Picture this: a young teacher just happens to sit next to an unassuming gentleman on a Southwest Airlines flight. As she works on her laptop, he notices a photo of the second grade class she teaches. Immediately asking about the students, he expresses how important he thinks teachers are and how deserving of recognition. She tells him how much she appreciates the small town community of Gilroy and about the challenges and joys of the great group of kids she teaches."I actually just love it there," she says.
He proceeds to tell her he is the director of a new movie, "Beverly Hills Chihuahua."
He is returning from the Grand Canyon where he has just finished filming and would like to send her entire class to see the movie on opening day.
The Gilroy teacher is thinking to herself, "Yeah, right. And I have a bridge in Brooklyn that I'll be happy to sell ya."
Well, it turns out that the man really was Hollywood director Raja Gosnell (director of "Home Alone 3," "Scooby Doo," "Yours, Mine and Ours," and an editor on "Pretty Woman" and "Mrs. Doubtfire"). The teacher was second grade Eliot Elementary School teacher Jessica Chessani.
And last Friday, her entire class went to see "Beverly Hills Chihuahua," courtesy of Mr. Gosnell.
Chessani came to Gilroy from the southern California city of Fillmore when she was assigned to teach here through the "Teach For America" program. "Teach for America" is a national corps of outstanding recent college graduates and professionals who commit two years to teach in under-resourced urban and rural public schools.
Chessani is not one to let any grass grow under her feet: she's 22, a UCLA graduate, and already in her second year of teaching. Gosnell told her he would send tickets for her entire class to attend the movie in Gilroy, including popcorn for all. Gosnell even offered to send autographed posters to the kids. "Give me extra time," he said. "I want to personalize them."
Chessani arranged the field trip for last Friday afternoon. Mrs. Foster's hard working reading group from Eliot joined them as well. The kids were beyond thrilled. "It's all I've heard about," Chessani said. "They've been giddy all week!"
As she tried the calm the class down enough to do their work, one enthusiastic second grader explained, "Sorry Mrs. Chessani, I keep thinking about the Chihuahua thing!"
Chessani thought it would be a good idea for the kids to walk to the theater, and five parents volunteered to help chaperone. "Let's dress up like we're going to Beverly Hills," Chessani told the kids. They outdid themselves, no doubt thanks to mom and dad, as evidenced by an abundance of mama's pearls and big sunglasses. Chessani herself was dressed to the nines in an outfit with gold accents, knee-high boots and ivory hose. "She looked prettier than Paris Hilton!" one parent said.
The kids wanted to see what the director looked like, so they went online in class to see pictures of Gosnell and his wife. The students wrote letters to the director beforehand to let him know how excited they were about going to the movie. "In second grade, you learn how to write friendly letters," Chessani explained. The class e-mailed updates to the director as they prepared for the field trip to end all field trips.
"After the movie they have the assignment of writing to thank the director and telling about why they liked the movie," Chessani said. "The director will also answer questions from the kids."
The field trip to end all field trips turned out to be a learning experience in reflection, comprehension, communication, etiquette, and generosity that these students are not likely to soon forget.
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Kat Teraji
Kat Teraji is communications coordinator for a large non-profit organization that benefits women and children. Her column appears every Thursday in the Take 2 section of the Dispatch. You can reach her at kattoy@verizon.net.
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