On the Way to School Page #3

Hand in hand. - Hand in hand.

Nesra, join hands with Redife.

Hand in hand. - Hand in hand.

- Hand in hand. - Hand in hand.

- Okay? - Okay!

Now, write this down.

Did you read it?

Ela, buy me a tulip!

Don't look over there!

Ela, buy me a tulip.

Read it.

What does it write here?

Ahmet!

I'm coming over there!

Here it is, Zlkf.

Metin, this one is for you.

Give it to your parents.

- We want to come, too!

- You won't come.

- Dad! - Yes. - The teacher asked me to give

this to you. You must come to school tomorrow.

Is there a parents'

meeting tomorrow?

A parents' meeting.

Is tomorrow the 15th?

Is it November the 15th?

Thursday.

Is tomorrow Thursday?

Selam aleykum.

First of all, I want to thank you

all for showing up here.

I don't know some of you

but I'm the new teacher.

My name's Emre Aydn.

I'm from Denizli.

I want to talk about the kids'

general performance at the school.

Most of the kids come here

without their notebooks.

For example, Ercan akmak.

I think he's the driver's son.

He's not here, is he?

- No. His guardian's here. - Ercan comes to

the school without a pencil or a notebook.

He comes into class.

I tell everyone...

...to get out their notebooks.

They all take them out. I ask

Ercan if he has a notebook.

And he says 'na'.

I guess 'na' means 'no'.

'Na'! It's not even Turkish.

He says 'na'.

But that's great, teacher.

You're learning a new language here.

They don't know a lot of Turkish.

That's possible.

But if you encourage them

with their Turkish it'll help me a lot.

Because whenever I speak

the kids don't understand me.

In Turkish classes, for example,

I ask them to repeat a sentence.

And they can't even do that.

I mean, their Turkish is very weak.

- Is it OK if I translate for these two

ladies here? - Of course. Go ahead.

We've put up with the kids for years.

It's your turn now. What can we do?

- Please, translate. - He wants us

to send the kids to the school clean.

Their clothes, uniform, pencils

and notebooks should all be clean.

And send them to school on time

not at the crack of dawn.

- The school has opening times.

- What time should they come?

- The school opens at 07.30 a.m.

- At home...

...teach your kids to be quiet.

Do you understand?

Just keep trying.

We trust you with our kids.

Even if we are wrong, at the end

you're the teacher. You know better.

You're the one

who does the teaching.

- Forgive us, teacher if we're wrong.

- Please, don't say such a thing!

No, you don't have any fault.

Let's see. Which one is

better, mine or yours?

- Let me write something, too.

- Vehip, this is my notebook.

This is better.

Sharpen your pencil, then.

Sharpen that pencil.

Sharpen it. Go on.

Sharpen it. Sharpen it.

Go on. Sharpen it.

What is this?

Here it is.

Keep this sharpener. Okay?

- Mum, do you know what

the teacher gave me? - What?

- A green pencil sharpener.

- Really? - Honestly.

It's really sharp.

I've got a pencil sharpener.

Have you?

- Are you going to eat something?

- What is there?

Molasses and eggs.

I'll eat eggs.

What are you up to?

Fine. Taking it easy.

I'm taking it easy.

No. I'm a bit tired.

I don't know. Moreover, today,

this girl had this thing with her finger.

It was like as if her finger will split off.

A stone hit her.

No, she's not from my school.

The little girl of my neighbour.

Gurbet's sister.

Half of the girl's ring finger

was actually missing.

She was yelling and screaming.

I poured hydrogen peroxide over it.

I doused it in iodine

to stop it getting infected.

Melek, come here.

Come here.

Come on.

Come here, come.

- Does she know you?

- Yes, she knows.

Melek, does your finger hurt?

Thanks for yesterday.

I was so terrified.

I don't know how I got there.

I was sinking in the mud.

My wife said you got

stuck in the mud over there.

Imagine this happened in winter.

This is Emre. Give it

to Emre. Teacher Emre.

- Okay, okay. Bring it to me.

- Give it to him, bring it.

Give it to, Emre. Come on, my love.

Give it to, teacher Emre.

Bring me the empty plate!

- I was on my way to Germany in 1992.

- Have you been abroad?

- I planned to go. - Yes.

- My Turkish wasn't good at those times.

I didn't know anything about politics

or Turkish-Kurdish discrimination.

We were going to go by ship.

The company was sending me.

We had an accountant named zlem.

She gave me a form to fill in.

You know how those forms ask you

your mother's name, father's name?

This one also asked

how many languages you knew.

I figured I knew two languages:

Turkish and Kurdish.

So I wrote two languages.

zlem said she didn't know I knew

two languages and asked what they were.

I said I knew Turkish. She said she also

know Turkish and asked what the other was.

I said I know my mother tongue

and I know Turkish.

- She asked me what that was and

I told her that its Kurdish. - Kurdish.

She just burst out laughing.

Like a whore, excuse me for saying so.

She really laughed

at me and mocked me.

- You see, that's wrong.

- She really mocked at me.

She said to me "You count

Kurdish as a language?"

I said Turkish is my

second language.

I learned Turkish

when I was fifteen.

Doesn't that make it

a second language?

- Now, he speaks Kurdish...

- Foreign language is something different.

But these children! I mean, Heca

and Servet are going to school, right?

- Yes. - They learn a bit of

Turkish from the television.

Why do they go to school?

- To learn Turkish.

- So, what is Turkish to them?

A foreign language.

One they don't know. I accept that.

My dear and valued teacher...

...our kids barely learn

Turkish after five years.

Rojda, come here.

Come here!

Why?

- Write it.

- Okay.

Well done.

It's wrong.

Clean it.

You wrote it wrong.

Rub it all out.

Look. Do it like this.

Hasan, come here.

Hurry up!

Come on!

Run! Run!

Did you do this, Rojda?

Did you write these?

Look at me, look.

Did you do these?

Did you do it?

Did you do it?

You didn't write these, isn't it?

- What letter is this, Zlkf?

- E.

L. A.

A. T.

- I.

- Well, done.

- L. A. - La.

- La.

- L. E. - Le.

- Le.

La.

- Le.

- Le.

- A.

- It's 'La', 'La'!

La.

- Le.

- Le.

- A.

- La! La! - La.

- E. - Okay, you can go, too.

Go, go, go!

- Go on. Go out for break. - Hurray!

- Out you go, Ahmet. Out. Go on!

Okay! Go outside!

Get off!

Get out!

Okay, get out!

Okay, get out!

Get out!

What are you up to, Mum?

Nothing. I was in class.

I sent the kids out to break.

I don't know. I mean, things are

all the same as ever here.

I don't feel like calling.

I don't speak to anyone, anyway.

It's good. As usual.

It's sunny.

It is over!

It is over!

Shall we make an apple?

What's this?

This is grass.

Okay?

This is beautiful.

You like it?

Is it all right?

Is it beautiful?

Did you like it?

Here you are,

continue yourself.

Finish this at home, okay?

- Goodbye. - Goodbye, teacher.

- Goodbye, goodbye.

Goodbye, goodbye.

Goodbye. All right.

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes