Mike Makes His Mark (1955)

Hey, Mike. You want to be more careful. You could hurt somebody. Keep your hands off me. Sorry, Mike. Didn't mean to grab you. Those teachers are going to have a rough time with that one. Hi, Eddie. Hi, kid. What are you doing here? I thought you were going to make the old man get you a work permit. He says we got to stay in school. Well, nobody can make me if I didn't want to. Okay, move it along. So long, kid. Be a good boy and uh mind the teacher. No, we're not. It's still just a school. Nobody can make me go if I don't want to. Okay, so they made me late. Boys. Maybe some cleaning fluid, huh? No one is to remove it. I want it left there. I am Mr. Tollefson. Your principal. I'm glad to be able to welcome you students and teachers alike to our beautiful new school. A place where we will work and learn, yes, and play, too. And we will learn to do all of these things together as responsible members of our school community. However, unpleasant as it is for me to speak of this on our first day of school, I find it necessary to bring up something which concerns us all. Someone, someone of us here in this assembly has deliberately made a black mark on the clean wall outside the main entrance. That mark on the wall is the first black mark against us, against our school. I have given orders it is to be left there. Every time you go in or out, notice it. Think what it means. That first week, as the students began to get used to their new school, Miss Dewey was beginning to know her students. This was no haphazard process of her feelings and first impressions, but a careful, objective effort to understand each student's needs, interests, and where good teachers could best give guidance. The cumulative record of a student, his past achievements, his aptitudes, his health, the suggestions of previous teachers were all a help. Miss Dewey did not use these records to judge her students, but only to help her understand and guide them. There was Charlie. Charlie. Big as any man, but so awkward. Behind in reading, too. And Ann. Quick, brilliant. A challenge to any teacher to keep her doing the best that's in her. Gene. Wanting to be liked, but so shy. I almost hate to call on him and see his blushing struggle to express his ideas. Frieda. Such a pretty girl. Self-conscious because she can't afford clothes as nice as the other girls. Frank. Popular, a good student. You just know he'll be on the student council. And then there's Mike. I wonder. One thing. No one's going to tell Mike. He'll make his own decisions. If only he isn't trapped into making all of his decisions against things. Against the school. Against his parents. Against the teachers. Mike's cumulative record. Health, apparently all right. Sight and hearing, average. Work habits, interests, abilities, me. mathematics, somewhat above the average. Achievement not up to what he could do. Hmm. Two full years below his grade in reading. This will take some extra work. Mike Fred. Certainly. I'm sure. I'm sure we can work it out. Thank you, sir. And what's bothering this English literature and composition? Problems? Not really. It's just that here's a boy I think you should get to know. An ounce of prevention, eh? Oh. Mike. Well, Mike's not a bad boy, really. It's just that the first paper he's written has some ideas about quitting school. Get a job and have money of my own. He's behind in his reading, too. And he'll get further behind unless he has help. I just think you should get better acquainted with him. Sure. I'll make it a point to see you. The program at the new school soon began to absorb the students. But Mike Mike wouldn't go along. School was still just something he had to put up with. Well, Mike You like this electrical stuff? Uh, it's okay, I guess. Anybody could do a better job than that. Oh, looks pretty complicated to me. Ordinary 32 band social farm, not even high five. Well, you know more about it than I do. Are you taking electrical shop? No, not till next term. Well, maybe you ought to join the Kilowatt Club. They're meeting this afternoon, I see. Oh, what do I know? Well, I got to get back to my study hall. Well, let's go down to my office. I've got some books down there on electronics that you might be interested in. Of course, if you've got some studying that you just have to do When Mike first came to my office, he was understandably suspicious. What was I trying to put over on him anyway? But a school counselor is in a good position with the kids. My job helping them talk about problems. Stuff like this is all right, but I don't see what good all that English and history and reading junk is ever going to be. Those guys died a million years ago. What do they know about things the way they are now? Once I get out of school and in the radio work, all those all that reading junk won't do me any good at all. You just don't want any more school, do you, Mike? Maybe you should go around to some of those kilowatt meetings, do some extra reading on electronics. You'd be really ready for a job when you graduate. I can get a job, all right. Eddie Frank did. Besides, I know a lot about radio already. Mike, all of us grow up and have an itch to quit school, get a job. A man named Mark Twain wanted to be a steamboat pilot. He was one of those guys that lived a million years ago. Anyway, there was another boy in his town, a year or two older. Maybe you know some kid like this. Whenever his boat was laid up, that boy would come home and swell around in his blackest and greasiest clothes so that nobody could help remembering that he was a steamboat man. And he used all realities in his talk as if he was he forgot common people could not understand them. This fellow had money, too, and hair oil. Also, an ignorant silver watch, showy brass watch chain. But some of us could not get on the river. Our parents would not let us. Well, what happened? Oh, Mark Twain got to be a steamboat pilot, all right, and a good one. It's all written down here for anybody who wants to read it. You can take it along with the others if you like. Okay. One of the good things about the new school program is that the teachers have time to meet regularly and discuss better ways of reaching students who have special problems. And I've just about reached the end of my patience with him. Perhaps some of you could give me a little clue that would help me get closer to him. I've been wondering how long it'd be until someone brought Mike up in these discussions. He shows absolutely no interest or desire to learn in math either. I've had a talk with Mike. He wants to quit school. Going to radio work or some kind of electronics. Mike's record shows that he does have a special interest in math and radio work. Also seems interested in music. Apparently though, he's never had any very special record in any of these things. Will you go up to Miss Trent in room 309? She can really make reading interesting, Mike. Do give her a chance. Okay. Oh, and Mike, tell Mr. Kendall what you decide about the orchestra. Nuts to this reading stuff. I just walked out. That'd show them. How long is old man Carlson going to leave it there? Hi Eddie. Well, hi kid. What do you say? You looking for a job? I want to fix you up with a boss. Me and the boss are just like that. You want we should stay like that, you just keep bending the handle of that shovel. Maybe you've got a job I could do. Look kid, it's easy to grab the handle of a shovel. It ain't so easy to let it go. Eddie, kid, you belong in school. So long Eddie. Mr. Thompson, I was wondering if you have a job I could do here. Any kind of a job. I know a lot about wiring and TV sets and radios already. All right, Mike. If you want to come in after school, sweep up, burn the trash, wash the windows, anything to make yourself useful. I'll pay you, oh, say, 50 cents every afternoon. You understand you've got to finish school before anybody will give you a real job. Oh boy, when do I start? Sure, working in a radio shop after school is fine. But you told me that Mr. Thompson says you ought to finish school. And to do that, you'll have to pick up on that reading. Oh, nuts. Why does a good guy like Tatum have to spoil everything? And what about playing in the school orchestra? Have you decided to try it? Oh, sure. I guess so. Now, I know we haven't been playing together very long. But, if we're going to be ready for the music festival, it means that we've all got to practice our parts individually, as well as with the others. Homeroom with Miss Julie was turning out to be a busy, interesting time. Here, they got the school news, arranged and planned their activities, and learned and studied the things that we used to study only in courses labeled civics, geography, history, or English. And in spite of himself, Mike began to realize that quite often the class was working and studying and talking in terms of things that he really wanted to know. Also, with the increase in population, many home appliance stores, including radio and TV shops, has sprung up in the community. The competition between these stores is very great. Some may go out of business. But, even so, everybody expects an increase in the number of servicemen needed, especially for television sets. Work like this requires special training on the part of servicemen. From all indications, Yeah, can't just anybody monkey around trying to fix a television set. Even the reading wasn't as bad as he'd expected. Miss Trent let him read about electronics, showed him how to get more books and magazines from the library. She even seemed to understand something about electronics just from helping Mike read. But it was still a lot easier just to dream of having a job and money and a car like Eddie Frank's. Of course, there was the orchestra and practicing for the music festival. Mike Let me show you how to operate a tube tester. Now, first Look, I promised this for 5:00. Here's the instructions on how to operate this thing. You go ahead with it. It's all written out right here. With with off button dep depressed that depressed it. With off button that depressed it. Haven't you got that done yet? It's all right here in the book. Anybody should know enough to follow instructions. Now, let me in here. But heavy tangled undersea grass often That's a long O, Mike. How do you pronounce OW? O. Yes. Growth. That's right. Often trap the divers. That's fine, Mike. You're getting to understand the vowels very well. Next time we'll just go on with this lesson. Miss Truman, can you read this? Let's see. Operating instructions for tube tester. With the off button depressed. Now, that means you take the off button and push it down. Depressed means push down. Connect the attachment plug. How could she know anything about radio just from reading? You know, I put the end of a Yes? I'm Mr. Tatum, Mike's counselor at school. Oh. Has he got into some trouble again? Oh, no. No, nothing like that. Won't you come in? Thank you. Mike and I have got to be pretty good friends. I'm Mike's father. Pleased to know you, sir. Won't you sit down? Thank you. It's really a part of my job to get acquainted with the parents. Not much. Just something that Mike brought home. It's about steamboats on the Mississippi. The guy that wrote it knew what he was writing about. Oh, these are Mike's sisters. Hello there. Are you coming to hear Mike play in the orchestra? Mike didn't say anything about an orchestra. Oh, please, can we go, please? Please, Daddy. Now, wait a minute. Mike's supposed to be in school to learn something, to get ahead. Why is he just time in an orchestra? Some things are good to learn and do just for the satisfaction you get out of them. Anyway, it's pretty important to Mike. Well, maybe. I don't know if those are any good. How's he going to pay off? Mike's always been musical. I still don't see what Mike Uh, he's probably out with a friend. Like him. Eddie had told all of us and Frank what to do. It would be years yet before Eddie even began to wonder if he hadn't missed something. Come on, Steamboat. Make your shot. Where do you get this Steamboat business? Just some guy wrote about in a book. Uh, books. Nuts. I brought back your book. It's pretty good. He is the best. I'm sorry I wasn't home last night when you came over. The old man's all steamed up about coming to the music festival. Even gave me dough to get tickets. I don't see what all the fuss is about. Just coming to an old school. Throwing stuff around and banging things. Well, so it was me that made the mark. They don't have to leave it there forever. What do you want to do about it, Mike? Let's go down and see Mr. Tolliver. Hi, kid. Came around to see how you were doing. What makes the difference between a Mike and an Eddie. Other books leading works and his father's question. Do good schools, good teaching, really make the difference? Perhaps it's the home. Maybe it's Mike himself. It's all of these. Mike has begun to show the mark of a man.