Arranged

Woman: WE'RE FORCED TO HANDLE

THE CHALLENGES OF E.S.L.--

DIFFERENT CULTURAL TRADITIONS,

EVERYTHING THEY ENTER THE CLASSROOM WITH,

SERIOUS FAMILY DYSFUNCTION.

BASICALLY OUR SCHOOLS, NEW YORK CITY SCHOOLS,

ARE ONE BIG EXPERIMENT,

ONE BIG LABORATORY

IN THIS EXERCISE WE CALL

THE AMERICAN EXPERIENCE.

AND WE AS TEACHERS AREN'T EQUIPPED

TO DEAL WITH THE TASK AT HAND.

WE'RE NOT.

THAT'S THE SAD TRUTH.

SO AFTER LUNCH

I'LL INTRODUCE SOME EXERCISES

DESIGNED TO DEMONSTRATE

WHAT WE ALL SHARE--

TEACHERS AND STUDENTS,

BECAUSE OUR RESEARCH SHOWS

THAT BUILDING THIS SORT OF COMMON GROUND

IN THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR

IN THE FIRST FEW WEEKS

IS KEY TO CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT

AND, MORE IMPORTANTLY,

ACADEMIC SUCCESS.

GOD, I GOT COMPLETELY SMASHED. - ENJOY IT WHILE YOU CAN.

EXACTLY-- ONE LAST WEEKEND OF FUN.

TODD MADE THIS KILLER SANGRIA.

SO DID HE ASK YOU YET?

WHAT?!

I'M NOT 100% SURE, BUT I THINK THIS WEEKEND.

WHY? I MEAN, HOW DO YOU KNOW?

JUST A FEELING. - COME ON, A FEELING?

OKAY OKAY, I ALSO FOUND THE RING IN HIS SOCK DRAWER.

NO WAY! - I WASN'T REALLY LOOKING BUT--

LIAR! - OKAY, I WAS KIND OF LOOKING.

I WAS LOOKING.

OF COURSE YOU WERE. AND?

BIG, 1 1/2 CARATS.

I DIDN'T GET A GOOD LOOK AT IT BECAUSE HE WAS IN THE BATHROOM,

BUT I'M GONNA CHECK AGAIN TONIGHT.

SORRY, THE WORKSHOP RAN LATE.

AND SO HOW WAS IT?

FINE.

DIVERSITY TRAINING. I GUESS WE CAN LEARN

HOW TO HANDLE KIDS FROM ALL DIFFERENT CULTURES.

THEY TEACH YOU THAT IN ONE DAY?

NOT AN EASY TASK.

IT'S A WEEK, MATAN.

Matan: STILL, NOT AN EASY TASK.

ARE THEY ALL SCHWARTZES AT THAT SCHOOL?

Matan: AVI, WE DON'T USE THAT WORD IN OUR HOUSE.

AND BESIDES, THEY'RE NOT ALL BLACK.

ARE THEY?

NO.

Matan: OF COURSE. YOU SEE?

THAT'S WHY THEY HAVE THE TRAINING.

ARE THERE OTHER ORTHODOX TEACHERS?

Girl: WHAT? MOM, YOU SAID IT WASN'T A NORMAL YESHIVA.

Matan: HOLD IT. WAIT.

BEFORE WE ASK ROCHEL ANY MORE QUESTIONS

SHE MIGHT LIKE TO EAT SOMETHING TOO.

All: AMEN.

OKAY.

WELL, I WANT TO TELL YOU

THAT YOUR AUNT CALLED THIS AFTERNOON. YOU KNOW WHY?

SHE SCHEDULED A MEETING WITH THE SCHADCHEN THIS SUNDAY.

REALLY? CAN I COME?

Avi: WHAT'S A SCHADCHEN AGAIN? - SHUSH.

I SAID THAT WOULD WORK. IT DOES, RIGHT?

Naomi: FOR THE FIRST MEETING, DOES SHE HAVE A LIST

OR DOES SHE HAVE TO MEET ROCHEL FIRST?

Avi: WHAT'S A SCHADCHEN AGAIN?

SHUSH. - WHY?

BECAUSE.

ROCHEL,

IT'S NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT.

THIS IS GOING TO BE ONE OF THE MOST EXCITING TIMES

IN YOUR LIFE. I PROMISE YOU.

THE MEMORIES OF THAT TIME--

THEY FILL ME WITH JOY.

YOU TOO, RIGHT?

WHAT A GIFT. WHAT A GIFT.

Sheli: STOP. - Matan: TRUE.

I REMEMBER WALKING UP THE STEPS

IN THAT APARTMENT IN LEE AVENUE.

I REMEMBER THE WAY IT SMELLED,

THE LIGHT.

THE COLOR OF THE HALLWAY

I REMEMBER BEFORE I KNOCKED ON THAT OLD GREEN DOOR.

ABSOLUTELY NOT GREEN. A DEEP RED.

RED?

IT'S STILL RED.

BE THAT AS IT MAY,

BEFORE I KNOCKED ON THE DOOR I HAD THIS FEELING.

I HAD THIS INDESCRIBABLE FEELING. I DID.

AND THEN WHEN YOUR MOTHER OPENED THE DOOR...

I KNEW.

WHAT A GIFT.

TRUE.

Principal Jacoby CAN'T WE MAKE A BETTER CIRCLE THAN THIS?

IT LOOKS LIKE A BROKEN EGG.

WELL, THAT'S A LITTLE BETTER.

SO LET'S CONTINUE GETTING TO KNOW EACH OTHER.

TELL US YOUR NAME

AND SOMETHING ABOUT YOURSELF

THAT GIVES US INSIGHT INTO WHO YOU REALLY ARE.

LET'S MAKE IT SOMETHING REALLY JUICY, OKAY?

NOBODY? SHY?

YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TO GET OVER THAT

BECAUSE THESE KIDS ARE GONNA WALK RIGHT OVER YOU

IF YOU DON'T GET OVER THAT. AM I RIGHT,

YOU PEOPLE WHO'VE BEEN TEACHING FOR A LONG TIME?

NASIRA. - OKAY.

WELL, MY NAME IS NASIRA KHALDI

AND I WAS BORN IN SYRIA.

I CAME TO BROOKLYN WITH MY PARENTS

WHEN I WAS FIVE.

UM, MY FATHER WAS A HAFEZ,

WHICH IS BASICALLY A SCHOLAR OF THE KORAN.

AND NOW HE OWNS A GAS STATION ON FLATBUSH.

HE'S NOT SO JUICY.

HE'S A SERIOUS GUY, IN A GOOD WAY.

AND IS THAT WHY YOU WEAR THE HIJAB, THE VEIL?

OH, YOU MEAN, DOES HE MAKE ME WEAR IT?

NO. NO.

PEOPLE ASK ME THAT A LOT, THOUGH,

BUT NO, I--

I CHOOSE TO WEAR IT. IT'S MY CHOICE

AS AN EXPRESSION OF MY BELIEFS

AND MY ADHERENCE TO WHAT'S WRITTEN

IN THE KORAN ABOUT FEMININE MODESTY,

HUMILITY.

I'M NOT SURE IF THAT'S JUICY,

BUT THAT'S SOMETHING. - IT'S PRETTY JUICY.

ACTUALLY, I THINK THE VEIL IS QUITE BEAUTIFUL.

IT'S A FASHION STATEMENT. ISN'T IT?

I BET YOU GET MORE ATTENTION WEARING IT THAN NOT,

WHICH KIND OF DEFEATS THE PURPOSE, DOESN'T IT?

MAYBE.

NO.

ANYWAY... BETH?

OH, WELL, YOU ALL PRETTY MUCH KNOW ME.

I'VE BEEN TEACHING HERE FOR THREE YEARS. BETH CALLAWAY.

GREW UP ON LONG ISLAND. STILL LIVE THERE.

I HATE THAT COMMUTE BUT I LOVE THE KIDS.

SOMETHING JUICY?

I GOT SOMETHING.

UM, OVER THE SUMMER WE WENT TO EUROPE.

AND IT WAS MY FIRST TIME THERE.

AND I HAVE TO SAY THIS,

BUT I FOUND THE WHOLE,

YOU KNOW, TOPLESS SUNBATHING THING

VERY LIBERATING. IT WAS.

SO THERE. - ( women laughing )

ALL RIGHT, JUST DON'T GET TOO LIBERATED AT RECESS

OR THEY'RE GOING TO CLOSE DOWN MY SCHOOL.

ALL RIGHT. FAIR ENOUGH.

HI.

I'M ROCHEL MESHENBERG.

COULD YOU PRONOUNCE YOUR FIRST NAME FOR US AGAIN?

OKAY, SURE. IT'S ROCHEL,

BUT YOU CAN CALL ME RACHEL IF THAT'S EASIER.

NO NO NO. THAT'S YOUR NAME

AND WE'RE GONNA LEARN HOW TO PRONOUNCE IT. ONCE MORE.

OKAY. IT'S ROCHEL.

EVERYBODY... - All: ROCHEL.

Principal Jacoby: BEAUTIFUL.

OKAY.

THANK YOU.

WELL, I'LL BE WORKING AS A PARA THIS YEAR,

WORKING WITH A SPECIAL-NEEDS CHILD,

I DON'T KNOW WHO YET.

I THINK THAT'S BASICALLY IT.

I DON'T HAVE ANY

BIG SECRETS TO TELL. SO...

Principal Jacoby: ARE YOU SURE?

ARE YOU SURE?

DON'T WE ALL HAVE SOMETHING?

IT'S OKAY. ALL RIGHT.

WELL, I THINK THAT'S EVERYBODY. VERY GOOD.

AND WELCOME

TO THE NEW SCHOOL YEAR.

NASIRA.

NASIRA.

I DON'T WANT A DEAF DAUGHTER.

BABA, DON'T WORRY. I'M FINE.

IT'S IN MY NATURE TO WORRY. I CAN'T HELP IT.

I CAN SPEAK TO YOU LATER?

OKAY, OR NOW.

I HAVE TO RUN OUT TO THE MOSQUE NOW.

I HAVE SOME VERY IMPORTANT NEWS TO SHARE WITH YOU,

YA BINTI, ABOUT THE FUTURE.

SO I'LL SEE YOU LATER?

YEAH, OKAY.

MY YOUNGEST DAUGHTER.

HI. IS SHE READY?

Naomi: CAN I COME TOO? - Elona: OF COURSE NOT.

WHY? I JUST WANT TO SEE HOW IT WORKS.