Original subtitles

- Hi! - Ok, Francois?

And you?

Stephane... Francois...

- Still on the team? - As ready as ever.

Hello.

- This one? - At the back, please.

Hi, I'm Herve.

A sports teacher here for 3 years.

Welcome to all our new colleagues.

The students can be tough...

but they're good kids.

Hi, I'm Olivier.

I teach physical science...

and I've been here for 4 years.

I'm Patrick,

and I teach multiplication tables,

and sometimes mathematics!

I've been at this school

for a number of years.

Hello, I'm Anne. I used to work in the Lyon suburbs.

I teach English.

I'm looking for my new colleagues.

Hi, I'm Isabelle

Nice to meet you.

I'm Christiane.

I'm Frederic, I teach history and geography.

and I used to work out in suburbs of Paris.

I'm happy to be in the city now.

I'm Julie, the year supervisor. I'd like to welcome you all

and wish you a good year.

I'm Aline and I'm the cook

I'd like to welcome you all.

Thank you, Aline!

Hello. I'm Gilles, I've been teaching mathematics

for many years

I'm retiring at the end of this year

I'd like to wish the new arrivals plenty of courage.

I'm Francois I teach French.

And I'm starting my fourth year here

Welcome everybody.

We'll meet up at midday...

in the canteen for a drink to mark the new year.

You get Wednesday like you wanted!

We could swap our classes

Nice, nice...

Not nice, not nice at all.

He's nice.

Not nice, watch him. Not nice at all.

Nice, not nice.

She's not nice at all.

Arthur, your cap.

Good morning.

That's my place.

Get lost!

Calm down now!

Stop stirring things up

Remove your hood, please

You two back there, there's place here.

- One up front. - There's room here too!

Let's get one thing clear...

We waste 5 minutes lining outside,

5 coming up, 5 setting down:

15 minutes out of hour

Do you realize what 15 lost minutes means?

With 25 hours a week

and 30 weeks in the year,

we lose thousands of minutes.

In other schools, they do a full work.

Imagine how far ahead they get in a year

Figure it out!

We never do an hour.

Hand up to speak.

We never do an hour You always say that!

Teachers say we do an hours class but we never do.

8.30 to 9.25 doesn't make an hour.

All right it's 55 minutes.

That�s an important point

Stop saying other schools do an hour They don't!

All I'm saying is that we waste time. Like now.

To start with,

take out a sheet of paper,

fold it in two so that it can stand

on the edge of your desk clearly

and using block capitals,

write your full name.

Why write our names?

To know who you are

- But you know us! - We had you last year.

Esmeralda, half of the kids here are new.

Be happy. That way people will know your name

I'm not doing it

I won't if you don't

You're right

For those of you who don�t know me, I'm Mr. Marin

- A marine? - Very funny

Corny!

He wiped you out, sir

Come on, it shouldn�t take so long

Five minutes to write a name

It's ridiculous

A biscuit for the firs day?

I'm OK, thanks

Rachel, a biscuit will buck you up

All right. "Witty"

That's word we'll try to explain later.

Are there any other words

that you don't understand?

The word "condescension"

Yes, that's a complicated word.

Do you have any idea

what that might mean?

A vague idea but I'm not sure

You're not sure?

We'll talk about that later then

- Yes, Damien - "Argentine".

Argentine. What does that mean?

It's people who live in Argentina.

Right, the inhabitants of Argentina

Of course not

Damien, who lives in Argentina?

The Argentines

In a soccer match Argentina's players

are called...

Footballers

Let's move on

Any other difficult words in the text?

Henriette

Is there anything that you didn't understand?

"Henceforth".

"Henceforth".

"Henceforth"

Thanks for the prompt, Samantha.

I think that will do, Let's take a look at these words.

All right. Austrian

Wey was the one who picked the word Austrian

Yes, Esmeralda.

We all know what "Austrian" is.

- People from Austria. - Wey doesn't know and...

Maybe, but everyone else knows!

We get the message. You didn't know "misleading"

...so you're not really in any position to talk.

But everyone knows what "Austrian" means.

Nobody's perfect.

- "Austrian" is not a very, important word, Wey.

It refers to someone from the land of Austria,

which is pretty tiny country.

We can live without the word.

Can anyone name a famous Austrian?

Mozart.

- Who? - Wol Fang Amadeus Mozart.

- "Wol Fung" maybe if he were English, not Austrian.

Any other famous Austrians?

Austria could vanish no one would notice.

Seriously, it's south of Germany. So check a map, Wey,

You'll see where it is.

Souleymane,

...can you note the words too?

I forgot my things.

No one can land you some paper...

I'll do it at home.

You'll do it at home. Sure you will. That's your approach

Only work at home.

I'm serious!

If I could be sure of that...

Don't worry. It'll be ok

Let's move on to "succulent".

"Succulent" is a word that we'll try to guess the meaning of.

What's is "succulent"?

Suck

Suck off.

Very funny, Boubacar.

Very witty indeed,

Here's a sentence...

...with "succulent".

"Bill enjoys a succulent...

...cheeseburger. "

Cheeseburgers stink!

- Who said that? - Me.

Why "cheeseburger"?

Well, since you say that, you think cheeseburgers aren't succulent.

Maybe, but they're crap.

OK, but what I just said should have made the penny drop.

- What does that mean? - Mean what?

The penny thing...

To make the penny drop,

No one knows the expression?

If the penny drops, it means you understand.

When I say,

if cheeseburger stink they're not succulent,

that should help you see what "succulent" means.

- What's with the Bills? - What bills?

The name Bill.

You always use weird names.

Weird? A recent US President was called Bill.

Why don't you use Aissata or Rachid or Ahmed...

You always use whitey names.

What names?

- Honky names. - What's honky?

Honkies, Frenchies, frogs.

You're not French?

No, I'm not French.

I didn't know.

I am, but not proud of it.

Fine, I'm not either

Why use these names?

Khoumba, if I start choosing names

to suit all your origins, it'll never end.

Just change a little!

What do you suggest?

Aissata! Fatou, no!

- No, Aissata. - Aissata, Aissata!

Excuse me. You have class 4/3 in French?

I'm class supervisor too.

Know what book you'll be reading?

No, I haven't decided.

In history I'll start with Ancien Regime

If you want to link into that, what kind of books are there?

The Enlightenment will be tough for them.

How about Voltaire? Is he tough?

He's not easy.

Candide, is simple...

Not in their year

Zadig...

Yes, but it'd be tough

You have 20 seconds.

No, we've not finished yet!

We've not finished yet!

We can't spend 2 hours on the imperfect.

Dalla, I can give you the time.

Sir, my pen keeps leaking!

- It's crap - Who has a handkerchief?

Me!

Rabah!

Ask before you stand.

- May I? - Yes.

- Gently, Ok... - The perv!

He touched her tits!

Just give him the handkerchief.

Spare us your comments.

God dam pedophile!

- Quiet! - Sir?

Why the imperfect indicative?

Cut it out!

- Why not just imperfect? - Quiet, Souleymane.

All right, Esmeralda, why the indicative?

If I knew, I wouldn't ask.

I can imagine. Anyone know why we specify the imperfect indicative?

Why not just the imperfect?

Nassim? May I wash my hands?

Go on, wash them and get it over with.

Make it quick.

He'll take a week!

- I'll go with him. - Enough

The imperfect indicative is

different than another imperfect

Which imperfect is that?

Agam? - The imperfect subjunctive.

Exactly.

The Imperfect subjunctive. Can anyone give me an example?

I don't believe it, Khoumba, but go on.

I may be wrong...

I think so too.

- I were - I were.

From the verb "to werr"

- I don't know... - I wuz.

I were, we were, you were

All right. Not bad but you use it wrongly.

You vaguely recall the imperfect subjunctive.

Imagine I say:

"He insist...

"that I be... "

Let's say "in shape". "He insists that I be in shape"

What is "be" in that example?

The present subjunctive.

Very good. For the imperfect subjunctive,

we follow the sequence of tenses and use a past:

"He insisted... "

- "He insisted that I... " Khoumba?

- Were. - Were. Yes.

You really think I'll tell my mom:

"He insisted that I were'd been in shape?

Not I were'd been. Learn to use it first

"That I were in shape"

- The sequence of tenses. - No one says that.

I was right!

"I were".

Will you let me answer the question?

If you care. - You may.

- Before mastering something, the imperfect subjunctive,

you're telling me it's no use.

Start by mastering it,

then you can call its use into question.

Sir, why are you criticizing us?

They're right, that's the way people talked in the old days.

Even my gran didn't say that.

Or your great granddad It's from the Middle Ages!

No it isn't.

It is!

It's bourgeois...

Tell me, when was the last time

you heard someone talk like that?

Yesterday, with friends, we used the imperfect subjunctive.

No, someone normal!

All right, all right.

The people on the streets...

Can I reply?

Yep.

I'll talk this over, but calmly.

All right, not everyone talks that way.

In fact, people who do are pretty rare.

I'd even say only snobs...

...use the imperfect subjunctive.

What's a snob?

Snobs are slightly affected, slightly precious people

who tend to put on airs.

Homosexuals?

No, not homosexuals...

You can be affected and refined

without being homosexual.

In any case,

this register may seem formal and a bit affected,

and even bourgeois.

But these different registers exist

...as I keep telling you,

...you need to be able to use them

...Familiar, current, formal, oral and written.

Move between them and use them all. Yes, Lucie?

How do we know what's written and what's for oral?

Why is a word more one for one register?

Normally, that's something

that you pick up as you go along

You need to use intuition.

What's this?

Intuition is when you can't use thinking

When you can't really...

It's not knowing but more like sensing something.

When you sense things

What if you don't sense?

If you don't sense them, well�

You gain intuition by using the language.

That's when you learn to distinguish...

almost automatically between oral and written styles.

- Souleymane wants to say something. - Shut it.

What does he want to say?

Go on!

Calm down

Cut it out. No fighting

- I'll whop you - Don't act tough!

What's wrong? Boubacar, turn around.

- What is it? - Nothing

- Apparently not. - Don't send him to the principal.

If I tell you, I'm good for Guantanamo.

Guantanamo! Guantanamo!

I'll be tased!

You won't be tased.

- You have a question? - Yep

So ask it

- It's too wicked - It's not

It's the pits for you - Just ask it

- I have your word? - Hurry up

This is what I heard, ok? I didn't say it but I heard...

People say you like men.

I didn't say it!

- Who says that? - Just people

They say Mr. Marin likes men"

Others say that, not you?

- You not interested? - No way

- So why do you ask? - For the others.

I'm spokesman

- But you don't care? - If you like men, fine

- So is it true? - You are asking me.

Homosexual isn�t an insult, sir.

You say it isn't but it seems to be a problem for you.

You find it odd, men liking men.

Maybe it is, I don't know It is true or not?

No, it's not. Feel better now?

Yeah? Sure.

Sorry to disappoint you.

All right, if Souleymane doesn't mind

now he's settle his hang-ups,

let's get back to the imperfect indicative.

Yeah, like that! Not bad

- What are you doing? - Stop.

- What's up? - Get lost

Who asked you? Look at your mug - Get lost

- It's fucking ok! Take these jerks,

then we'll see

Go on, show me your backs

- These guys suck. - Another one.

- Classy display - You bet

- Got one for me? - Can't afford it

- How much? - Too much!

Stop thinking I'm broke like you!

She screwed up there She thinks it's regular verb

No the verb's swim. Swimmed.

Justine! "Swimmed"!

Justine, work it out yourself

Swummed. That's better, it mixes the two.

Swammed!

She put swemmed

- Ok, thank you - Try swommed

You can sit down

Let's see.

Let's see

She can�t write

She can�t write? Can you, Rabah?

- You bet - Go on then

Conjugate it properly

- Swummed - No

Continue.

Swammed

Wrong again

Just kidding

- It�s not like that - So what is it?

Without an I

Right, no I

Why make fun of Justine,

when you can�t do better?

Justine wasn�t so wrong

That�s enough

You cant focus for more than 20 seconds

like 3 year olds

People aged 14 or 15 like you�re supposed to be

If I ask a question they should know

Your kidding around goes too far!

Not at all

- Everyone thinks so - Dead right

Everyone thinks so or only you think so?

No, everyone!

I think you push it.

If I cut you some slack, you'll never get anywhere

You go too far!

And you know why

I�m sick of these clowns! Sick of them!

I can�t take any more

They�re nothing, they know nothing...

they look right through you when you try to teach them

They cat stay in their shit

I�m not going to help them

They�re so basic, so insincere

...always looking for trouble

Go ahead, guys

...Stay in your crap neighborhood

You�ll be here all yours lives and it serves you right

Ill see the principal and tell him I�m not working with 3/2 again.

No more technology for the rest of the year. Too bad

It�s been three months now and they haven�t done a single thing

Have you seen them in the yard? It�s like they�re in heat

They�re all over each other, like animals

It�s crazy. It�s the same in class

Kevin spent a whole hour doing

I�ve never seen the like of it in 5 years!

Enough, no more!

We�re not animals!

Sorry I�m�

It�s dumb.

Come on. Let's get some air

One extract isn�t a lot to read

No one did it?

We�re wasting time here

Let�s read it again then

Who wants to read?

Great! Excellent work atmosphere today.

Khoumba, go on.

No way.

You won�t read?

I don�t want to

The class revolves around your desires?

- I don�t want to read - Don�t care

What did Khoumba just do?

- Wey? - Sneer

I meant her attitude, What did she show?

Insolence.

That�s right, you�re an expert

You�re all angrulo with me

What is this? - That�s not true

Try saying it in French. What am I?

Angrulo

Say it in everyday French

- You�ve got it in for me - That�s normal French

I just want you to read

I have the right to ask you to read, don�t I?

Don�t you think so? - No.

No one has read it

and you�re picking on me.

I�m not. I want to work

and I�ve chosen you as I have the rights to.

Drop it.

Shut up and start reading

I won�t read

You tell me to shut up, then to read. What is this?

What�s what?

Make your mind up,

Think it through

Well talk it over after class

It won�t be fun - Sure

You won�t say that later

Esmeralda, are you on strike too or can you read for us?

It�s her life

In that case, will you read for us?

I'd be delighted to

All right, were listening

"Dear Kitty

I�m known as a bundle of contradictions.

"As I�ve told you several times...

..."my soul is split in two

"my mocking approach to everything, my joy in life,

..."On one side

my exuberant cheerfulness

..."and my ability to take things lightly

"By that I mean not seeing any wrong in flirting...

..."giving a kiss, embracing someone,

..."or telling a tasteless joke

"That side lies in wait pushing back the other side...

..." which is more beautiful, purer and deeper.

"The truth is that no one knows,

..."Anne's better side...

..."and that's why most people...

..."can't stand me.

"I can be an amusing clown for an afternoon

..."but then everyone

"has had enough of me,

..."So the nice Anne has never once,

..."been seen in company

"But, in her loneliness, she always triumphs.

"My best to you. Anne Franck. Anne's diary ends here

It ends here. Why?

