We all know from the many movies and stage plays that Jane Alexander has been in that she plays basically decent characters. After a few seasons as a snobby officer on "MASH", David Ogden Stiers became part of the team and wind up. Rachel Roberts went from being a downtrodden lower class British woman to the evil Delia Darrow in "Foul Play". And Nan Martin was the notorious nasty neighbor Freida Claxton on "Golden Girls" among many other strong-willed older ladies. But in this film, they are all decent people, although Roberts at the beginning is rather cold, although that is revealed later on to have a purpose.
This is sort of a retread of "A Child is Waiting" where Judy Garland took a job as a teaching assistant at a school for emotionally troubled children. Alexander is a volunteer here who wants to get a license to become a full-fledged teacher, and after breaking ground with the tough Roberts ends up teaching her about thing she's learned in college because the school has just become accredited. But that means that politics are taking over the sensible ways that Roberts dealt with issues, with the state manipulating the way that things should be run.
That's Matthew Labyorteaux of "Little House on the Prairie" as the students who becomes Alexander's favorite, one she works hard to break through to, sliding out the issues at home that have led him to nearly be abandoned. This is a pleasant but sometimes depressing drama because you know that these children as they get older will still continue to have problems functioning in society, and they will have to do the best that they can with continuing education even into adulthood. The performances by all of the actors, particularly by Alexander and Roberts, are outstanding, and the script, nominated for an Emmy, is very good. One of the best movies to deal with children's issues, because it doesn't try to sugarcoat things.
This is sort of a retread of "A Child is Waiting" where Judy Garland took a job as a teaching assistant at a school for emotionally troubled children. Alexander is a volunteer here who wants to get a license to become a full-fledged teacher, and after breaking ground with the tough Roberts ends up teaching her about thing she's learned in college because the school has just become accredited. But that means that politics are taking over the sensible ways that Roberts dealt with issues, with the state manipulating the way that things should be run.
That's Matthew Labyorteaux of "Little House on the Prairie" as the students who becomes Alexander's favorite, one she works hard to break through to, sliding out the issues at home that have led him to nearly be abandoned. This is a pleasant but sometimes depressing drama because you know that these children as they get older will still continue to have problems functioning in society, and they will have to do the best that they can with continuing education even into adulthood. The performances by all of the actors, particularly by Alexander and Roberts, are outstanding, and the script, nominated for an Emmy, is very good. One of the best movies to deal with children's issues, because it doesn't try to sugarcoat things.