01:03:43.05]
[all applauding]
[01:03:45.06]
I had a dream about her
within the last month
[01:03:47.07]
and I just believe she
was saying, "Go, girl!"
[01:03:50.00]
or, "I'm happy," I don't know.
[01:03:51.05]
But she was in my dream, I
can't even remember exactly,
[01:03:54.09]
but it was a good dream.
[01:03:56.09]
- I had a dream about
Mrs. Chapman one night.
[01:03:59.08]
She was a presence, and
I think that part of it
[01:04:04.01]
might have had to do with
the changes in the way
[01:04:07.08]
that things are happening in the country
[01:04:11.05]
and how upset she was.
[01:04:14.02]
But I do remember coming off of it with,
[01:04:16.09]
she's watching, and she
wants us to get this done.
[01:04:21.01]
- After her passing, she
came again in my dream.
[01:04:24.03]
So then I thought, like, this
is my purpose of my life.
[01:04:29.01]
Help these children.
[01:04:30.02]
Maybe that is what she
chose me at that time.
[01:04:34.05]
- I do believe that we are a team here.
[01:04:38.03]
Just like your family,
we have some issues.
[01:04:40.06]
It's not perfect.
[01:04:41.08]
But in general, I have
world champion teachers.
[01:04:44.08]
I'm gonna keep saying that.
[01:04:46.02]
We try to support each
other and help each other.
[01:04:49.03]
Of course, I've been with
the district 34 years.
[01:04:52.04]
You know when it's time.
[01:04:53.06]
And I really-- I'mma tell
you, I prayed about it,
[01:04:54.09]
but I'm like "Oh, what is it?"
[01:04:56.09]
You know, "What's next,
what do you want me to do?
[01:05:00.05]
"What's your plan for me, God?"
[01:05:02.08]
That's how I talk, you all.
[01:05:04.00]
Write me up, put it, I don't care.
[01:05:06.04]
"What's your plan for me, God?"
[01:05:08.03]
I think it's time, OK?
[01:05:10.08]
So I did not apply.
[01:05:12.03]
I will not be your principal
interim or whatever,
[01:05:15.02]
your leader, your
educational leader next year.
[01:05:17.07]
There's another path
for me, and I'm excited.
[01:05:20.03]
Don't worry, it's already
confirmed, I already got it.
[01:05:23.09]
I've been really thinking about retiring.
[01:05:26.04]
I think the first semester
was so overwhelming,
[01:05:30.00]
and my husband, my
children became concerned.
[01:05:33.02]
I ended up in physical
therapy for a minute.
[01:05:36.01]
A lot of changes happened, and...
[01:05:40.02]
...I considered-- I took those changes as
[01:05:45.01]
being confirmation that it's
kind of time to move on.
[01:05:50.02]
- One thing I learned from Ms. Harris
[01:05:52.03]
is that she stands for her ideas.
[01:05:55.06]
And I learned to stand for
my ideas no matter what.
[01:06:01.01]
- Donnie's decision to retire is, I think,
[01:06:03.04]
a healthy one for Donnie.
[01:06:05.08]
She's had a long career in
St. Louis public schools.
[01:06:08.07]
But we're really feeling a loss.
[01:06:11.04]
We're gonna have a hole at
our school with her away.
[01:06:15.02]
- I have some things up my sleeve
[01:06:16.09]
to involve some of our kids
[01:06:18.09]
in the program that I'll
be the director of, so.
[01:06:22.00]
- I'm sorry.
[01:06:23.03]
- It's OK.
[01:06:24.09]
Can I just hug you right now?
[01:06:26.02]
- Yes.
- I just wanna, can I just--?
[01:06:28.04]
Don't cry, Kelly.
[01:06:30.05]
I'll be right here, I promise.
[01:06:32.03]
- I can't believe you're leaving.
[01:06:34.00]
- [sighing] It probably
seem so soon for you
[01:06:36.01]
because it's been this one year.
[01:06:38.03]
But that one year was enough
[01:06:40.04]
to make things-- just to make
miracles happen here, so.
[01:06:45.03]
I'm so thankful you came.
[01:06:48.02]
[children chatting]
[01:06:52.02]
- So this is a complete record
of your academic history
[01:06:54.08]
since you've been in high school.
[01:06:56.01]
It starts with the very first year
[01:06:57.05]
that you started high
school, and it goes in order.
[01:06:59.06]
So in the first column,
you'll see semester one.
[01:07:01.08]
That has all your grades on it.
[01:07:04.02]
The transition school,
so students are only here
[01:07:06.03]
for up to 2 years or 24 months.
[01:07:08.03]
Right now, students are timing
out because they've been here
[01:07:10.02]
for almost two years.
