Robert Coles: Teacher; 101

This is a film about Robert Coles documentarian writer. Teacher. For more than a decade Dr. Coles has lectured to students at Harvard University encouraging them with great books and his own stories to explore what matters most in their lives. This film was taken from five of those lectures. 1060 Robert Coles traveled to Biloxi Mississippi as a young Air Force lieutenant assigned to a psychiatric detail in nearby New Orleans. He met and befriended a 6 year old girl named Ruby Bridges the first black child to cross the color

line in that city's public school system. This is the story of that encounter. One day I drove from blocks to where I were. And suddenly I see that the streets are blocked off. And I. Asked one of the usual. I went to the net. And I. Saw that there were a lot of people on the streets a lot of police. So I got out on my. Own i want to police. What's going on trying to get over the garden and he said if you want to see what's growing and what we have to face and. Just go a couple blocks. You'll see. I walked over there. And I was. Sort of forming an American school building. The Friends School.

There must have been more. And they were standing and screaming. And I got. And the world was coming. And I noticed. There was one. She was a little girl.

What was. It. I waited for.

This come. Back. Driving home. From. School. To go into the. School. Learning of the girl for you. Was in my. Mind I remember. One time or another and they brought the past

in their home. And I knew I knew what was something. Mark. And I brought her in my.

Room and they are very upset. And I want to ask you something because it struck me. Yes. She's hot.

You were. Treated patients in the crane hospital. I. Thought. I don't mind my trying to guard. A strange girl. It's hard. He said because I've gone to town. And he's talked to a couple walks away from school and she explained you arranged with the. MARSHAL. The brain from home. Before to walk before the war and who walks away from

you for a year ago. Because I don't know what you're doing. And. I've heard this before. I figured someone said this before in my history of the war. Have you been saying this prayer Florence. What is.

This little girl with an ornament. For. Her return. Which is. Try. A. Route. When she was through she would run a call out for the start of coming up North Chicago or Philadelphia. She had a brother sister with. Her and her. Mother from her right out of one of those toy stores. She got out.

Of school before the bank and. When she'd come. Down for a little three and be up for the Cure. You're born. Standard. Curve word possibility opportunity. What. Are some kind of forgiveness. Under. Stress. They had some. Forgiveness for her. Some kind of understanding and forgiveness which turned bad memory from my girl. And Amos they knew Jesus and they knew they knew really was a crowd that is friends were fishermen.

So sure you would go to school worn down parents. Will know you didn't. Chuckling over the words. Didn't become what we need and even for for which are not exactly rebels. The prophets of Israel stood outside the gates and protested protested. He then took. To Heart to transfer. He was a little girl. He

was doing. What. Truck. Good. It's a corker we're. Looking for. People are. And.

Oh. And. I want. Some of your. Success. But. There's a hope. But if one of those. The. Three people I've. Got. Some. Yeah.

Draw. She. And who. What Raymond Carver. Two summers ago early on. You'd been smoking cigarettes. The Doctor. He said. He said I counted third before I

quit. I wouldn't. And. I didn't. Have to.

And. And and and. And. And how hard but. To. What are. You trying so hard for. Some of these stories.

One of the great stories. One. Of the two. A boy. A husband and a wife on the West Coast. Is a friend of the wife. Some of her drawing or. She saw an ad in the newspaper to read has come to visit her. She's in the words you come from. There's a bit of a man in a war. And. Talks about.

The wife. And I was in a way. To get him. Watch how they're watching the program. If you were to. Some and find some in your drawer finds and

finds an old bag. Someone. Can become an instrument toward one another and test.

Them for you and they. All right he said. All right let's do it. You found my hand the hand with the pen. He closed his hand over my head. Go ahead draw he said drawing you'll see. I'll follow along with you. It'll be ok. Just begin now like I'm telling you you'll see. Draw the blind man said. So I begin. First I drew a box that looked like a house. It could have been the house I lived in. Then I put a roof on it and either one of the roof I do Spiers crazy as well he said terrific You're doing fine he said. Never thought anything like this could happen in your lifetime did you. Well it's a strange life. We all know that. Go on now. Keep it up. I took up the pen again and he found my hand. I kept at it. I'm no artist but I kept

drawing beside him. My wife opened up her eyes and gazed at us. She'd been asleep. She sat on the sofa her robe hanging open. She said. What are you doing. Tell me I want to know. I didn't answer. The blind man said. We're drawing this evil mean I am a working press star he said to me. That's right. That's good you said sure you got it. I can tell you didn't think you could but you can't can't you close your eyes now the blind man said to me I get it. I close it just like you said or the clothes you said don't go out of their clothes they said keep them that way. He said he said Don't start no draw. So we kept on with his fingers rode my fingers as my hand went over the paper. It was like nothing else in my life up to that he said I think that's it. I think you got it he said. Take a look. What do you think. But I had my eyes closed. I thought I'd keep of that way for longer. I thought it was

something I ought to do. Well he said I looking my eyes were still closed. I was in my house. I knew that but I didn't feel like I was inside anything. It's really something. They're hoping that we become caught up in. There. Go. Get. Some. So you are for. To the possibilities that people offer to us in. Wherever we. Are.

Ill. Students at Harvard and the students all over the world are yearning to know something else about themselves beyond the daily rigors of an academic regimen. Questions about God and about existence and about who we are and and about you know especially in this country how we can become better Americans black and white and all of us in between. One person. I was in Rio de Janeiro while I was working with so called Children children and I will never figure out a girl. Who's being moved. From the role of none of.

The. Recalled worker. You know what. We gave her hunks of coups zero current. And I will never forget that. With her heart. To heart. With the girl I don't. Know. What about this girl. Put her money in it so she was tiring or so he was so good I could have some social workers when there were information.

How does one understand this mixture of dress her dress for a night time. For very good and your. Right to. Thank you. And icon in general. The. Confession. Told story. Stopped. So as a one going and trying to figure out what the Major in humanity is or what I am. A part of the infinite in the word why is the whole problem. Is it possible that man has only now raises question. And. The normal

formulas put this question to her own self. A question so simple really rests on the tip of the charm of every intelligent. QUESTION So simple little Russell and so pulled down the room. I'm going to respond to toast or your remark and. And the book on fashion. By showing you what's from shoulder on. Various parts of the world how wrong as they are true IQ and trying to reflect on this lie and their destination. If there is no. Here is a drawing done by a child called heaven. And how how

hollow out and. Run. The child and why is harder to understand or are one whole one. Which. And I don't know what I see but I'm sure you were away from all those fires and crime. You're no apple. It was. About the group from 5 to work kind of a bare world crying I'm 0 out. In the mood of the world. You aren't. Crying you know and

you know and you're right I'm. A. Line. Worker for the crime. And the dawn. Of the boring earth. Just a little. You're. Just a child just crying. Point to the war and the point on where we got aware. You know when its president who. You are going up

and that's where. The boy and you are and. Told. One of those that you know how you are in a room somewhere. Want to run a log and I forget. Want to learn a lot. You know. We get. Here is a great moment a mom current form mone heard from time to Mammon and the jury. Who are you telling me I can help. To rise from the warm I'm gonna call that. He said We don't own a hand I said I'll call him. He's a good idea. So we call to God all the time to get out of Iraq. All right. Human history of

narcissism. Dogs of Kong mold who run we were told were going to kind of victory form a human I don't outboards. Important moment. This is your duty. We're hearing this through the roof. Who's good who's right and you're charged with electricity in the world. Before I. Entered the room going and no one call you anymore I hadn't heard of this terrible. Five. You have a. Split. The raising of the riser were raised from an

enormous Superman. Superman. This is in Hungary. There's a long year in. Which you know who the song was powerful. This is a great story. This was born from the parable of Roth and I was wrong. I remember what happened or why it's why and she wrote back what. She wrote rock world. And the world. Were read. To her and I was looking around I was trying to figure out if you were drawing what she was doing. I noticed her she had the rags and I know very little of the arm and I really I mean she would be

a strong face. And then of course I realize. For as Francois you. Turning as a song. Board I knew. I've been back for a great way to persuade her to let me I am and from. Her. So you. Were prepared. So for those who are retired or were you know all the time the MA are. Going to. Hurt your dorm and your daughter.

My wife and I were known as family since the civil rights. That girl is. Awareness of time and. He does a lot of. You move every day. From the cheer because she rides to her side and with great pain driving her bar. On the wooden or ham sandwich. And what is she. Not for her recovery. Not from my

No. She removed her. And she hurries for people all over the world. I push through which people are the people. That are having trouble. People who are having trouble. This girl whose promised product or. Made to her because you take this journey in one room. A few times. I guess you were in Maine. And so I asked her whether I always asked her whether I want to have a title for these shoes. She said you can say it's spreading.

You know we're good books. There's we there is a tension. Between a whole universe and social reality through the great tension that informs our world religions. And maybe informs our. We want to be practical. We want to be realistic. We want to and I know work with and figure things out right. You are and why they're out her way. But there is another side of. It. All of you know of the sum of goodness and decency some dream remembered from that world and. All things. Christmas. OK we can stop and think. That. Between a pint of Guinness and a box. On a roof or a

kind of momentary once in a while. On the part of. That. Understand what we're assured just and will continue and whose. Ill. Knowledge and living knowledge and wisdom knowledge and being a human being. Knowledge and behavior don't necessarily go hand in that. But one can. Do well here and get lots of good grades as girls would say flunk life. I was driving the cut throat competition whether it be on the road on the road to take

on the interview on the. Car or Red Riding. Everyone doing under the goddam red white. And there is that kind of shit that you really know. We bring an interesting and caught me. This time. My. Here and there. Are. A couple of thing I. Heard.

Where are you. I knew you were trying to figure out a way to get off for good. Award. So I've put on the radio. Oh you're opening up your mails from where we. Are. And why I'm there. True. Very true.

Truth. I. Am. The. And.

Yeah. Some of us were in there. And for the first time this fear which is. Of. A moment of. Someone you are by the grace of God or circumstance. A year later I notice. I guess 490 bad we introduce our. Brain. What about that.

Oh. No. They're gone. Yeah. And. Then. Oh. You. There. Was a.

A. How so. I've read books. Where you guys we're talking. Personal as it's called. And that sentiment. Across the river. A woman talked about her struggle with this and I told him about my mother.

She told a story she took from spittle. With. Her mother's ribbing with toast. She's got a bad deal for her for a run at our core. My brother yours. So you're wearing. Her she took and she was before she struck up a new shirt. She spent three weeks with a pretty woman. We would. We would order. She took away her bed.

And she brought. Some woman. It kind. Of. I. Heard from. Him. And as. He strode toward.

The. Dog. To. Car. And if. I could. I would have brought. He. When you.

Yeah. He. And. And I was with her. Right. And. I. I'm tired and I'm. Sure. You're on. The

ground. No. I said. And. Or she wouldn't. You. I mean. I didn't. Think. So. And. If you're going I'm going to have to pray for you.

How are. These moments. Of. History and. These chances. To be ours. How do we become a. Star. Thing. And. I'm supposed to be a big shark. I know. I have to use word doctor who hurt. The. Earth. And with what you know. Yeah. Period. Why. Why.

Who. Saw the story before. Watch. Watch watch how. And why. And. Write us trying to be good will be good. And husband. Were with Warner. And the country.

Huge Warner. In the way. Hold on. They're strong. Here their affection their disappointment their yearning. You are. Well. We. Are Who You. Are.