To Sir, with Love II
Encyclopedia
To Sir, with Love II is an American
television movie
, a sequel
to the 1967 British film, To Sir, with Love
.
Like its first part, it deals with social issues in an inner city school.
, who in the 1967 film had taken teaching in a London East End school.
He spent twenty years teaching and ten in administrative roles.
He has taught the children of his former pupils, but is now retiring.
Thackeray's former students Pamela Dare and Barbara Pegg (Judy Geeson
and Lulu
reprising their roles from the original film) come to the farewell party.
Thackeray announces that he is leaving for an inner-city school in Chicago
where he will teach again.
In Chicago, he meets a former colleague who is the principal of the school.
Thackeray learns that there is an A class with good students and an H (for "horror") class for the no-gooders.
He convinces the principal to let him take the H class as a history teacher.
His new pupils are Hispanic, black and white kids who are noisy, unruly and engaged in destructive behaviors.
Like in London, he starts by teaching them some manners.
He addresses them as Mr
X or Miss
Y, and expects to be called Mr. Thackeray or Sir
(hence the titles).
Little by little he learns their personal stories:
Wilsie is a gang leader who protects his younger brother.
Another is a black female who battles against double prejudice.
Evie is growing up without parents and hides this to avoid being fostered.
We also learn a bit of Mr. Thackeray's story.
As a teenager in Guyana
, he fell in love with a Chicago girl whose father had come to build a mall.
They lost contact and he went to Britain to study, became a teacher and got married.
He is now a widower but decided to take this teaching opportunity to find his earlier love.
At school he sets out to teach these troubled kids of their true potential if they take their fate in their hands.
He teaches about the non-violent resistance of the historic fighters of civil rights.
When he discovers Wilsie smuggling a gun into the school, he confronts him and convinces him to yield the gun.
Mr. Thackeray delivers it to the school policeman as a found object.
Later, the police pressures him to give the name of the armed kid, since the gun was involved in a cop killing.
He refuses to give up the name of the student and has to leave the school.
Meanwhile, one of his pupils has taken a job in a newspaper and decides to investigate on the old Chicago love of Thackeray's.
The girl arranges an appointment for him.
Thackeray meets the son of his former love in a hospital.
His mother is ill.
Thackeray learns that she loved him back but her father retained all his letters, because she had gotten pregnant, so that young man he had just met is his son.
Thackeray learns that Wilsie is hidden because he thinks that the police are after him.
His brother takes Thackeray to the hideaway to explain the real situation and avoid Wilsie ruining his life.
Through courage and talking, the teacher convinces Wilsie to yield his new gun and confronts a rival gang that had come to fight Wilsie.
Wilsie and the friend who had got him the gun explain themselves at the precinct.
The kids have been doing a "stand in
" and force the principal to accept their beloved teacher back.
Unlike the British film, there is no infatuation with him among his pupils, but a fellow teacher (Saundra Santiago
) admires him.
The film ends with the graduation
ceremony and dance.
Mr. Thackeray announces that he is not going back to Britain but staying at Chicago to teach the new generation.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
television movie
Television movie
A television film is a feature film that is a television program produced for and originally distributed by a television network, in contrast to...
, a sequel
Sequel
A sequel is a narrative, documental, or other work of literature, film, theatre, or music that continues the story of or expands upon issues presented in some previous work...
to the 1967 British film, To Sir, with Love
To Sir, with Love
To Sir, With Love is a 1967 British drama film starring Sidney Poitier that deals with social and racial issues in an inner city school. James Clavell both directed and wrote the film's screenplay, based on the semi-autobiographical novel of the same name by E. R. Braithwaite.The film's title song...
.
Like its first part, it deals with social issues in an inner city school.
Plot summary
Mark Thackeray (Poitier) is a West IndianBritish West Indies
The British West Indies was a term used to describe the islands in and around the Caribbean that were part of the British Empire The term was sometimes used to include British Honduras and British Guiana, even though these territories are not geographically part of the Caribbean...
, who in the 1967 film had taken teaching in a London East End school.
He spent twenty years teaching and ten in administrative roles.
He has taught the children of his former pupils, but is now retiring.
