NO SOONER AFTER THE FOURTH-GRADE teacher started telling me about the visitors she had at her school, I knew this was going to be a heartwarming story. A group of graduating high school seniors returned to their elementary school for a special assembly. During their visit, a group of them went to pay a visit to their fourth-grade teacher. She was totally surprised when they walked up to her and luckily, she said she was able to recognize a good portion of them. She told us the students wanted to see her because her class had been their favorite one all through elementary school. They said it was because of her they found excitement and fun in learning. I was happy to hear this because I knew how hard she worked to make her classes a safe, exciting place for her students to explore the world around them. She would be working on lesson plans and activities at home, early in the morning before the school day started, and even at weekends; she was dedicated to her job. I could tell she was moved by the experience, more so when she said the students wanted her to know that each one of them was going to college. This bit of news truly made her day, and I was thrilled for her; she deserved it.      I HAVE ALWAYS SAID ONE OF the hardest and most important jobs is being a teacher. They are entrusted with the task of expanding a child’s mind by teaching them everything from the alphabet to music to history to art to science. Compare the work and pay they get for it to a sports figure (baseball, basketball, football player for example), there is no comparison. In my opinion, it is completely lopsided. Not to “knock down” any sports figures, but having an inside look into teachers’ lives, they are underpaid. Of course, there are some teachers who should never have become teachers; I have seen and experienced them for myself. However, there are so many dedicated teachers who just want to make a difference in a child’s life. My music teacher was the one who solidified my love of music, exposing the class to all types of music from around the world. I also had a great literature teacher who instead of having us give book reports, wanted us to create something to depict a scene or theme from the assigned book. It was such an imaginative way of teaching, I thought. It all comes down to caring, I believe, on what makes a teacher great. A perfect example can be found in this drama based on a true story.      IN A SMALL MEXICAN TOWN, FILLED with violence and neglect, a new teacher arrives who wants his students to have a better chance for opportunities in life. With Eugenio Derbez (Overboard, Dora and the lost City of Gold) as Sergio, Daniel Haddad (Murder City, All the Freckles in the World-TV) as Chucho, Gilberto Barraza (The Land of Silence, Rage) as Papa Palome, Enoc Leano (Roma, Parientes a la Fuerza-TV) as Administrator and Erwin Veytia (The Black Minutes, Go Youth!) as Sr. Garcia; this was such a feel-good story that I enjoyed watching all the way through to the end. Eugenio was outstanding in his role and the rest of the cast was so good as well. The story was fascinating to me; I am positive there was so much more to this story than what was depicted in this picture. And that is the issue I had with this movie; it had a predictable factor that I was able to figure out upcoming scenes. Despite this, I still feel this was a worthwhile film to view and I am glad I got to see it. Spanish was spoken with English subtitles.

3 ½ stars