Half Nelson

One, two, three,

four, five, six

Seven, eight, nine,

ten, eleven, twelve

Okay.

--auditions for Miss Jackson

step rehearsals.

Step rehearsals will meet

in room 326 after school today.

Aww.

What is history?

Opposites.

You can read the board.

I'm so happy to hear that.

No, what is it?

What does it mean?

Stace?

Change?

Thank you, Stacey.

I'm glad to hear

someone's paying attention.

History is the study

Of change over time.

and what's change?

It's this.

It's opposites.

It's two things that

push against each other

in opposite directions.

So the civil rights movement,

okay, it's essentially,

It's two opposing mentalities.

In the south,

the majority believes

All men are not created equal,

and there's a minority

Who believes that they are,

so that minority struggles

and it fights and it pushes

till eventually

It becomes the majority.

Am I boring you?

Huh?

Let's give you some examples,

okay, of opposing forces,

Like I'm going to go

night and day.

What else?

Big and little.

Good.

Anything else?

Left and right.

Left and right, very good.

Stace?

Me and you.

You and I.

Teacher, student.

Anything else?

Mr. Dunn?

Yeah.

Just wondering if you

could count me and Gina's

baldheaded sister as opposites.

Oh, insult.

Gina come on, tell me you're not

going to take that?

You got a bald sister?

Is your sister bald?

Give me something.

May 17, 1954.

Oh.

and I expect some thought

from you.

I don't want

just dates and facts.

I want to know why.

I want to know consequences.

I want to know what it means.

All right.

Now, back to the bald sister.

What's going on with that?

Right.

Left.

Back.

Forward.

I'm shooting.

You got your girl open

over here.

She's sending out smoke signals

over here.

She's got the fire.

She's going I got it over here

and you're like--

Come on, get open.

Oh, yeah.

Drey?

You going to put that down

and come play or what?

I ain't done yet, Coach.

All right, top of the key,

three passes, here we go.

Thursday, 11:
16 a.m.

Hello, this is Taylor calling

from Consolidated Credit.

This is an urgent message

For Mr. Daniel Dunn

Regarding your

outstanding balance.

Please call me back as soon--

Thursday, 5:
25 p.m.

Hey, Dan, it's Rachel.

I'm in town for a while.

You know, my Mom, anyway,

I know it's been forever,

But I'd really like to see you.

I don't know.

I'll be at my parents

so give me a call, okay?

Bye.

Thursday, 5:
25 p.m.

Hey, Dan, it's Rachel.

I like Oprah.

I love Oprah.

But the thing is I was just

f***ing things up just

to f*** them up.

Right, right.

No.

You know what I mean?

Right.

But I was a writer.

I hate words.

Yeah.

Right, because everything

that is worth--

Right, just forget it.

so you're a teacher?

I'm a teacher.

and what am I supposed

To teach them, you know

what I mean?

What am I supposed

to teach them?

Right.

That's the point,

you know what I mean?

Yeah.

If you can help one student.

Yeah.

No, if you can change

One person, right?

If you can change one person--

Then you can change them all.

No, that's not the point.

The point is, if you change one.

I want to dance.

Then you can teach them--

Do you want to dance?

--the rest of the village,

The-- what is it?

I want to dance.

Let's dance.

What's going on, bro?

What's the word?

What's that?

What, this right here?

Mm-hmm.

Some new street sh*t.

Go ahead, man, check it out.

You got to feel that sh*t.

What you think about that?

Yeah, it's not bad.

It's the street sh*t?

That's the street sh*t.

So what you need, teach,

another eighth?

I only got 30.

Word.

It's been a long week.

You want that other thing?

On may 17, 1954,

The supreme court ruled

On the case of Brown

Versus Board of Education,

Making it illegal for states

to segregate public schools.

This was a major step forward

in the struggle

For racial justice

and helped begin

A flurry of bold

and heroic actions

Known as

the Civil Rights Movement.

Get on her.

Sally, get on her.

It's all right, Sally.

Come on.

Come on.

Ballgame, ladies.

Ballgame.

Okay.

Good job.

I like our chances

Against Saint Joseph.

The thing is if we could just

Figure out a way to put the ball

In the hoop it would be fine.

Stace, good job tonight.

Thank you.

You did a great job.

Is there anyone else in there?

No, that's it.

Thanks for tonight.

All right.

Bye, Mr. Dunn.

What are you doing here?

Came to check out

Some basketball.

I heard this was the place.

We need a little work,

But we're having fun so, yeah.

How are you?

Same old, same old.

I'm happy to see you.

It's good to see you too.

You look good.

Come on, I got fat.

Oh, I know, but it looks great.

You look healthy.

Do you want to go get some--

I can't.

I got to--

Just like a quick coffee.

I just want to--

To get some coffee?

Yeah.

I can't tonight.

Do you want to do it

Another night?

Okay.

Hey, how's your Mom?

Did you get my messages?

Hello?

I'm coming in.

Anyone?

Somebody in there?

Oh, sorry.

That's okay.

It's okay.

I'm fine.

I'm sorry.

Are you okay?

Can you help me up?

Are you okay?

Yeah.

Okay, good.

It's gonna be fine.

Some water?

I'm sorry, but I'm fine.

Just don't go, okay,

Just for a minute?

Just for a minute?

See you tomorrow?

Hey, kiddo.

How's Darrel's leg healing?

I don't know.

You didn't go to the hospital?

No.

Did your father pick you up

from practice last night, Drey?

No.

F***ing sh*t.

How did you get home?

Mr. Dunn.

Who?

Coach.

I'm tired of this.

Something has got to change.

I don't know what.

You don't got to worry about me.

Oh, look at you, Miss 12.

Thirteen, I'm 13 now.

Oh, so you grown, huh?

Going to take care of yourself,

Is that it?

Pretty much.

Well, that's a relief.

I guess I ain't got to cook up

these burgers then, huh?

Hey, Mom, you know this dude

Cesar Chavez

on Spanish Six?

Cesar who?

Cesar Chavez.

He once fasted for 35 days.

That means he didn't eat

For 35 days,

Something like Gandhi

Used to do.

Mm-hmm.

Think you could do that?

Hi, honey, it's Mom.

Hello?

Hi, um, is Rachel there?

Well, I feel good today.

Anyone else feel good?

Hmm?

I need a volunteer, and I need

somebody who feels strong.

So what we've got here

Is two opposing forces,

Terrence and myself, and we're

pushing against each other.

and as long as one is stronger--

and it looks like it's t--

The change is slow

and consistent.

But once the other side

becomes stronger,

There's a turning point.

Thank you, T.

Make sense?

Okay.

Now, turning points

can happen like that.

They can be physical, or they

can happen on a greater scale,

Like a war or something.

So why don't you do me

a favor and write

Three examples

Of historical turning points

That we've talked about

in class, okay?

What's up?

Have you even opened the

Civil Rights binder I gave you?

The Civil Rights binder

I have opened,

and it's got some great stuff

in it.

I think it's great.

Yeah.

I'm just providing

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes