INT. CLASSROOM- DAY

ELIZABETH DILLARD, a fifty year old school teacher, is
working with her students. She is dressed in navy capri pants
and a white sweater. She is a very well put together women
who has a calming personality to everyone around her. Outside
the classroom you can hear other students SCREAMING and
LAUGHING. Elizabeth is seated at a round table helping two
kids, HENRY and GABE, who are both in the third grade.
HENRY
I can't focusssssssss. All I can
hear are the other kids screaming
on the playground.
MRS. DILLARD
I know it's hard, but it's
important that you understand this
lesson.
GABE
I just wanna go play. Please,
please, please?
MRS. DILLARD
The other kids are playing right
now, but you two need a little
extra help.
Mrs. Dillard takes their notebooks and writes more math
problems. The other students flood in from recess and all
grab their lunches from their backpacks. Mrs. Dillard looks
up from the notebook and puts her pen down.
MRS. DILLARD (CONT’D)
You two can go to lunch.
INT. BREAK ROOM- DAY
Elizabeth walks into the break room to find REBECCA TUCKER,
the forty year old principal on the phone. She is a tall
women who is wearing a pencil skirt and a button up. Her
nails are painted light pink and he wears a pearl necklace
with matching ear rings. Elizabeth sits on the opposite side
of the room from Mrs. Tucker.
Other teachers enter the room. MRS. DIXON, MRS. KELLY and
MRS. GREENLEE who are all in their twenties, and all have
bleach blonde hair.If you didn't know they were teachers you
have thought they belonged in a sorority house.

MRS. TUCKER
Good afternoon ladies, how were
your morning classes today?
MRS.DIXON
Fucking awful, none of them listen
to me. Honestly I have just given
up.
MRS. KELLY
I hear ya. I ended up sending four
of my students into the hallway
just because I couldn't deal with
them.
MRS. GREENLEE
I just really hate kids.
MRS. TUCKER
Why do you think I became
principal? I couldn't stay in the
classroom with those little
monsters anymore. How is your day
going Mrs. Dillard?
MRS. DILLARD
Good, I really think I am making
progress with some of my students.
All the other teachers roll their eyes in response. Mrs.
Tucker gets another PHONE CALL and gathers her things.
INT. HALLWAY- DAY
Mrs. Tucker is in the hallway answering her phone. She is
trying to balance her lunch, with her purse in one hand. On
the phone is her daughter, GRACE, who is in high school.
Grace is 17 years old and has the attitude that she believes
she should be able to have whatever she wants. She is the
popular girl in high school, but has reached her peak in life
a little early.
GRACE
Mom, I forgot my wallet and I don't
know what to do.
MRS. TUCKER
Why do you need it? Aren't you
suppose to be at school?
2.

GRACE
I left because my hair was getting
gross and I called the hair salon
and they had an open appointment. I
mean to do your best you have to
look your best right?
MRS. TUCKER
Don't worry honey I am on my way.
Mrs. Tucker rushes out of the hallway.
INT. CLASSROOM- AFTERNOON
CUT TO:
Mrs. Dillard is working at her desk. The students have left
for the day. HENRY'S MOM walks in. She is in her late
thirties and has brunette beachy waves. She is naturally
pretty, but has dark rings around her eyes from lack of sleep
and is carrying a cup of coffee.
HENRY'S MOM
Hi, Mrs. Dillard, I am so sorry to
bother you after school hours.
MRS. DILLARD
Oh it's not a problem at all. How
may I help you?
HENRY'S MOM
Well I came in today to talk to
Mrs. Tucker because we have a
meeting scheduled, but when I
arrived she wasn't here.
MRS. DILLARD
I'll call her right now, I'm sure
she is around here somewhere.
Mrs. Dillard pulls out her phone and calls Mrs. Tucker. She
steps into the hallway. Her attitude changes from content to
anger. She raises her other hand of to look at her watch and
begins to tap her foot.
MRS. DILLARD (CONT’D)
You have Henry's mom here and she
says that you were suppose to have
a meeting with her today. Where are
you?
3.

MRS. TUCKER
Shit, shit, shit, I left early
today. Why?
MRS. DILLARD
MRS. TUCKER
Well for your information I had a
very important family matter I had
to attend to. Afterwards I felt
queasy so I decided to take the
rest of the day off.
MRS. DILLARD
What am I supposed to do about the
parent?
MRS. TUCKER
Tell her I had an emergency and
left early. And can you have the
meeting with her? You're his
teacher. Just tell the parent that
we don't think this school is the
right fit for her son.
MRS. DILLARD
I told you I can teach Henry next
year. I am trained to teach
students with autism.
MRS. TUCKER
No he distracts you from other
students. He needs to go somewhere
else.
MRS. DILLARD
No I am not telling her.
Mrs. Dillard walks back into the classroom Henry's Mom is
flipping through her son's notebook. Mrs. Dillard walks to a
desk and picks up more of Henry's work and hands it to the
mom.
MRS. DILLARD (CONT’D)
He really is making a lot of
progress.
HENRY'S MOM
I know, when he does his homework I
can really see the improvement.
4.

MRS. DILLARD
I'm sorry but Mrs. Tucker is not in
currently. She will be here
tomorrow, but I'm afraid she had a
family emergency.
HENRY'S MOM
Oh, well okay, a phone call would
have been nice. Thank you for
checking and thank you for
everything you are doing with
Henry.
INT. MRS. DIXON'S CLASSROOM- MORNING
Mrs. Dillard comes into Mrs. Dixon's classroom to no teacher.
She walks over to a girl named APRIL and a boy named ELIOT.
April is petite for her age, but has exudes confidence which
the other students don't find so charming. Eliot is a
troublemaker and is not afraid of speaking his mind or of
punishment.
MRS. DILLARD
April honey where is Mrs. Dixon?
APRIL
I don't think she is here yet. The
janitor opened the room up for us
this morning. Sometimes she is just
late.
Mrs. Dillard walks to the front of the classroom and CLAPS
her hands.
MRS. DILLARD
I will be back soon to check on
you, but in the meantime please
pull out your math notebooks to
prepare to turn in your homework.
ELIOT
We don't have homework. It's the
best! Mrs. Dixon says she doesn't
like to have to grade because it
makes more work for her.
MRS. DILLARD
Okay, well then please just sit
quietly at your desk. Maybe read a
book.
Mrs. Dillard walks out of the classroom.
5.

INT. PRINCIPLE'S OFFICE- DAY
Mrs. Dillard storms into the principles office to find Mrs.
Tucker on Facebook on her computer. Mrs. Tucker ignores Mrs.
Dillard and both sit in silence for a moment. Eventually Mrs.
Dillard KNOCKS on the door.
Hello?
MRS. DILLARD
MRS. TUCKER
What is it?
MRS. DILLARD
You need to go to Mrs. Dixon's
classroom she isn't here yet.
Someone needs to watch her students
and all the other teachers are with
their students.
MRS. TUCKER
I'm sure they are fine. She comes
in a few minutes late most day's
and nothing that bad has ever
happened. What is a few minutes?
MRS. DILLARD
You have twenty third graders alone
in the classroom, someone needs to
be watching them.
Mrs. Tucker pulls herself away from the computer to look at
Mrs. Dillard. Both of them look very annoyed.
MRS. TUCKER
Did you handle Henry's Mom
yesterday?
MRS. DILLARD
I told her that you had an
emergency, but that you would be in
today if she wanted to come and
talk to you.
MRS. TUCKER
I told you to tell her we won't be
able to have Henry back at the
school next year. Also, I'm leaving
early today because I'm starting to
get a migraine being at work.
6.

MRS. DILLARD
I didn't tell the mother about
Henry because I already told you
that I want to teach Henry next
year.
MRS. TUCKER
I'm the principle here. I'm telling
you that he is not a good fit. I
know what is best for the school.
Now please leave.
INT. MRS. DIXON'S CLASSROOM- MORNING
Mrs. Dillard walks back into Mrs. Dixon's classroom and there
is still no teacher in the classroom. School has already been
in session for ten minutes.
MRS. DILLARD
Come on guy's, you're going to be
joining my class this morning.
We're going to have an outdoor
science class this morning.
All the students get up out of their seats and bring their
notebooks. Mrs. Dillard gets her class and brings them all
outside to do a science lesson over flower pollination. In
the middle of the lesson Mrs. Dixon shows up to school. Her
hair is a birds nest and her shoes are unmatched.
MRS. DIXON
Sorry I'm late, but you didn't need
to take care of my students they
would have been fine on their own.
I was just in a little bit of a
rush this morning.
MRS. DILLARD
They really needed a teacher to be
here to take care of them.
Mrs Dillard looks at her watch.
MRS. DILLARD (CONT’D)
I mean you are twenty minutes late,
I thought someone needed to take
care of them.
A group of little girls, including April run up to Mrs.
Dillard.
7.

APRIL
Here you go Mrs. Dillard we made a
flower crown just for you.
MRS. DILLARD
Oh thank you girls, but you guys
didn't have to do that.
APRIL
We wanted to thank you for taking
us outside.
Eliot is standing a few feet away from the group of girls and
is listening to the conversation.
ELIOT
(In a girly voice.)
Ooooo look at me making flower
crowns for teachers.
(Back to normal voice.)
What a teachers pet.
Eliot reaches down and collects a handful of dirt and throws
it at April and runs away.
Mrs. Dixon doesn't care and motions for all of her students
to gather around to go back inside school.
MRS. DILLARD
Are you not going to do anything
about that kind of behavior.
MRS. DIXON
Kids will be kids. He will grow out
of the phase eventually and she
needs to learn to deal with this
type of stuff anyway.
MRS. DILLARD
Or you could punish him and teach
him it's not right instead of
hoping he will just catch on.
MRS. DIXON
Eh just different teaching styles.
(Screaming)
Time to go back inside kids.
INT. GIRLS BEDROOM- NIGHT
Mrs. Dillard is taking the temperature of her ten year old
daughter, Julia. She is very shy, but is very close with
her mother.
8.

When the thermometer BEEPS it reads that she has a 101 degree
fever. Mrs. Dillard goes to pick up her phone and calls Mrs.
Tucker.
MRS. DILLARD
I'm sorry to be calling so late,
but my daughter is sick and I won't
be able to make it in tomorrow. Do
you think you will be able to find
a sub?
MRS. TUCKER
I will be able to find someone.
Remember if you miss more than 3
days of school on personal days
your bonus will be cut in half.
MRS. DILLARD
I realize, but I can't help that my
daughter is sick. I will be-
Mrs. Tucker hangs up on Mrs. Dillard.
INT. PRINCIPLE'S OFFICE- MORNING
CUT TO:
Henry's mom sits across from Mrs. Tucker. The mom is clearly
upset. Mrs. Tucker has Facebook pulled up and is looking at
it as she is talking to the mother.
HENRY'S MOM
You are saying my child isn't
allowed back at your school next
year?
MRS. TUCKER
We are just saying that as of right
now this school is not the best fit
for your child.
HENRY'S MOM
I talked to Mrs. Dillard yesterday,
Henry is doing great here. I don't
understand what the issue is.
MRS. TUCKER
Well we are a private school, and
we don't have any teachers for
student aid here.
9.

HENRY'S MOM
But Mrs. Dillard is certified in
teaching students with autism. I
know Henry is quite a hard student
to teach, but I just don't
understand. Mrs. Dillard has never
seemed like it was an issue before.
MRS. TUCKER
She can't be spending all of her
time with one student I am afraid.
I am doing this for the other
students. I'm sorry but Henry is
too difficult of a student to
teach.
HENRY'S MOM
How am I supposed to find another
school? It is April and the school
we are districted for will already
be filled up. He will have to go to
a school outside of our district.
MRS. TUCKER
I'm sorry, but there is nothing
left we can do for you.
Henry's mom grabs her purse and leaves the room. Mrs. Tucker
grabs her phone and starts to have a text message.
CUT TO:
INT. GIRLS BEDROOM- NIGHT
Mrs. Dillard is in her daughters bed with her daughter
watching The Office as she receives the text about the staff
meeting.
JULIA
What is it mom?
MRS. DILLARD
Oh it's nothing, I just have a
staff meeting tomorrow morning.
JULIA
Why do you stay at that school? You
have other options.
MRS. DILLARD
I know, but the reason I stay is
because of the students.
(MORE)
10.

MRS. DILLARD (CONT’D)
I have taught my group of kids
since the first grade and I can't
stand the thought of leaving them
now.
JULIA
I know you care for your kids, but
what about the other teachers.
MRS. DILLARD
I know, I know.
INT. CONFERENCE ROOM- MORNING
CUT TO:
All the teachers are seated around a conference table. Mrs.
Tucker is standing up and is facing a white board writing
"Absences."
MRS. TUCKER
Today we are talking about your
bonus checks. As you all know that
to receive your full bonus you can
only have missed three days of
school for personal reasons. Most
of you have not exceeded that
limit, but I am keeping track.
Mrs. Tucker turns to look at Mrs. Dillard
MRS. TUCKER (CONT’D)
Mrs. Dillard you cannot miss any
more school, and the same goes to
you Mrs. Dixon.
Mrs. Dixon nods her head in agreement.
MRS. DILLARD
Wait, not to be mean here, but Mrs.
Dixon is late everyday, and
everyday another teacher has to
cover for her. Do those hours not
add up? And do you plan on giving
yourself a full bonus?
MRS. DIXON
I'm sorry that I am late sometimes,
but it's not like I am gone the
entire day.
11.

MRS. DILLARD
And what about you Rebecca? You
leave half days all the time
because of a migraine. Are you
going to give yourself a bonus
still because you are in charge of
them?
MRS. TUCKER
I am not going to discuss whether
or not I am going to give myself a
bonus. I known I am in charge of
giving them out but I am not going
to discuss what I plan on giving
myself.
MRS. DILLARD
Are you not holding yourself to the
same standard you are all of us?
Mrs. Tucker turns around to erase what she had written on the
white board.
MRS. TUCKER
I think we should change the topic
it to our spring play.
MRS. DILLARD
No, I think we should talk about
our bonus checks.
MRS. TUCKER
No, it is time to move on.
All the other teachers look at the table to not make eye
contact with anyone.
12.