[01:07:11.09]
Well, most of them are timing out.
[01:07:13.01]
Some of them are teacher-recommended.
[01:07:15.03]
They may have come from places
[01:07:16.04]
where they had a formal education,
[01:07:18.01]
they may have done well,
[01:07:19.04]
so they're testing out of our school.
[01:07:21.04]
For some of the schools,
especially for high school,
[01:07:23.06]
they have to apply to get into the school,
[01:07:26.02]
and they don't know if
they were accepted or not.
[01:07:28.03]
So tomorrow they're gonna find out,
[01:07:29.07]
which is why I'm making these
[01:07:31.00]
because they'll have to pick
their names, and voilà--
[01:07:33.07]
see which school they're going to.
[01:07:34.08]
So it's gonna be pretty exciting for them.
[01:07:37.04]
You wanna stay here?
[01:07:39.09]
OK.
[01:07:42.04]
- You ready to go?
[01:07:43.05]
OK.
[01:07:47.07]
- You will be ready by
the end of the year.
[01:07:49.04]
You'll be ready.
[01:07:50.05]
The students at the other school,
[01:07:52.04]
they will help you learn English.
[01:08:03.09]
- I'm American, and you understand me.
[01:08:08.00]
[laughing]
[01:08:14.07]
- But if you can tell me
that I'm using simple words,
[01:08:17.02]
I think you understand a lot
more than you think you do.
[01:08:20.00]
[laughing]
[01:08:33.02]
- We know how smart our students are.
[01:08:34.06]
We just have to tap into
their previous knowledge.
[01:08:36.09]
We know what they've gone through.
[01:08:38.00]
We know their backgrounds.
[01:08:38.09]
We see them struggle when they're here.
[01:08:40.08]
Yet they go to the other
schools, and they just take off.
[01:08:44.02]
I don't even know how
to describe how I feel
[01:08:45.07]
when I see them and they come back here
[01:08:47.05]
and they're just doing so well.
[01:08:49.00]
And when I pull up a report card and I see
[01:08:50.05]
that they got all A's and
they're in regular classes,
[01:08:52.09]
or if I have to write
a recommendation letter
[01:08:54.09]
for college or a scholarship,
it's a great feeling.
[01:09:31.09]
- So we're gonna go ahead and get started.
[01:09:33.07]
I think you guys all know
why you're here, right?
[01:09:35.03]
- [Students] No.
[01:09:37.00]
- So, you guys are here
[01:09:38.01]
because you are our transition students.
[01:09:40.04]
So give yourselves a hand.
[01:09:41.04]
[all applauding]
[01:09:45.03]
So I know that this is bittersweet,
[01:09:47.01]
you guys never wanna leave
[01:09:48.05]
and we don't ever want you to leave.
[01:09:49.09]
But with that being said, now
I am going to let you guys
[01:09:53.01]
figure out which school
you've been accepted to.
[01:09:55.09]
Are you guys ready?
[01:09:57.00]
- [Students] Yes.
[01:09:57.09]
- OK, so I will call your name,
[01:10:00.00]
and I want you to grab your
name on the back table.
[01:10:02.07]
And when you open it up,
it will show which school
[01:10:04.05]
you've been accepted to, so.
[01:10:06.07]
- [Student] Oh my god!
[01:10:08.00]
[laughing]
[01:10:09.07]
- Alright, Eugene.
[01:10:11.09]
[students wooping]
[01:10:24.07]
- One week!
[01:10:25.05]
- Let's have Alla and Alaya go together.
[01:10:28.00]
- [Student] Ooh!
[01:10:29.09]
[light applauding]
[01:10:46.05]
- A lot of our students don't wanna leave
[01:10:47.08]
even when their time is up.
[01:10:49.03]
This is kind of like
a safety net for them.
[01:10:51.04]
And it's not the same way
[01:10:52.04]
once they go into the other schools.
[01:10:53.08]
They'll be in mainstream
American high schools.
[01:10:55.08]
[applauding]
[01:10:57.04]
- We're still around.
- It's up to you
[01:10:58.03]
and what you think is
going to be good for you.
[01:11:01.08]
Because if we look at your grades
[01:11:03.05]
and we look at your
English, you are ready.
[01:11:06.02]
You are ready to go, OK?
[01:11:09.00]
So it's up to you
- But we don't want you--
[01:11:10.01]
- and your heart if you're ready.
[01:11:13.05]
- We don't want you to have high anxiety
[01:11:15.02]
or be afraid and shut down
and not be able to learn.
[01:11:28.05]
- But remember, you're only recommended,
[01:11:30.02]
you don't have to leave.
- Yes.
[01:11:31.00]
- You can stay for another semester
[01:11:32.03]
if you think you need that semester.
