A small-town teacher relocates to one of the country's toughest classrooms.
In 1998, still relatively early in his career, Ron Clark leaves his stable life teaching at an elementary school in his suburban North Carolina hometown, where he is appreciated by both his fellow teachers and his students for his innovative teaching methods which results in raising test scores. He decides to look for a teaching job at a tough New York inner-city school, where he feels he can be more useful. He eventually finds a job at Inner Harlem Elementary School, where the students are segregated according to their potential. As Clark is white and "nice"-looking, Principal Turner wants to assign him to the honors class, especially as Turner's job security depends on good test scores; however, Clark wants to take the most disadvantaged class. He quickly learns that it will be a battle of wills between himself and his disruptive students to see which can outlast the other. But he also learns that he must understand them, both individually and collectively, on their level to be able to get through to them before he can teach them the standardized materials. But even the best-laid plans can be turned askew by unforeseen events, such as illness and the behavior of others outside of his control, and he must overcome the self-fulfilling prophecy of failure to instill a sense of worth within the students. Through it all, he is supported by Marissa Vega, the beautiful waitress at the restaurant where he works part-time.—Huggo
In 1998, Ron Clark (Matthew Perry) leaves his teaching at an elementary school in his North Carolina hometown Aurora, where he is known for his innovative teaching methods which results in raising test scores. Ron Clark is a respected member of the local community and a favorite with the parents. Ron feels his work is the community is done and takes his parents (Ron Clark, Sr. (Jerry Callaghan) & Jean Clark (Patricia Benedict)) permission to move to NYC.He decides to look for a teaching job in a tough New York inner city school where he feels he could be more useful. He finds a job at Inner Harlem Elementary School, where the students are sorted according to their potential.Ron finds a room at the cheapest hotel he can find. People in NYC are not as friendly as the ones back home
Ron can't find a job immediately and hence has to take up a job as a waiter at a Robin Hood themed restaurant.The Principal Turner (Ernie Hudson) of the inner Harlem Elementary school believes Clark may be too "nice-looking," to take on the rough, disruptive students in a 6th grade class that has just been abandoned by their teacher. He offers Clark a class that is testing in the top 10% of NYC public school, but Clark insists on taking the older kids that nobody else wants and who are currently testing at the bottom of all the NYC public schools.He quickly learns that it will be a battle of wills between himself and his students (Tayshawn Mitchell (Brandon Mychal Smith), Julio Vasquez (Micah Stephen Williams), Shameika Wallace (Hannah Hodson)) to see who can outlast the other. He struggles to understand them, both individually and collectively, before he can teach them the standardized materials.
Mitchell has 2 strikes, and a 3rd will land him in juvenile detention. Julio steals from his own mother and runs a betting game in school (on when Ron is going to quit). Ron makes an effort to visit the families of each of his students and sees the kind of dysfunctional backgrounds they come from.Day 1 is bad, as none of the kids listen to Ron, and vandalize his car. Ron creates a set of rules and encourages them to follow them, to make them feel that they are together and a part of a bigger whole, a family. Shameika resists following the rules, but Ron forces her by getting the rest of the class to put peer pressure on her. If all students don't follow the rules, they don't get lunch.
The next morning, Shameika vandalizes the classroom. Ron still tries to get close to her as she is the class leader. Tayshawn gets into a fight with Julio and wants to leave, but Ron convinces him to stay as this would be his 3rd strike and would lead to expulsion. Shameika continues to defy Ron and one day he gets frustrated, manhandles Shameika's desk, while she was sitting in it. He is disgusted at his actions and leaves.
Ron spends the day with Marissa Vega (Melissa De Sousa), a fellow waitress from the restaurant and tells her how he gave up. Marissa makes him realize that the kids feel this helpless every day. She tells him not to give up.When Ron shows up, the kids admire his resilience. He offers to drink a chocolate milk for every 15 mins the class listens to him teach. This works.Ron makes a deal with Shameika, that if he can learn the Skippy rope jump, then the class has to learn everything for their next grade. After a lot of effort, Ron learns it.
Ron creates rap songs to help the kids to learn. The grades start to improve. He tries to give extra classes to help them further. Shameika's mother makes her baby sit her brothers and sisters while she works 2 jobs, so Ron babysits for her and cooks' dinner for the family to help her complete the homework. Shameika starts respecting Ron. Ron convinces her mother that Shameika has great potential and that helping her can land her into a really good middle school. The mother agrees to extend professional babysitting services to help Shameika.Tayshawn attacks Julio and is about to be expelled, but Ron fights to keep him in school.
Ron falls sick and is advised total bed rest but continues to teach since it is only 4 weeks to the exam. He collapses in class and is taken to the hospital. Since he can't go to school he records his classes and sends the videos for the kids.Even a week before the tests, the kids are failing their mocks. Ron gives them a pep talk saying that they are not losers and can do anything that they set their sights on. Even Tayshawn comes aroundThe test starts. Ron takes the class for a Broadway show after the test. Ron finds that Tayshawn has an amazing talent for graffiti but is being abused by his foster parents. Ron helps him find a new foster home.The results come in and the class scores highest in the state. Shameika scores perfect in English and Math. Ron Clark writes a book on his rules, that goes on to be a best seller. He opens his academy in 2006.