Because the police turned up at the rooms

...where they were hiding and deported them.

She died shortly after

...That's what I asked earlier We talked about it.

I learn about Anne Frank

because she talks about herself and so I get to know her.

When I ask you to write your own self-portraits,

...I'll expect the same.

...In other words, to learn things through your feelings,

...You can talk about facts...

...that will allow me to know you better.

Yes, Lucie?

What we write

won't be as gripping as... as what Anne Franck wrote

Our lives aren't as gripping. - All right

Juliette?

Someone aged 70 could talk about their life,

...but we have nothing to tell at 13,

At 14, 15 or even 13 you've had experiences

- Less then someone aged 70 They�ve live a lot more.

- OK - They�ve seen life.

It�s funny. You don�t think your lives are interesting.

We just come to school, go home, eat and sleep.

You come to school, eat, sleep, fine

The bare facts of your life are dull

But what you feel is interesting - That�s my business

Maybe, but I�m interested

That�s different

Why is it different?

Because you're a teacher.

It�s not the teacher talking.

- It�s the human being - It�s your job

I think you�re only saying that to get us to talk and stuff

...but its not true.

It isn�t? What isn�t true?

The fact that you�re interested in knowing all that

So I�m not interested at all

...and I�m pushing at this

...to convince you its interesting?

Not as much as you say

Maybe I am exaggerating a little.

It�s only natural since you don�t agree with me

But, deep down, I�m totally sincere

Why it is such a problem for you

...to talk about your lives? Boubacar.

Well there stuff...

There�s private stuff.

Of course

What could be hard to say about your private lives?

Burak.

- We may be ashamed to say certain things

Yes, it has to do with shame.

Things you find it hard to say and even harder to write.

On your life, when were you ashamed?

You can be ashamed of pal's mom...

Why? Because you find her ugly?

No. For instance, Rabah's mom,

She offered me lunch but I refused

because I was ashamed

Ashamed to eat with her?

Because it�s beneath you? - No.

I don�t understand, Tell me why.

I�m ashamed to eat with her because I respect her.

You never eat with people who you respect?

I mean, she�s not my girlfriend!

You can only eat with a girlfriend...

Tell me why. I�m interested

I can�t explain it. In any case, I�m ashamed

I always hang out with Rabah

so I respect his mom

I don�t eat in front of her

So if Boubacar eats in front of us he doesn�t respects us

No, it�s not that!

- You can�t understand. - I�m not smart enough?

You just can�t understand.

Rabah?

I was at a party with Camemberters

Camemberters?

Yeah, like you

What's a Camemberter?

Someone who stinks of cheese

So the people at the party stank of cheese?

They were all in suits and ties.

I was in my baggies and got these weird looks

You were ashamed?

Because of the looks

They were embarrassed because of you

...and you felt the same

They weren�t embarrassed

They looked at me like I was an E.T.

You are an E.T.!

"Why�s that Arab here?"

Ok, so it was a race thing

I don�t know

But the snacks were bacon-flavored

So I... abstained

Right. Bacon, ham... Ok, I get it

Wey...

Young people now have no shame.

Young people now? Like you?

Yeah

- Drop your briefs! - They have no shame

It�s normal. Always normal

Are you like them?

- No. - Are you ashamed?

Yes, ashamed of them.

I�ll waste your ugly mug!

Anyone can speak, but you stay polite, OK.

So why are you ashamed for them?

They have no shame

They yell, they hit each other. They make jokes,

bother others. No shame

Wey, aren�t you confusing

shame and discipline?

You find the others...

rowdy and impolite.

It can be shameful too

Louise?

You can be ashamed of your appearance

Absolutely

Tell me Louise

what are you ashamed of?

My ears

Your ears?

Can we see? You�re ashamed of your ears?

What�s wrong with them?

They stick out

- You think they stick out - Mine too

I think that covers it all.

You have all you need to figure it out

Take out your exercise books.

Note the following exercise for next Thursday

It�s very simple: Write your self portrait.

A self-portrait isn�t an autobiography.

I don�t want your life story

Describe yourself and your personality.

We�ll read them in class

...and see how we can use them

Khoumba.

You know I want to see you

Give me your report book

Why?

You know why.

No, give it to me. Politely.

That�s enough now

Put your photo on it

Is it normal to refuse to read

when teacher asks you to? Is that normal?

There�s others in the class.

I can�t turn a blind eye to this.

Can I?

OK.

What happened this summer?

What happened during the vacation?

- I didn�t see you - I know.

I�m intrigued.

At the end of the year in June

...we�d gotten on pretty well together

You participated in class.

Since September, since the start of this year,

You�re not cooperative,

...You keep sulking, You refuse to read... What happened?

I don�t like reading now. Can you hurry, please?

No, I won�t hurry!

Explain.

Why have things changed all of a sudden?

I can�t stay a kid forever

So it�s a kid thing to cooperate?

That's it - There's others in the class.

Of course, when you work, it's

I haven�t finished.

My moms waiting for me

I want an apology first

An apology for what you did

"I apologize for being insolent, sir"

Sorry. Ok?

No, not sorry.

"I apologize for being insolent"

Go ahead

"I apologize, sir"

- "No, I apologize for being insolent"

Be sincere. I want a real apology

Can you hurry up, please?

- My moms waiting - For your apology

Let�s deal with this

I want a sincere apology

...that�ll stand for the rest of the year

We won�t go on like this

I apologize for being insolent.

More conviction!

I�m not saying it 50 times

- You two, What are you up to?

We�re waiting

Hurry, I�m listening

I apologize for being insolent.

May I go now, please?

I didn�t mean it

Two weeks ago, at the last meeting

the teachers suggested

introducing a penalty point system for the students

...based on the driving license system

If student broke a rule

...they would lose points

As its teachers idea, I�ll let them to speak

Since last September...

...we�ve noticed an increase in problems within the school.

Punishment has no effect on the students

So we had the idea

...of a penalty system

The students would have for example six points each

and depending on the misdeed they�d lose one or two points.

And when they run out of points?

They go before the disciplinary committee.

As a parents representative...

...this is typical of the schools bad habits�

You always condemn the students...

...but never praise them

They earn praise on their own

They do it with their grades, by moving up a class

and we do it in staff meetings...

...by encouraging them to work.

There�s the honor roll, the congratulations.

that all counts.

In your system

...you take away points for misdeeds

but why not further

...and give points to those who do good things?

Like gold stars.

I�m all for praising the students.

but if student collect points and end up with 34 points, say,

...That leaves room for all kinds of trouble,

...we can�t control

Without going as far...

as these imaginary 34 points

...six points to start with,

means they can cause trouble without punishment.

Losing a point or two isn�t a real punishment.

It can create a dangerous sense of impunity.

For me, the ideas totally wrong-headed.

In that case,

...we could find a punishment

...where the students lose all their points in one go...

But why bother with the points in that case?

It�s tricky

- What you call a sense of impunity gives us a room to maneuver,

...When you�re dealing with punishments.

that are cut and dried,

you can�t adapt them to each case

I don�t agree

The rules apply in the same way

...to all the students

They break them, they�re punished

If not, why bother with rules?

Dealing with extremely strict rules

...creates the greatest tension...

Take cell phones

We agreed on a rule...

...that cell phones were not allowed in class

Sorry, but I break that rule

...because it wasn�t problem for me

There�s room to be tolerant.

The reign of the arbitrary.

No, the law and the spirit of the law.

We could talk all night but its not possible

We have other topics to tackle.

In particular, one vital issue,

a very sensitive one, concerning the staff coffee machine.

It�s a sensitive issue, all right

There�s a real problem this year...

...The price of a coffee has gone up from 40 centimes

to 50 centimes

That may seem petty...

...but with several coffees a day,

...at 8, 10 or 4 in the afternoon...

it works out a lot

...So we've clubbed together to buy a coffee maker.

- That way we can drink as much coffee as we want...

...without having to count.

- Mr. Pierre will be delighted to reply.

- First of all, this machine was installed in 2001...

to replace a machine

...that needed the intervention of...

...an outside company for restocking

...repairs etc. It was very expensive

And not at all profitable

We switched to the new machine, which isn�t profitable yet

I�m sorry to hear that!

And so we increased

...the price of coffee by ten centimes.

The thing has to be economically viable

- Nobody�s shocked? - It�s clear and logical for me.

- Good evening. Don�t move - We have to go

We haven�t finished

" Respect

" Adolescents learn to respect their teachers...

..." because of threats...

..." or the fear of having problems

" For starters, I respect you...

..." and respect must be mutual

For instance, I didn�t say you�re hysterical

..." so why do you say I am?

" I�ve always respected you

..." so I don�t understand why I have to write this.

" I know you have it in for me but don�t know why.

" I shall sit at the back...

..." to avoid any other conflicts.

" unless you come looking for them.

" I admit I can be insolent...

..." but only if provoked.

" I wont look at you again,.

" so you cant say my look is insolent.

" In theory, in French class,

..." you talk about French, not your grandma or sister

..." or girls periods.

" And so, from now on,

..." I wont spell to you again.. "

Signed Khoumba.

- What is it? - Secret.

- A secret? - A secret.

It won�t stay a secret for long.

Esmeralda, Why have you changed places?

No reason.

I felt like it.

- A problem? - No, not at all.

No problem.

I wanted a change of scene.

Ok, that�s enough. Let�s get to work.

No, sir, please!

Please, sir!

You�re just copying what you did at home

You�ve had plenty of time

Esmeralda.

I have to?

Yes, absolutely.

My name is Esmeralda Ouertani.

I'm 14...

...I live on Allee du Pere Dhuit...

...Paris 20,

...with my two parents and my three brothers and sisters.

Later,

...I�d like to be a policewoman...

...because people say all policeman are bad,

...and so we need good ones.

If not, I�d like to be a rapper...

...and I�m fan of Bakar, Medine,

...Younes, Marvin and Mafiak1 Fry.

Otherwise,

I like eating, sleeping and hanging out in the hood.

Or rather?

- The neighborhood. - You can say it right.

When you write,

you use the standard style...

Don�t make me correct you.

Wey, go on.

My names Wey, I�m Chinese.

I�m 15, I have two sisters, I�m the youngest.

My hobby is playing video games

at least 4 hours a day.

I find it hard using French correctly.

It�s so hard expressing myself...

...that others don�t understand me.

That�s why I don�t communicate much.

I hardly ever go out. Nothing much interests me outside...

The environment doesn�t suit me here since I�m allergic

...but i don�t know what.

Allergic to yourself, that�s what.

That�s good, Wey.

I feel I know you better...

...after hearing your self portrait.

That�s the goal. To tell us things.

He�s just happens to be good, not ours

No, not at all.

I can congratulate Wey

and I'd gladly congratulate you,

if you manage to do it well.

Rabah, read us...

�your self portrait - No.

How can I congratulate you if you don�t?

I don�t need that.

Make your mind up

We�re listening.

My name's Rabah. I�m 14.

I listen to rap.

I love my village in Kabylia and go there every year.

I like music, rap and slam.

I have two brothers but I don�t like school.

I don�t like tramps.

I like Zidane.

I like to talk and I like Psy 4 de la Rime's videos,

...Go Marseille!

We can manage without Marseille.

Go Paris!

We don�t need it in a self-portrait

- That�s all. - He skipped two lines.

Cut it out.

Go, dude.

Boubacar! - I like to make love

I like to look good for the women

and I like summer,

...to see girls cleavage.

Why not, Rabah?

I never wrote that.

It looks like your writing.

No way!

There�s no shame in liking cleavage.

It's not a sin.

Souleymane stop rocking and read your self-portrait.

- I�m very curious - Huh?

No, not huh.

I wrote nothing.

- I saw your writing earlier - No, I wrote nothing

You did

- Nothing - We're listening.

I'm Souleymane. I have nothing to say about me

because no one knows me but me

- Bravo! - All right

That�s good. A bit long maybe

You can�t make the effort that the others did?

I don�t talk about myself.

How come the others do?

That�s their problem I don�t talk about my life

He just can�t write, that's all!

What's up, you cop?

You talking to me, cop?

I can live with it

- Enough! - Arrest guys...

...instead of talking to me. Got your cuffs?

Your breath stinks!

- Chill. - Heard of Aquafresh?

Souleymane�

there's no need to be offensive.

Need a toothbrush?

Souleymane,

...You�re a lot better at oral insults than writing

He can�t even write his name.

Zip it! What does this say?

Spare us your Koran.

Shut it. What�s wrong with the Koran.

I�ll spare you when you calm dawn

It�s the Koran.

Bullshit!

What�s that tattoo, Souleymane?

Why are you showing it?

He claims it's Koran

What is it? Why are you showing us?

It means shut your mouth.

It doesn�t mean that

So give us the real translation Go on, tell us

I don�t want to

You show it in my class so tell us.

It says here, right here:

"If your words are less important than silence, keep quiet. "

What I said

It�s not what you said.

Why isn�t it the same?

It�s different. I think it sounds better

Yes it�s better put.

If only you could write such interesting things on paper,

that would be great

I think so too.

That proves you can do it.

After these fires few self-portraits, Id like you,

to rewrite them and polish them...

...making sure you answer the questions that we listed:

what I like and don�t like...

my qualities and flaws who I�d like to be?

Come in.

Stand up please. Good morning.

That goes for those at the back too

Come on, stand up.

Cherif, you heard me? Everyone has to stand.

It�s a way of greeting an adult

It doesn�t mean submission or humiliation.

Good. Sit back down

I�ve come to introduce a new student.

Carl.

Try to make him welcome...

...until the end of the year.

Thank you

Carl, go sit in the third row, in that free place

Khoumba, move your things

Take a sheet of paper and a pen

and try to catch up with the others

...We�ll talk after

Don�t forget the homework for Monday without fail.

Let�s finish with this

Carl, stay here a minute or two

Welcome

I don�t know if you know

but I'm Mr. Marin, your class supervisor.

If there�s a problem, tell me.

I know who you are... why you�re here

The principal told me

but that doesn�t matter for me

We'll start from scratch here

It will all go well.

You�ve seen that we...

Were on self-portraits to be handed in next Monday.

- Maybe you could do one too - OK.

Know when the next class is?

Monday, 9.30

Good.

You like French?

Like everyone, I guess.

That doesn�t mean much.

Ok, off you go.

Good bye

You know what a self-portrait is?

- Yes. - You�re sure?

Yes.

Have a good day.

Pleased to meet you

Sit down, please.

Thank you for coming

I know it isn�t easy

We're very pleased with Wey

Very pleased. All the teachers at the staff meeting said so.

He's kind, he's pleasant...

It's good to have him in class.

And it�s showing in his grades.

we have...

the usual good grades in mathematics. He's doing well there

13/20.

In French, we have a 9 here

Not a lot

He doesn�t speak French very well yet but that�s only normal

He speaks a lot. He tells me about a lot of things.

He talks about his computer

He�s into that

Always too late

He works too late?

Yes, too late, not sleep good.

After, school not good.

...Eyes get sick after

He may spend a lot of time on the computer

but things are fine at school for now

He works well and he doesn�t seem tired

Nassim... I�d like him to do...

He can go far. He has all he needs

At his age, I wasn�t that lucky

I�m behind him

Anything he needs, I get him

But he has to do right

Things are good at home with him

but I�d like him to keep on studying

Me and his mother,

we�d like to be proud of him

That�s what we ask of him

I think we all agree on what we need to do.

It�s crazy how alike you are

We're lookers in family

You�re right.

An adolescent who talks with his family,

...who has good grades,

...who has friends,

even if he�s a bit of a loner,

...he�s an outcast?

He�s a boy who talks with adults, who exchanges with them

Maybe he doesn�t with you

but that means

...he�s just a teenager trying to define himself.

I was useless at school for years,

...I rejected the idea of marking us fit in with the system.

Do his black clothes bother you?

The way he looks?

I don�t get it.

I�d like him to go to the best,

to Henri IV.

Why?

Standards again...

Because they have very high standards.

A mother wants the best for her son

She�s scared I�ll feel lost in high school because of others

...went to fancy private schools.

and Dolto Hogh isn�t like that

It�s a pity that the teachers...

I don't want to accuse anyone

Go on, accuse us. It�s a pleasure

Why don�t you try

...to push the better students

...a little harder, say?

They get bogged down by other students...

...who aren�t as good

My mom makes stuff up. Dolto High isn�t useless.

- I didn�t say useless, I said average

I didn�t call it useless

- We talked about Souleymane a great deal...

...at the staff meeting

Many teachers have complained about his attitude

...that is very negative.

What?

Many complain...

...that he comes without his things,

...When he comes, as he�s often absent

- I think you know that - No we didn�t know

Souleymane tells us he works hard

She doesn�t think so.

- There have been notes in his report book...

...since September, 3 month now

Notes about the problems he was having.

- She signs them without knowing because she cant read.

You read the notes too?

Yes, but I'm just his brother. You see?

But you knew there was a problem?

- No, I didn�t know. He says things are fine when I ask

Does he work at home?

He stays in his room

She doesn�t understand the notes

I realize that

You know the situation now

I'm telling you officially: there's a problem

- Talk to him. - I'll talk to him about it

Just having an idea.

Maybe conversation with his father

could help.

I'll talk to my father and see what we can do

We're not settling scores.

We want to improve things

- Your mom? - You bet.

- Ugly old crow! - She hates photos

Me and my bro pissed her off

Sir! Souleymane has a photos

...for his self-portrait

Cut it out, my photos are crap.

- That�s a good idea. - Get your down

Painters do self-portraits

- I'm no painter - Yes, I know that.

Let's go

Caps, please

I spend all my free time playing the guitar.

If you�re typing, hurry and finish to let the others...

...type up their self-portraits

Souleymane, Dont blow the place up!

- You know what you�re doing? - Yeah

As a computer genius you�ll put it all back after.

Don�t worry.

I�m counting on you.

- Ok, Carl? - Yes, sir

- I can�t see it? - No, not yet.

Sir?

How do you spell Lafayette?

- How do you mean? - Like Galeries Lafayette.

Why mention that?

I go there often so I want to add it

Wow! That�s four metro stops A huge leap from your neighborhood

We're not Hicks

We're city kids

Really? You go into the center of Paris?

I go everywhere. The 1st, the 5th,

the 20th, the 12th, the 19th

Why do you go to the 5th?

In the 5th, I go to see pals

...in high school

Near Luxembourg.

The Luxembourg gardens?

Not the gardens, Luxembourg.

The country?

No, the Luxembourg metro station!

So you do get out and about

I see you two have made up

- It's our business - And not yours

So, how do you spell Lafayette?

Lafayette is L-A-F-A-Y-E-T-T-E.

With a capital

Much better now!

Much better

Yes, that is a good photo

- You could add a legend. - A legend?

Like a story or tale.

A caption under the photo like in papers.

You mean, like in Le Parisien?

Yes, like in Le Parisien

What could you put? Who is she?

- My old woman. - Meaning?

- My mother - You could say she's your mother.

Then you could explain

...why she's making this gesture to the photographer

They'd pissed her off

I'm not gonna write that!

- So why is she doing that? - She hates photos

So write that "My mother hate having

..."her photo taken".

That's a legend.

- Understand? - Yeah

Do that with all the photos and you're set

- Printed everything? - Yeah, I�m good

Excellent

What are you doing now, sir?

As you can see, I�m putting the photos up

...to get a global view

The others read out, their self-portraits

...so you�re going to put yours...

...on show.

You know my photos suck

Not at all, they�re very good

Sure

When a student does good work,

...I let the whole class see it

You�re just winding me up

No, I wind you up if I feel

...you can do better. This is good.

That's bullshit

If you've finished, come and take a look

...at Souleymane's masterpiece

Slowly

I'll straighten them

Look at the tattoo! You're hideous!

I like playing soccer

I like playing computer games

I like playing with pretty girls

I like vacations in the Carribean

I like fries, zouk and dancehall music

I like watching MTV Base

and I like my parents and my brother.

I like my pals and staying up all night

I like the series on the slave trade

I like my hood I like the series Homeland Security

I like eating in restaurants and going wild.

I hate people crying for no reason

I hate techno and tectonic

I hate guys and girls who show off

I hate visiting my brother in jail

I hate talent contest shows on TV

I hate politicians, the war in Iraq,

Goths and skaters

I hate teachers who are too strict

I hate mathematics, racists

and I hate Materazzi

I hates the Paul Eluard school and I like being here

I have something to say

Could you listen to me, please?

I have something to say The mother of Wey

...a student in 4/3 has been arrested

She was in France illegally.

She has been picked up

and may be tried next week

She may be deported to China. I thought you should know

as its important

She's been here 3 years now!

I know but that's how it goes,

wrong place, wrong time

Not the father?

He doesn�t have papers either

but they don�t bother him

To start with

as lawyers cost a lot

we could do a collection

and maybe even go to court

to try have some influence on the verdict

Will Wey have to leave?

Not for now but you never know.

Well,

I feel kind of pathetic after that

I had something to tell you,

...but this isn�t a good time

You�ve said too much now

I'm pregnant

That calls for a celebration!

How far gone?

Two months. I'll only have a drop

Just a drop

Bravo, Vincent! I didn�t do it on purpose!

Who shook it?

Any names yet? If it�s a boy, say?

...You already know?

If it�s a boy, I like Enguerran.

Seriously?

What a handicap! That won't be easy

I hope not. Thanks a lot!

You all have a glass?

Hold on a second

I have two wishes

I have two wishes

My first wish

is that Wey's mom stays in France

And my second wish

...is that my child will be as intelligent as Wey

"Jackie Chan"!

C'mon, play

I didn�t do nothing

He just fell!

Play, Souleymane

- What do you say, Mali man? - What�s up, you Caribbean shit?

Malian bastard!

Motherfucker

C�mon lets play!

- Caribbean fag! - I�ll waste the fucker

Shut up

Blow Thierry Henri, faggot

Stand there. Talk loud enough

for them to hear and try to convince them.

Go ahead

The African Cup of Nations will be starting soon

I'm glad Morocco's playing

It's the best team in the world in my opinion.

The sick thing is

that my pals, the Malians aren't playing.

It's tough for them.

They weren't good enough to qualify.

Morocco would have let them play on a friendly basis...

but 4-0 is really hurts

- 4-0 how? - Last time

...Mali played Morocco, they wasted 4-0

But the weird thing is

...when Mali doesn't play

...it's like all the Africans here,

...aren't African

With each cup, they all go crazy

but when Mali doesn�t play, they keep a low profile.

Weird.

So, whether Mali plays in the African Cup of Nations or not,

...the Africans in this class feel more or less African. Ok.

Thank you, Nassim.

I get the feeling your words are directed

...at your neighbor, Souleymane

Morocco jerk's

...not even on my radar,

Arthur is next

I see you have your notes just like a politician

- Exactly - That's good

Speak up Arthur. Esmeralda, let him speak first

I want to defend my look

...A lot of people say it sucks

I don�t dish your clothes, so you don�t dish mine.

Clothes are freedom of speech

I dress how I want you dress how you want, ok

I dress like this to be different

...and not follow the others like sheep.

You're the sheep here!

I feel better being myself

and not being like others

I also think if there were 22 goths here,

...and one guy like you you'd keep quiet then

There's a contradiction in what you say

You want to be you. Are those clothes you?

Those clothes are worn by a huge number of people

Most people who wear them are gloomy inside

...so we're all kind of alike

- You're all alike, you're all gloomy, so that�s not you.

By being different

You're different and the same.

Thank you for taking a stand

...and being brave enough to do so

Boubacar, go on

Boubacar, my pal

Listen to him

I�ve come up to reply to Nassim

He says that since Mali

isn�t in the Africa Cup of Nations black Africans have no team to support

But he's forgetting Ivory Coast!

With an ace player Didier Drogba

He beats any Moroccan

He plays for Chelsea What Moroccan plays in England?

They're not up to it

I'm through.

Thanks, Boubacar

I think that rectification was indeed...

...indispensable

Who wants to speak now?

Carl, go on

Actually, I'd like to say

they're starting to piss us off...

...with the Africa Cup

At recess you're there pissing us off with your cup

It hasn't even started yet...

Carl, I'll be polite with you

Sorry to interrupt, but tell me, what's your national team?

France

Why do you say you're Caribbean...

...rather than French?

We're French. It's a French region

Why don't you ever say you're French?

- It's the same - I don't think so

Look at the players. Thierry Henri, Wiltord�

...Abidal, Thuram...

Where does Diarra play?

He won't play in Mali, bro, he's not crazy enough.

Shut your mouth, pal, I'm not your bro!

An ape like this jerk

No need to loose your cool.

We can talk calmly!

That isn�t a slanging match. It�s a debate.

Souleymane, watch your language

He's fuming!

Clam up. Go get fucked!

No vulgarity

- I ain�t talking to you, man - I�m talking to you

Is that any way to talk to a teacher?

That's enough now You're coming with me

- I'm talking to you - Don't start yelling at me, ok

I'll get you, faggot

You just can�t talk normally?

Shut up, ape

Nobody else moves

Hurry it up

- Move it - Hands off!

Aren�t you sick of assing around?

Sorry to bother you

I have a troublemaker who's been disrespectful in class.

I didn�t ask you to sit down, Souleymane.

My class is waiting

Sit down now.

I'm listening

Will you tell me what happened?

A teacher should have to leave his class to bring you here?

"Results

..."too uneven

"Too much talking in class

Now let's move on to Louise,

present here today

A total disaster. What can we do with you?

No, good work

Always good, I'd say

It's a joy having a student like her. We need to say it.

Shall we offer this young lady a commendation?

I'm sorry, but I don't

...totally agree with you.

She's relatively well-placed in the class

from a numerical angle

But a commendation? There's room for progress,

huge room for progress

and I don�t think her general attitude

...really merits a commendation

That's the problem

with commendations

...Are they purely numerical and mathematical

or are they also to do

...with her attitude and behavior as top of the class?

That means, to get commendation,

...you have to be an excellent student

...and, at the same time, be a class leader?

So a commendation this term

Louise is intelligent

...and will realize she can do better to satisfy you

Now, Cherif

...Our friend Cherif

I have a problem with Cherif

...He's a kid with abilities he could do well

could easily give him 17/20

...but he spends so much time talking

...and disturbing the class,

...his average grade is poor And that's a pity

His behavior's irregular. He can be a disaster

and you cant do a thing with him

or he can be really good

- What does Cherif get? A warning about his work

or his behavior?

For me, behavior,

...not work

- In my class, it's more his work - That�s a problem.

It's more like a work problem looking at his grades.

Mathematics: 6

French: 8

History and geography: 9

English: 9,5

Excuse me!

Science 12. Music 11

His grades are pretty low but�

...it seems to be a behavior problem

Why don't we put that for now and say he can work harder?

So I'll put Cherif

..." can succeed as long as

..." his attitude changes

..." in relation to his work. "

Let's move on to Souleymane

Someone else can start.

What do we say?

Nothing good.

- What else? - We already discussed him

in the first term. We said it all He has huge weakness,

notably in written French

I don�t think there�s anything particularly new

this term

Feeling better, Esmeralda?

I didn�t know being class rep was such fun

We were talking about Souleymane

In relation

to what Francois just said,

he forgot his things most of the time this term

...and didn�t do much

It�s not just that, It�s way beyond that

Sir!

He�s more and more unruly He prevents the others from working.

Can I say something?

If you put the biscuit away.

Remember, you aren�t allowed to eat in classroom

Well, his overall grade has gone from 6,75 to 7,25.

We're not discussing his grades

...but his behavior for now

I have the impression

...we need to consider disciplinary action

His attitude's wrong

It's simple. Every other class I throw him out

I don�t even throw him out anymore,

...He�s only too happy when I do.

I don�t think disciplinary action will help...

...because things will get

...really bad then

They�re already really bad It�s gone too far.

It�s like he�s mad at the others for being normal

I'll remind you Mr. Marin

...you brought him to me yesterday.

Yes, but it was this year's first incident.

He was disrespectful, I set a limit

I did what I did but I don�t think

it will go any further than that

I don�t have any real complaints,

...apart from yesterday

Our job isn't to make sure

students sit quietly at the back and don�t cause any trouble.

We have to bring them out!

I won�t do that with threats or punishment,

...I'd rather stress his good work. Some things interest him.

He can come out with some pretty good stuff

Simply because he does

...something positive now and then,

...we let him sink and wallow in his hole...

...and we do nothing. You just want to buy social harmony.

That said,

what do we say? What do we do? A warning?

I don�t think a warnings what he needs.

Maybe we should say he has reached his limit,

...because he�s limited scholastically.

That�s all well and good but I�m dim and have a line to fill.

What do we put?

It�s not right

...saying that

Three rhymes per verse. What do you call that?

- Verses of three lines... Wey? - A tercet

Very good

And four rhymes would be?

A quatrain

From quatre, four

Tercet, three rhymes. Quatrain, four

How many syllabes per line?

Can you tell me that? Khoumba.

I know here are 10

You know that?

- Want me to show you? - Yes.

"Noir-dans-la-nei-ge...

..."et-dans-la-bru-me. "

Thats 10

You say that and...

...You have two

...extra syllables by counting the mute Es.

Don�t count them, they�re mute

That makes 8

...We can underline each syllable

I'll come back to that one

Two octosyllables and one four-syllable line

- What is it? - A problem,

11.47 that makes

11,5.

Is 11.47 the number of syllables here?

No, my grade. It's down! They lowered my grade!

What's that to do with poetry?

11.47 is 11.5

Who gave you your grade?

You shouldn't have it yet

Esmeralda told me

So the class reps

...did do something after all

I took a load of notes!

I got the impression you weren't

...really following the meeting - I noted all!

Louise, I'm delighted you've done

a good job passing on information...

Let's get back to this poem

The rule is to count in front of a consonant...

A question

What?

I heard you really wiped me out

...at the meeting yesterday

Another remark about poetry, I see.

No, it isn�t

Yes, I know it isn�t about poetry

What do you mean?

I dunno. You wiped me out

Some teachers, not me,

...said if you carry on like this

you'll be in trouble,

...not wiped out.

That's revenge. I don't get it Why do for revenge?

How come it's revenge?

If you say stuff about me getting in trouble, that's revenge

It's not revenge at all

We're not on the streets

It's a warning Our goal here isn't revenge,

...it's discipline

- Get the difference? - I don't get it.

When a judge sends someone to jail,

...he doesn't do it to get revenge

...It helps society run smoothly

You just want revenge. You're riffed with me.

All I care about is revenge?

I wake up and say I'll get Souleymane today?

You insulted him yesterday anyhow.

He really laid into you!

I did not.

What did he say, Louise?

That you we�re limited.

...I underlined it, I was so shocked

Me? Limited?

Brilliant...

Esmeralda, Louise,

...What's your role as class reps? You represent the students

to help this class work or you stir up trouble for me?

We just do our job.

Wicked!

We report on the meeting.

Of course.

I didn't realize

When I saw you snigger

...at the meeting, I felt bad for you

It wasn't the place or time

It didn't look very serious

Nobody minded in any case

- They did! - Only you

No, it bothered me and I think

it bothered the others too

No. It only bothered you

Sorry, but laughing like that made you look like two skanks.

What? Have you just lost it?

That's a bad thing!

You can't dump on us

The word is insult.

You're crazy insulting on us.

You say "dump on" or "insult"

It's either one or the other, ok.

Yeah keep on talking!

In fact I never said you we�re skanks,

...I said that at one point

...in the meeting

...you acted like skanks. Understand?

Don't try to con us, you said skanks

I'm just explaining the difference.

Sir, you don't talk to girls like that!

Look who's talking!

...You always insult everybody!

He wants revenge on the girls

No way. The noble knight riding to rescue act,

...won�t wash!

You don�t talk to me, man!

Show some respect!

I will if I want!

You're heading for trouble!

Think you're tough?

It's a question of discipline!

I'll take you anytime!

Stop playing the big short

- Calm down - Stay outta this

Cut it out!

Don't touch me!

Don�t touch me.

You're crazy!

Cut it out

What are you doing?

I'm outta here

You can't just walk out of my class.

Are you nuts?

- Calm down - Let go of me

Stop it

- Let me go - Ah!

- Where are you going? - Let go, fucker

Pathetic

Fuck

What do we do?

I think we need to convene the disciplinary committee

This is starting to add up it begins

with disrespect, then the fight,

...with a student injured,

...and finally he leaves the class without permission.

There was only one incident and it all spread out from there.

One thing led to another,

...a chain reaction.

Well

...what I can do is take a protective measure

...since this is so serious

...by suspending Souleymane for 48 hours.

That'll give us a little time

...to reach a decision

OK.

Shall we do that?

However, I need to see you tomorrow.

Could you come to my office?

- Good bye. - Good bye

Francois!

I need a word with you

There's a rumor going around...

A rumor?

Some students came to see me and told me...

...you insulted them

Who? Louise and Esmeralda?

They told me

...you called them skanks

...and that led to the incident

...with Souleymane

And you believe them?

That's why I needed to see you.

You didn't mention it in your incident report...

I didn't mention it. What can I say?

- Did you do it or not? - What?

- Did you... - Hi!

Hi.

Did you call them skanks?

But Souleymane's another matter!

I know it had nothing to do with him

But word's getting around.

People are talking. I wanted

...to let you know - Thanks for letting me know.

Hey, you two You complained about me.

- Thanks a lot! - You�re welcome

You could have talked to me

Teachers can complain about us and vice versa, right?

No, it doesn't work both ways.

What are you after?

To see you punished

- Punished? - Yes!

- You, punish me? - You insulted us, you get punished.

Where will that get you?

I'll have spoken out.

Great, that's a lot of use.

Do you know what 'skank' means?

I never called you skanks!

Yes, you did. For me skank means prostitute.

It's not that at all

For me, it doesn't mean that.

It's nothing important at all,

just a girl laughing stupidly

Hey, skank means prostitute, right?

You bet!

- Will Souleymane get expelled? - No.

- A disciplinary hearing? - We don't know yet.

It's a possibility

Stop yelling before anything is decided

It's all settled anyway

- Why say that? - Because it's always the same!

You're in no position to talk.

You're the one who got hurt

He didn't mean it

There was a metal thing in his bag

In any case he blew a fuse and that's bad

Sir,

...anyone can blow a fuse

And then calm down after

That's not sure

- You did - No!

You're calmer now

I'm not. You don�t know me!

All the teachers say your attitude is perfect now...

You think you've tamed me?

No, being sent here helped

...you understand things, see?

Teachers helped you

and we'll do the same for Souleymane.

I say teachers who expel students are fuckers

Right on. You want to repeat that?

- Yeah, fuckers - Everyone goes wild

...over some word I said. You say fucker and I shouldn't react?

They're fuckers!

Cut it out!

You say skanks, we say fucker. It's the same thing

They're nothing alike

A teacher can say certain things that students can't say.

Try to understand that!

We have no right to speak?

You keep talking all the time! You never stop speaking

Whenever we talk, you yell. What is this?

Enough...

Sir!

- Sir? - What?

Will Souleymane get a hearing?

Give it a rest

You sound like you want him to. It fires you up.

You know what'll happen if he's expelled?

He'll change schools.

No, he won�t change schools.

It's automatic. It's obligatory.

That goes for Souleymane too.

Do you know his father?

I've seen him once or twice.

No, you don�t know him!

If he's expelled, his dad'll send him back to their village

Don't get overdramatic

He'll go back to Mali

I think we all need to keep our heads.

Don�t worry

You can�t smoke here sir

I know, but since I was alone

Ok, you went too far with those girls.

We all screw up.

Souleymane overreacted.

He's right.

I saw Khoumba. Her face was all bloody

What he did is unacceptable.

That's for sure.

I know that.

His bag hit her by accident.

A split eybrow bleeds a lot. That's all.

You can't ignore it.

Don't take it to heart. Seen how they talk to us?

How's that relevant? Souleymane is going to get expelled

...That�s it!

- No. - That's kind of logical.

How many hearings last year?

12 at least.

Not that many.

He could be right.

I know, I'm on the committee so I saw them all

An average of two per month, 12 in all with an expulsion each time

The hearing is where we talk things over

Ok, 12 students were expelled

but maybe there was no other solution.

12 out of 12

...talk about debate!

But 12 out of 12 just means

...when a student has a hearing, it's too late.

Or it was justified.

Ok, things happen that lead to a hearing

But then what happens?

What do we expect from a hearing?

There are prior stages:

Pre-disciplinary committees,

...we inform the parents, the students are warned...

- Not in this case. - We've no time.

It's pretty rare.

It's rare because we have this final punishment

...that allows us to ignore the prior steps.

And even if we did use them,

...the simple fact of expelling a student...

...is a disavowal of everything we have tried.

Ok, but it's Souleymane's chance to justify himself

At a hearing, you don't speak.

You're scared. You're paralyzed.

Exactly.

Let me sum up.

He'll get a disciplinary hearing, he'll be expelled

and maybe even sent back to Mali

You're being overdramatic.

No, I'm not

Students who know him better than any of us here,

...who know his father, say that he is likely Mali...

to send him back to Mali after this

Some are threatened

...with boarding school but in never happens

It can happen.

