If I were the teacher, I would’ve done a few things differently. If I were the teacher, I would not have tried to pursue a relationship with the parent. I would have talked more with the parent to get a better understanding of the child’s situation, but not pursue an intimate relationship. Also, I would’ve tried seeking out tutoring for the child. Since Mary’s parent didn’t want her to go to the gifted school, I would’ve seeked out other options to teach the child. If Mary’s parent approved of any outside help, I would’ve seeked after it, as the teacher.

One of Mary’s issues was her lack of respect. She would talk back to her teacher, and even the principal. This stems from Mary’s boredom with the classroom; Challenging her abilities in the classroom would help, but you can only focus on one student for so long. A lot of the other issues Mary was facing come from boredom. Keeping her engaged in the classroom would help her in the long run.

One of the things I really liked about the movie was how the teacher [Mrs. Stevenson] handled the situation. Mrs. Stevenson identified that Mary was gifted. Even knowing this, Mrs. Stevenson still cared for Mary as another student; She didn’t stop caring about Mary even if she already knew everything. I also admired the fact that Mrs. Stevenson and administration were willing to lose Mary as a student, just so Mary could have a better education. Finally, the constant help for a child. Mrs. Stevenson didn’t stop trying to help Mary; She even did her own research to understand Mary.

The biggest discrepancy was the oversimplification of the situation. This was a complex situation, with no real right answer; Parenting vs. Child’s Education. The movie makes it seem simple, but this is not a simple question. Another issues that is brought up is gifted education. Mary is gifted, but the school doesn’t have the resources to help her. To receive that education, she would have to go to a school that Mary’s Uncle can’t afford. The final issue is the bus fight scene. Mary is blamed for helping out the kid who was bullied. The bully is made the victim, and the person sticking up for someone else is the problem. This happens way too often in schools today.