Every student wants a teacher like Mr. Roberts, a Black man with an electric energy. The type of teacher that dedicates his life to the betterment of his students while teaching them good ethics and how to mature themselves into good adults. As he packs up his room on his final day one of his past students comes back to conduct an interview with him. As the interview continues the realization is clear, any teacher worth their weight in gold is more than just a teacher. Mr. Roberts was a speech and debate coach. He talks about how his career started, through all of his wins and losses as a human being as well as a coach, he in no uncertain terms shares his soul. But when his ethics and morals are challenged it forces him to reflect back on all of the things that he fought through to become the coach that he was in that moment. Someone that definitely didn't deserve to be accused of anything other than loving, teaching, and supporting his students. What we learn more than anything else is that even the most dedicated teacher can find themselves in a bad situation that makes them realize that though he may not have been ready he needed in this moment to leave. Leave education, leave his classroom, and unfortunately leave the students that he potentially could have positively affected. One of the greatest gifts that Mr. Roberts gives his students is his reality that he as an educator has the power to change lives and he will always take that responsibility very seriously. A story of the heartache and hardships of being a Black teacher and the weight that it can carry. *Performer needs to be African American.