[01:11:33.07]
So we're not pushing you
out, but I wanted you to know
[01:11:35.08]
that your teachers are
really proud of how well
[01:11:37.08]
you've been doing, and
you were recommended
[01:11:39.06]
because you're one of our
top-performing students.
[01:11:41.09]
- Right.
[01:11:42.07]
- If you wanna talk to your
parents this weekend about it,
[01:11:45.04]
and then let us know on Monday?
[01:11:48.04]
But it's going to be up
to you and your family.
[01:11:52.03]
[students chatting]
[01:12:00.08]
- Good morning, NCNAA Globetrotters!
[01:12:08.09]
- This is the last day, I need
you to say it even louder!
[01:12:12.07]
Let's break the walls down!
[01:12:14.08]
Good morning!
[01:12:19.06]
- You did it!
[01:12:21.07]
You did it!
[01:12:23.08]
Somebody said, "Miss Harris,
it's your birthday, isn't it?"
[01:12:28.09]
- [Students] No!
[01:12:31.00]
- No, listen, listen.
[01:12:33.08]
I am retiring.
[01:12:36.01]
So I will not be your
principal next year, OK?
[01:12:43.02]
But I'll be working somewhere else,
[01:12:46.04]
and you will always be in my heart.
[01:12:50.00]
Mazar, come help me this morning.
[01:12:54.07]
Let's stand.
[01:13:06.08]
[crowd chatting]
[01:13:14.00]
- Alright, high school
transition students, this is it.
[01:13:17.04]
This is your last day as a newcomer
[01:13:20.01]
with Nahed Chapman New American Academy.
[01:13:22.05]
We love you guys, we're proud of you.
[01:13:24.08]
We will miss you.
[01:13:44.02]
- I did my student teaching
in a very affluent district,
[01:13:48.00]
and I felt like these kids
were going to be successful
[01:13:51.02]
whether or not I was there.
[01:13:52.04]
I felt like I had more to give.
[01:14:02.02]
[clapping]
[01:14:05.00]
- Knowing that when the
students that I work with
[01:14:06.09]
come in this space and
they feel safe here,
[01:14:09.08]
for me that's the success.
[01:14:17.01]
[speaking In Arabic dialect]
[01:14:34.00]
- I wanna say I'm very proud of all of you
[01:14:35.07]
for having the courage
to study another language
[01:14:39.03]
at the age that you are.
[01:14:41.04]
This is not an easy thing
to do, as you've learned.
[01:14:57.02]
[all applauding]
[01:15:15.02]
- I know that he feels such
a strong responsibility
[01:15:18.04]
towards his family and taking
care of his family financially
[01:15:21.09]
that I think even if he really,
really wanted to be here,
[01:15:24.08]
those feelings of responsibility
[01:15:29.02]
are just-- they're too strong.
[01:15:36.07]
- The school's really big,
and then the schedule--
[01:15:40.02]
waking up early, like five
o'clock in the morning.
[01:15:44.07]
- Well I don't really know
[01:15:45.05]
if I can prepare you for that part.
[01:15:47.00]
[laughing]
[01:16:21.05]
- Hello, welcome.
[01:16:23.09]
[uplifting instrumental music]
[01:16:41.02]
- It has been a joy, it has
been a life lived [laughs].
[01:16:45.04]
It was part of my life lived,
[01:16:46.09]
and it was a beautiful one here.
[01:16:48.09]
I'm just thankful that
I got this opportunity,
[01:16:51.04]
because I don't...
[01:16:56.00]
I don't know [laughs].
[01:16:59.00]
I don't think I would've
ever been able to travel
[01:17:00.08]
to all these countries in my lifetime.
[01:17:03.04]
But I was able to hopefully impact them,
[01:17:08.05]
and they impacted me.
[01:17:11.05]
♪ Amazing grace ♪
[01:17:18.01]
♪ How sweet the sound ♪
[01:17:24.07]
♪ That saved a wretch like me ♪
[01:17:35.02]
♪ I once was lost ♪
[01:17:41.02]
♪ But now I'm found ♪
[01:17:47.08]
♪ Was blind ♪
[01:17:51.02]
♪ But now I see ♪
[01:17:59.01]
- Wonderful, wonderful.
[01:18:00.00]
[clapping]
[01:18:01.00]
[laughing]
[01:18:01.08]
- That's what I do, sing in a choir.
[01:18:03.04]
[laughing]
[01:18:08.06]
[gentle piano music]
[01:19:24.05]
[uplifting piano music]
[01:19:27.05]
Distributor: Bullfrog Films
Length: 82 minutes
Date: 2019
Genre: Expository
Language: English
Grade: 6 - 12, College, Adults
Color/BW:
Closed Captioning: Available
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