1) From the teacher's perspective, what would you have done differently in addressing the needs of the little girl? What should have been the process followed?

• I first off would not have singled Mary out in the middle of class. Treating her differently from other kids was part of the problem she had. Another thing I would have done is to call together an ESE committee, with the intent to suggest testing for her mathematical acuity. I agree with how the teacher's encouraged the uncle to place Mary in classes that challenge her more, however dong so at a bar is definitely not appropriate. Obviously, neither is having sexual relations afterward. She also should not have looked online for dirt on her student, but rather checked school records. Ultimately, I think the best course of action would have been exactly the situation Mary had at the end, where she was essentially dual-enrolled in a higher grade level for mathematics, but still took 1st grade classes for her other subjects.

2) How could the grandmother and uncle have reached a compromise working with the teacher and principal?

• The uncle first and foremost should have been called into an ESE meeting to discuss plans for Mary. When the grandmother became involved, she should have also been called in. The two should definitely not have gone to court over Mary until proper discussions were made involving Mary's future. They should have settled their problems outside of school and outside of court before getting Mary's future involved, which would have saved a lot of stress and heartache for all parties involved. Developing the education plan that Mary settled into at the end of the movie took far longer than it should have.

3) What were some aspects to be taken into consideration specific to gifted children? For example her anger issues.

• Obviously, the 1st grade coursework was not nearly mentally stimulating enough. Her angry outbursts are a common occurrence when this happens. I appreciate that the teacher provided extra coursework for Mary to complete when she finished before all the others, but it seemed to be more busywork rather than anything challenging. Having been a gifted student, I can certainly attest that the higher level of mental computing that they have can lead to a superiority complex and inflated ego. Mary displayed this tendency in her disdain of a fellow student, but luckily it seems she was not so maladjusted to not care for him when he was later bullied. Her approach of hitting the kid upside the head with a textbook was certainly unacceptable, but if I were the uncle, I would probably be proud of her too.

4) List 3 good points you took away from the movie and 3 negative specific to education.

• The first good point I took from the movie was that the parents and administrators are just as important for a child's school development as the child themselves. Secondly, I appreciate the uncle's want to give Mary a normal life. Finally, I took away that it is important that as a teacher, it is important to always be aware of the needs of my students, and to look out for any behavioral abnormalities that the might develop.
• The first negative was that the teacher and principal didn't call together a full ESE committee, and instead just talked to the father individually. The second is that the teacher singled Mary out in the middle of class. That certainly would not have helped her mood, outside of letting out a bit of sass. The teacher also seemed to immediately diagnose Mary as gifted, but that was apparent from her demeanor and skill level and a product of a 101 minute runtime, so I can't exactly fault the teacher for than. Finally, I did not appreciate that the family went to court rather than settling everything in the education system. It was too sudden, and caused undo stress to Mary, the one they were trying to protect.