Season V Episodes
608: TEACHING TO LEARN
Missions:
8: Teachers for a Day
My comments:
It was great to see Piggy finally beginning to feel that she id fitting in the group, it also was great to see Piggy begin to understand some of her heritage.
Kefla needs to understand that he is on the trip to experience new and wonderful things instead of holding on to old views and missions of his own.
End: After the teaching mission Kefla and Shayne give the Stewardess speach about the exits of the Winnie.
What MTV had to say about the episode:
TEACHING TO LEARN
PREVIOUSLY ON: Piggy compares Kefla to an alien due to him being the only black person in the group, a remark that picks at a developing wound. He comments, "Australia's a good place to be, but the population of blacks is very slim." Ironically, Piggy also shares a feeling of estrangement.
The Rulers head to a club to check out a band. The music is pumping, the energy high, but Kefla sits with his back to the wall, purposely distancing himself from the others. After the show, the gang chats over a few glasses of wine. Her inhibition waning, Piggy tells Chad that he's "very, very sexy." Waiter, another bottle please. The mood is relaxed, pleasant. Once again though, Kefla decides not to partake. He explains, "Being the only black traveling with five other whites, it's kind of hard. I can't be around my black people. I can't listen to the music I want to." Chad tries to understand Kefla's growing disillusionment with the others, but refuses to show sympathy. He sees it as Kefla's issue to deal with, not his.
Kefla takes solace in a phone call back home. "I probably see one or two black people every seven hours." He brings up Piggy and the fact that her mother's half-black. How does she deal with it? She states, "I take the white advantages and reject the black disadvantages." This simplistic approach gets under Kefla's skin, "The only thing she actually knows about 'black' is that her mother was black and that she knows how to spell the word 'black'."
The anxiously awaited next clue is left for the Rulers at the reception desk. "Take off the dunce caps. It's back to school for Road Rules... This mission will teach you a lesson." Their destination: Rockhampton. "I think we might be teaching kids," Christina opines. The thought of being a teacher touches Kefla more than any other previous mission. He explains, "This is my background. Being a teacher, this is my forte."
En route to Rockhampton, the group, for the sake of Susie, discusses the Aborigine and their story. "We've just been trying to open Susie's eyes a bit," remarks Shayne. The plight of the Aborigine seems similar, and an analogy is made to the Native Americans. Susie searches for a simple answer, but Shayne knows different, "When you're dealing with such a delicate issue, there's no specific answer that will make everything better."
The Winnie pulls into town. At their stop, Christina brushes out Piggy's hair, exposing its grand curly, puffy, and expansive quality. Once again, although the sight's amusing, Piggy's caught in the middle. "Sometimes I feel black. Sometimes I feel very white. It sucks." With Piggy's pseudo-afro the center of attention, the atmosphere is rather light, but it does nothing to ease the weight Kefla carries on his back. Christina takes somber notice of this fact, "I'm very worried about Kefla. He's not clicking with any of us, and how can he really?"
At dinner, the Kefla-less group converse about his troubles. Susie takes a tough stance, "I don't think he really tries. I think everything has to be on his terms." Chad adds, "He doesn't want to talk to anybody and sometimes can be rude about it, but I'm not going to sit around there and kiss his ass." In a separate interview, Kefla sums it up, "The trip is five whites, one black. If I want to be alone, I want to be alone."
Come morning, they drive to Woorabinda. The people of the town are poverty-stricken, the buildings eroded, the setting bleak. The group immediately meets the elders of the city. They're shown the council chamber, the school to you and me. The Rulers are still a little shocked by their new surroundings. Christina admits, "I think Woorabinda is possibly the most destitute looking place I've ever seen people live." However, a feeling of "being at home" overtakes Kefla. "This is how I grew up, the dirt roads, the houses
and the kids."
School time. The teachers explain that they're going to be "teachers for the day." The idea is that they'll teach two topics: the Native Americans losing their land and Thanksgiving. The group's mood is uplifted by the sincere joy that emanates from the faces of the children. The little ones are happy for the attention and eager to play. However, in the meeting with the teachers, the chosen subjects are debated. Kefla wants to teach material that relates directly with the students, not some American event that will have little meaning for them. He underlines his position with a deep passion.
Overall, the Rulers' eyes are being opened. Collectively, they agree with altering their assigned lesson. A low-key Kefla versus Chad showdown ensues. The others remain quiet as the two debate the importance of family and the role it plays in one's life. Chad feels you come into this world alone and leave alone. Kefla puts value in his family from the time he was born. Chad feels the others' silence is motivated by a different reason, "People don't cross that line with Kefla because he's black. Give me a friggin' break! He's human."
They spend the night at the house of an Aborigine family. The group grills some hot dogs and plays with the children. The next day, Kefla explains that the United States has similar poverty everywhere, but doesn't show it to maintain the image of the "perfect country." At the school, the Rulers abandon the given lessons and choose to embrace the regular lesson plans of the day. Kefla's teaching abilities are apparent. He's at ease with the children. The others play the role of teachers, moving from reading lessons to math. Piggy's impressed with Kefla's style, "I think it's a talent that only some people have."
Christina comforts a crying child outside and realizes the difficulty of the mission. "Everything has been fun and games up until now. This is the biggest reality check that any of us has had." With the lessons complete and everyone a bit wiser, it's time to go. Hugs are shared with the children, and Piggy has a change of heart about her heritage, "Being in Woorabinda, I feel I don't have any business being here and yet I feel I know what's going on. It makes me feel lucky to have a part of me that isn't white."
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