A lot of parents spend their time

...threatening their kids with that. You can't take it into account

- Even if there was just a slight risk that a hearing could lead

to him being sent back, I don't think I can take that risk.

It's like when you hesitate

...over punishing a kid because when he goes home,

once that door closes,

...he'll get a beating from his parents

We've all seen that

...But we still have to punish

them when they go too far

Whatever the consequences

which don't

...concern you!

So I ignore that?

I know punishment can have such a consequence,

...but I turn a blind eye, is that it?

You can't take it into account in every case

The violence�

him being sent back...

- No more Christmas presents... - True, you have to consider it

but after a while...

It's a question of principle

...We each have a role to play

We can't substitute ourselves for the parents

Sorry, but if I rewind the movie,

...it's a weird chain of events. It starts with reprimands,

...when Souleymane forget his things, talks back.

We punish him. Again and again,

until a disciplinary hearing

leading to who knows what Everything gets out of hand

Sure, looking at it that way

it's really shocking

But the school won't expelling Souleymane

He's been gone for a while

Francois, I didn't expect you so soon.

Have you reached a decision?

I don't think I have much choice.

By the way, Julie told me�

you had a heated exchange

...with two girls in your class.

Yes, the two class reps but it happened first so

You apparently called them "skanks"

Let's say that, yes

That complicates things, but the problem remains.

I'd like you to mention it in your report

I don't want it used against us at the disciplinary hearing.

Don't bother hiding it, just write it down.

I understand.

I'll let you reread this

before we launch the procedure.

So I� I just need to add...

Yes, without going into detail.

Does that suit you?

OK.

Can you take the minute.

- Hello - Hello.

Hello, sir.

- Please sit down. - Thanks.

"Carl tried to reason with him, but Souleyman broke free,

"winging his bag that hit Khoumba in the face.

"He left, insulting everyone and slamming the door.

"I didn't go after him because I needed...

"to help Khoumba whose eybrow was bleeding. "

Those are the facts that led to today's hearing

Madame, it doesn't mean Souleyman is a bad boy.

That's not we're saying

But, sometimes, a student in a class

through voluntary or involuntary behavior,

can create an atmosphere that...

...prevents the class from working.

Do you understand what we're saying?

If I may say something, it's true

there had been number of signs

that should have warned us.

We could have reacted sooner

But how we have to deal with an incident

that is fairy violent

and that's simply unacceptable.

I'd like to know if you realize that, Souleymane?

We're not saying you're deliberately violent.

The problem is you can't control what you say,

...and what you do

You're here to express your point of view.

Go ahead

I don't give a damn. I've got nothing to say

Do whatever you want to do

Excuse me...

Can you translate?

She says I'm a good boy

I do my homework.

I help my brothers and sisters with their work when I can

I always wash the dishes and help her when I can

We don't doubt he's a good son. That's not the problem.

Let's consider

...his school record

Excuse me, but could we focus on the facts here?

Firstly, I'd like to say

...that we're surprised to see the teacher involved in the incident

...on this committee

We find it highly irregular

It's true. It's odd to be both judge and litigant.

First of all,

...Mr. Marin was elected to the administrative board.

as the teachers' representative

Moreover, I think that the incident...

...that occurred in Mr. Marin's class

...doesn't involve the teacher directly.

I'm sorry, you mention

...some harsh words

...spoken by the teacher...

Apparently, you used the word "skanks"

...to describe the class reps. And that's a problem

I did say that

...but it wasn�t something that concerned Souleymane.

I think he used the excuse of a rather heated exchange

...to express the bad mood

that he was in that day.

He tried to defend them

So I feel that it's relevant

Sorry, but absolutely nothing justifies

...being disrespectful to a teacher,

...insulting everyone and leaving a class without permission.

Souleymane, do you have anything to say?

I don't know. What can I say?

Souleymane?

- What did she say? - The same thing again

Souleymane?

She apologizes on my behalf.

You can come back in now.

Madame, the committee has conferred

and has decided to expel Souleymane from the school for good.

You will receive the ruling by registered mail

...and have eight days to appeal,

We shall do our best to find Souleymane another school

Goodbye, Messieurs, Mesdames

Souleymane, come to see me before the end of the week, please.

Mathematical proportionality.

This year, you learned mathematical proportionality?

- I liked science - What you learned, not liked.

If you liked it, you learned.

So what did you learn?

All about volcanoes, earthquakes,

...plates...

Convergence and divergence,

...movement of the Earth's plates,

- It was fascinating. - It interested you?

- Yeah. - Good.

Well, in mathematics,

.. trigonometry Pythagoras theorem, Thales theorem.

I'll stop you there.

You can't sit there and brag...

...you learned Pythagoras theorem. Recite it for us

If, in a triangle

...two sides are equal to

...If the square rot

If the square of two sides

is equal to the square

...the square of the hypotenuse

then the triangle's a rectangle.

More or less, yes

It's spot on

All right. I believe you.

In history, I learned about triangular trade.

The fact that ships left Europe...

...with manufactured goods that they took to Africa to trade for men,

...who�d became slaves that they took to America to work.

Then they took the money they made back to Europe.

That's triangular trade

Chemistry

What in chemistry?

Combustion

What's that?

Blending Fehling's solution and glucose.

What do you get?

Heat up test-tube,

...and it changes color.

- What's the interest? - The interest?

I dunno. Why teach it to us if there's no interest?

Reproduction

What did you learn about human reproduction?

Human reproduction...

Well, the sperm

...gets into the ovum

then you wait 9 months,

then you do a sonogram and then it comes out

The sperm does?

No, the baby

The human being that's inside.

- Khoumba? - Me?

Yes. That is your name?

Yes.

In music, I learned to play the alto recorder...

and in Spanish

The recorder in Spanish?

No, in music, I learned

to play the alto recorder. - Right

- And other stuff in Spanish - Good.

Can you say something to us in Spanish?

- And that means? - "It's the vacation soon".

I didn't learn anything

You cant spend 9 months at school and not learn anything.

I'm the living proof

You got something from the books we read.

- Your books are shite. - They're what?

They're useless.

What about a book you read by yourself?

The books I read?

Well, there's The Republic

Platon�s "Republic"?

You read that?

How come?

My big sister had it

- She does philosophy? - No, law

So what's it about?

Well, there's this guy...

His name's Socrates

Yeah, Socrates.

He stops people in the street and asks them:

"Are you sure of thinking what you think?"

"Are you sure of doing what you do? and so on?"

After that, people start getting confused.

They ask questions.

The guy's too much

What does he ask people about?

Everything.

Love, religion, God people, everything

- It's good you read it - I know

It's not a skank's book!

Wait a second. Before you leave, here are your self-portraits

One by one. When you have yours, you can go.

What is it?

What is it?

These are the self-portraits that you wrote

...and that we made up with the class photo and so on

You too, Eva.

You don't have one?

- You look good in it - Cut it out

You're like a leader

Very good.

- Good bye, Sir. - Good bye.

- Have a good vacation. - You too

- Sir? - Yes�

What is it?

I didn't learn anything

What? That doesn't mean anything

Earlier, all the others...

...said they'd learned something

Compared to them, I learned nothing

You learned as much as them

They had to think hard too.

It's not easy

to remember what you learned...

But I don't understand

What do you mean?

I don't understand what we do.

In French?

In school

You can�t say you don�t understand everything.

That�s not true...

I don�t want to go to vocational school.

There�s no question of that yet

You�re moving on to the next year.

You�ll have plenty of time to think about your future

Vocational school isn�t an absolute certainty

It all depends on how you do next year

But I don�t want to.

Subtitled by Ian Burnley Resynced by Runkulis