Thackeray's former students Pamela Dare and Barbara Pegg (Judy Geeson
Judy Geeson
Judith Amanda "Judy" Geeson is an English actor.-Early life:Geeson was born in Arundel, Sussex, England on 10 September 1948. She came from a middle class family; her father edited the National Coal Board magazine. Her sister, Sally Geeson, is also an actress and is known for her roles in British...
and Lulu
Lulu (singer)
Lulu Kennedy-Cairns, OBE , best known by her stage name Lulu, is a Scottish singer, actress, and television personality who has been successful in the entertainment business from the 1960s through to the present day...
reprising their roles from the original film) come to the farewell party.
Thackeray announces that he is leaving for an inner-city school in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
where he will teach again.
In Chicago, he meets a former colleague who is the principal of the school.
Thackeray learns that there is an A class with good students and an H (for "horror") class for the no-gooders.
He convinces the principal to let him take the H class as a history teacher.
His new pupils are Hispanic, black and white kids who are noisy, unruly and engaged in destructive behaviors.
Like in London, he starts by teaching them some manners.
He addresses them as Mr
MR
MR, Mr, mr, or mR may refer to:*Mr. an honorific title of menPlaces:* Morocco country code * Martinique country code...
X or Miss
Miss
Miss is an English language honorific traditionally used only for an unmarried woman . Originating in the 17th century, it is a contraction of mistress, which was used for all women. A period is not used to signify the contraction...
Y, and expects to be called Mr. Thackeray or Sir
Sir
Sir is an honorific used as a title , or as a courtesy title to address a man without using his given or family name in many English speaking cultures...
(hence the titles).
Little by little he learns their personal stories:
Wilsie is a gang leader who protects his younger brother.
Another is a black female who battles against double prejudice.
Evie is growing up without parents and hides this to avoid being fostered.
We also learn a bit of Mr. Thackeray's story.
As a teenager in Guyana
British Guiana
British Guiana was the name of the British colony on the northern coast of South America, now the independent nation of Guyana.The area was originally settled by the Dutch at the start of the 17th century as the colonies of Essequibo, Demerara, and Berbice...
, he fell in love with a Chicago girl whose father had come to build a mall.
They lost contact and he went to Britain to study, became a teacher and got married.
He is now a widower but decided to take this teaching opportunity to find his earlier love.
At school he sets out to teach these troubled kids of their true potential if they take their fate in their hands.
He teaches about the non-violent resistance of the historic fighters of civil rights.
When he discovers Wilsie smuggling a gun into the school, he confronts him and convinces him to yield the gun.
Mr. Thackeray delivers it to the school policeman as a found object.
Later, the police pressures him to give the name of the armed kid, since the gun was involved in a cop killing.
He refuses to give up the name of the student and has to leave the school.
Meanwhile, one of his pupils has taken a job in a newspaper and decides to investigate on the old Chicago love of Thackeray's.
The girl arranges an appointment for him.
Thackeray meets the son of his former love in a hospital.
His mother is ill.
Thackeray learns that she loved him back but her father retained all his letters, because she had gotten pregnant, so that young man he had just met is his son.
Thackeray learns that Wilsie is hidden because he thinks that the police are after him.
His brother takes Thackeray to the hideaway to explain the real situation and avoid Wilsie ruining his life.
Through courage and talking, the teacher convinces Wilsie to yield his new gun and confronts a rival gang that had come to fight Wilsie.
Wilsie and the friend who had got him the gun explain themselves at the precinct.
The kids have been doing a "stand in
Sit-in
A sit-in or sit-down is a form of protest that involves occupying seats or sitting down on the floor of an establishment.-Process:In a sit-in, protesters remain until they are evicted, usually by force, or arrested, or until their requests have been met...
" and force the principal to accept their beloved teacher back.
Unlike the British film, there is no infatuation with him among his pupils, but a fellow teacher (Saundra Santiago
Saundra Santiago
Saundra Santiago is an American actress. She best known for her role as Det. Gina Calabrese on 1980s television series Miami Vice.-Early life and education:...
) admires him.
The film ends with the graduation
Graduation
Graduation is the action of receiving or conferring an academic degree or the ceremony that is sometimes associated, where students become Graduates. Before the graduation, candidates are referred to as Graduands. The date of graduation is often called degree day. The graduation itself is also...
ceremony and dance.
Mr. Thackeray announces that he is not going back to Britain but staying at Chicago to teach the new generation.