- THERE'S SOMEONE IN OUR AUDIENCE
I WANT TO TELL YOU ABOUT.
HER NAME IS JULIE PATEL.
SHE'S A FIRST-GRADE TEACHER WHO SPENDS
HER OWN TIME AND MONEY TO MAKE SURE
THAT HER STUDENTS HAVE EVERYTHING THEY NEED,
AND THAT IS WHY SHE IS AN INSPIRATION TO ME.
LOOK AT THIS.
[gentle guitar music]
- NUMBER THREE.
all: WRITE IN MY RED WRITING JOURNAL.
- MY NAME IS JULIE PATEL.
I AM 30 YEARS OLD,
AND I AM A FIRST-GRADE TEACHER AT PARKER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
IN QUINCY, MASSACHUSETTS.
EVERY DAY, I COME INTO THIS CLASSROOM
THAT I LOVE SO MUCH,
AND IT'S FILLED WITH THE MOST SPECIAL LITTLE PEOPLE.
THESE PEOPLE, THEY SOMETIMES DON'T HAVE A LOT,
BUT THEY HAVE HOPE, AND THEY HAVE LOVE.
A LOT OF OUR STUDENTS COME FROM TOUGH BACKGROUNDS.
80% COME FROM AN ASIAN BACKGROUND.
A LOT OF THEM HAVE MOVED HERE FROM CHINA,
AND WHEN THEY ARRIVE HERE AT THE SCHOOL,
THEY DO NOT SPEAK ENGLISH AT ALL.
THEY MAY NOT EVEN HAVE AN ENGLISH NAME YET.
WHATEVER THEY NEED, WE MAKE SURE THAT THE FAMILIES GET.
LAST YEAR, FOR EXAMPLE, I HAD A LITTLE BOY.
I NOTICED HIS TOES WERE LITERALLY
POPPING OUT OF HIS SHOES.
SO I JUST WENT OUT AND GOT HIM SOME NEW SNEAKERS.
EVERYTHING YOU SEE IN THIS ROOM, ASIDE FROM THE CURRICULUM BOOKS,
I HAVE PURCHASED MYSELF.
[chuckles]
I SPEND PROBABLY SEVERAL THOUSAND.
WHEN THEY LEAVE MY CLASSROOM-- WHICH WILL KILL ME...
[laughs] IT DOES EVERY YEAR IN JUNE--
I JUST--MY WISH FOR THEM IS THAT THEY--
THEY GO OUT INTO THE WORLD AND THEY DO GOOD.
I WANT TO LEARN "I LOVE YOU."
- WO AI NI. - WO AI NI.
[laughter]
WHY IS THAT SO FUNNY?
WE DO A LOT OF FUN THINGS.
I'VE ACTUALLY STOLEN-- WELL, I BORROWED.
I SHOULD SAY "BORROWED."
I BORROWED FROM ELLEN.
WE PUT ON SOME MUSIC,
AND I DANCE OVER TO MY READING CHAIR.
- [singing] SHARE YOUR SILENCE
- FOR ME, THIS SCHOOL IS MAGIC.
IT'S A PLACE WHERE I THINK ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN.
AND WHEN YOU TEACH SOMEONE TO BELIEVE IN THEMSELVES
AND TO BELIEVE IN HAPPINESS AND JOY AND TO SPREAD IT,
THEY--THEY BELIEVE IT TOO.
- [singing] BRING YOUR SECRETS
- I LOVE YOUR STORY, AND I LOVE--
YOU REALLY LOVE TEACHING.
YOU WERE JUST BORN TO TEACH. - I LOVE IT.
I WAS BORN TO TEACH, YEAH.
YEAH, THAT'S PRETTY MUCH TRUE. [laughs]
I LOVE WHAT I DO, AND I--
I FEEL LIKE THERE'S NO BETTER JOB
THAN TO BRING OUT THE BEST IN LITTLE PEOPLE
AND TO SPREAD JOY AND MAKE THEM HAPPY.
- THE MOST IMPORTANT JOB.
[applause]
YOU SPEND-- AS WE SAW IN THE PACKAGE--
YOU SPEND THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS OF YOUR OWN MONEY.
WHAT DO THEY NEED THE MOST?
- OH, IT'S SO HARD TO SAY.
THEY--I MEAN, SO ALL OF OUR STUDENTS,
THEY LIVE IN A 2-MILE RADIUS OF OUR SCHOOL,
SO THEY WALK TO SCHOOL.
AND WE LIVE IN BOSTON. IT'S COLD.
AND SOMETIMES I'LL SEE THEM WITHOUT HATS AND GLOVES.
AND I'M LIKE, "WHERE ARE YOUR HATS AND GLOVES?"
SO I BUY THEM THAT, I BUY THEM SNEAKERS,
CLOTHES IF THEY'RE WEARING THE SAME THING EVERY DAY,
CRAYONS, PENCILS, FOOD.
- THEY'RE LUCKY TO HAVE YOU AS A TEACHER.
THAT'S AMAZING.
I MEAN, WE NEED MORE OF PEOPLE LIKE YOU...
[applause]
RAISING-- HELPING RAISE THESE YOUNG KIDS.
WELL... - THANK YOU.
- YOU TEACH AT PARKER ELEMENTARY.
AND LET'S SEE WHERE JEANNIE IS RIGHT NOW.
LET'S JUST TAKE A LOOK AND SEE WHERE SHE MIGHT BE.
- JEANNIE!
- HI, JULIE!
HI, MRS. PATEL!
- I LOVE YOU GUYS!
- [squeals] HELLO!
- HI, JEANNIE.
- HI. - HI, ELLEN.
HOW ARE YOU? - I'M GOOD.
HOW ARE YOU THERE, JEANNIE?
- OH, MY GOSH, WE ARE DOING SO GREAT HERE.
WE HAVE BEEN SO EXCITED TO MRS. PATEL--TO SURPRISE HER.
ALL OF HER STUDENTS HAVE BEEN SO EXCITED.
SAY HI TO YOUR TEACHER, GUYS. SAY HI!
- HI, GUYS. I LOVE YOU. [students cheering]
I MISS YOU SO MUCH.
- WHAT ROOM IS EVERYONE IN RIGHT NOW, JULIE?
- UM, THEY ARE IN THE "MEDIA CENTER."
- WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? "MEDIA CENTER"?
- [laughs]
THE MEDIA CENTER IS--
IT'S AN INTERESTING COMBINATION.
WE--IT'S OUR AUDITORIUM.
IT IS ALSO OUR LIBRARY.
IT IS ALSO OUR COMPUTER LAB.
AND WE ALSO HOST MUSIC
AND LIBRARY CLASSES IN THERE, ALL AT ONCE.
- WELL, THAT SOUNDS LIKE IT IS A MEDIA ROOM.
I KNOW THAT THE COMPUTERS ARE--
I THINK--WERE THEY THE FIRST ONES EVER BUILT, OR WHAT...
- YEAH, SO--
[laughter]
OUR SCHOOL TURNS 100 NEXT YEAR,
AND WE DON'T HAVE SMART BOARDS AND IPADS
LIKE A LOT OF OTHER SCHOOLS DO.
AND IT HURTS, AS A TEACHER,
'CAUSE YOU DO EVERYTHING YOU CAN,
AND, YOU KNOW, WE'RE STILL NOT--
WE'RE STILL NOT GETTING THEM WHERE THEY NEED TO BE.
- WELL, LET ME HELP YOU OUT HERE,
BECAUSE WE TOLD WELLS FARGO YOUR STORY,
AND THEY THINK WHAT YOU'RE DOING IS INCREDIBLE.
THEY BELIEVE THAT SMALL ACTS MAKE A HUGE DIFFERENCE.
THEY WANT TO GIVE PARKER ELEMENTARY
A CHECK FOR $25,000.
[cheers and applause]
OH, IT'S RYAN! IT'S RYAN.
- HEY.
OH, MY GOD.
I'M GONNA LOSE MY MIND.
- ALSO...
[cheers and applause continuing]
- OH, MY GOD.
- YAY.
WELLS FARGO ALSO WANTS TO MAKE
THE HOLIDAY SEASON SPECIAL FOR YOUR STUDENTS.
JEANNIE, OPEN UP THAT CURTAIN.
- OPEN THAT CURTAIN!
- WELLS FARGO IS GONNA GIVE
EVERY STUDENT A PROPER--
A FULL BACKPACK FULL OF SCHOOL SUPPLIES...
- OH, MY GOD.
- TOYS.
[cheers and applause]
THEY HAVE THEIR LITTLE--
- OH, MY GOD, LOOK AT THEM.
- WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK.
[cheers and applause]
- TAKE A BACKPACK!