Paws & Tales

Joel: Okay, Ned, we're rolling in three, two, one.

Ned: Yeah, I'm sorry, Joel, I just don't feel the inspiration today. Sorry.

Joel: Ned, we've got to get these recorded.

Ned: I'm an artist, not a vending machine. I lack my muse.

Joel: Start with the one about the free Wildwood map. Anyone can download it.

Ned: What's my motivation? I feel untethered.

Joel: Okay, then do the one for the character coloring sheets, also a free download. Come on, Ned, I want to go home.

Ned: Where is my atomizer? My throat is dry. It's really parched. I can't.

Joel: The last one, Ned, just read the last one.

Ned: This one? This one? The "find it all at pawsandtales.org" script? That's the one?

Joel: Yes, Ned, that's the one.

Ned: I need a pumpkin spice something or other. I need it right now, please. Who's in charge of this craft table? I'm the talent here and I am in need of refreshment.

Insight for Living: Welcome to the world of Paws & Tales. Wildwood mountain can be a pretty dangerous place. If you stay on the trails and stick with me, there's adventure to be had there too.

Guest (Female): Come on, CJ, jump.

Guest (Male): It's too far.

Guest (Female): It wasn't too far for me.

Insight for Living: Insight for Living is proud to present Paws & Tales.

Howdy, and welcome back to Wildwood. Everything is going along real nice and peaceful, and everyone is pretty much pleased with the way things are going, especially Miss Harbor, the schoolteacher. The kids are out having recess and Miss Harbor is just sitting at her desk listening to them through the window.

Guest (Male): Goos, you crack me up.

Goos: Do you think it looks okay? You mean the boat or the flower? Well, either, both. I just think I need a change. I just wear my hair the same way every day. I needed something different.

Stacy: Goos, I like you the way you are.

Goos: Oh, that's the nicest thing anyone's ever said to me.

Stacy: I wish I had your hair.

Goos: Oh, that's the nicest thing. Stacy, I wish I had your hair. Okay, this is just too sweet for words.

Miss Harbor: I just love this job.

Mayor Boggs: Miss Harbor, you won't believe it. He's coming. Rockler, he's moving here to Wildwood.

Miss Harbor: Why on earth would he do that?

Mayor Boggs: He is going to personally oversee construction of the new train line through the mountains. He'll live right here in our town for one, maybe two years.

Miss Harbor: That is exciting.

Mayor Boggs: You don't know the half of it. He's also bringing his daughter Tiffany with him.

Miss Harbor: Oh, how old?

Mayor Boggs: She's 11. She'll be in this class, your class. Can you believe it?

Miss Harbor: Well, that's wonderful. I'll have a desk made ready and get all her supplies.

Mayor Boggs: Yes, of course you will. This is of the utmost importance. We all must do our part to make this time one of happiness and success for them both. He is not only worth millions, but his very presence here will bring business to the town.

He'll set up offices. This will bring waves of money into our little town.

Miss Harbor: I can assure you that I will do my part.

Mayor Boggs: I know you will. I know you will. It's Thursday now. They'll be here on Monday. Let's make all necessary arrangements. I'm off now. So much to do, so much to do.

Miss Harbor: Good day, Mayor Boggs.

Insight for Living: Well, the rest of the week was a confusion of activity as the whole town kicked into high gear getting ready for the arrival of the Rocklers. Now you have to understand that this is about the most important, powerful person ever to come and live in Wildwood, and folks tend to get all nervous and jumpy.

The train arrived in Onnet, where Mr. Rockler and his daughter and a whole mess of other folks who came to move them in.

Mr. Rockler: Mr. Yusuf, please see that the files and office furniture go into room 307. I want to be up and running Monday morning.

Mr. Yusuf: I'll see to it myself, Mr. Rockler.

Insight for Living: They made their home in the top floor of the hotel. The whole top floor. Well, Monday morning came and I tell you what, no one, including Hugh McClaw, was late to school that day.

Miss Harbor: Good morning, class.

Class: Good morning, Miss Harbor.

Mayor Boggs: Allow me to introduce you to our newest sixth-grader, Tiffany Rockler.

Stacy: Wow, Stacy, she's beautiful.

Guest (Female): She looks like a princess.

Tiffany Rockler: Hello.

Class: Good morning.

Miss Harbor: Will someone show Tiffany where to hang up her sweater?

Guest (Male): I will.

Guest (Male): I've got it.

Guest (Male): Out of the way, Cyclops.

Miss Harbor: Boys, boys. Ned, will you please assist Tiffany?

Ned: Certainly. Right this way, miss.

Tiffany Rockler: If I may say a word.

Miss Harbor: Of course, dear.

Tiffany Rockler: My father and I wish to thank you all for your warm welcome and hospitality. My father has decided to donate whatever funds will be needed to build a world-class library right here in Wildwood.

Mayor Boggs: A library? Astounding. The Rockler Library.

Tiffany Rockler: My father would prefer that it be called the Wildwood Public Library.

Miss Harbor: I'm speechless. I've got to go. I've got to go. Thank you. Oh, thank your father. I will go thank your father. I've got to go. Excuse me. Pardon me.

Miss Harbor: Good day, Mayor Boggs. Well, Tiffany, your desk is here. A library. Why don't we begin the day with the history?

Insight for Living: The town was practically vibrant with excitement for the new library. Over the next few days, it seemed no one spoke of anything but the Rocklers or the library. The schoolhouse was no different. The whole class seemed to focus all their attention on that little Rockler girl.

Why, if Tiffany wore her hair in a ponytail on Monday, all the girls wore a ponytail on Tuesday. And on it went through the week. After the second week, most of the boys were able to talk to Tiffany in complete sentences, with the exception of Ned.

Tiffany Rockler: Good morning, Ned.

Ned: Oh, yeah. Wow, it's you, summer.

Miss Harbor: These are your book reports. Maria, will you hand these out, please? Tiffany, Ned, would you come see me for a minute?

Tiffany Rockler: Certainly.

Ned: Yes, Miss Harbor.

Tiffany Rockler: Yes, Miss Harbor.

Miss Harbor: Your book reports.

Tiffany Rockler: Yes.

Miss Harbor: With a few minor changes, your reports are the same.

Tiffany Rockler: The same?

Miss Harbor: A word-for-word copy. How do you explain that?

Ned: Well, you see, it's a...

Tiffany Rockler: Oh, well, we studied together.

Miss Harbor: You did. Well, I need you all to do your own work so I can give you all your own grades. You will both need to do another book report on your own. Do it on the same book, but write your own report.

Ned: Yes, Miss Harbor.

Tiffany Rockler: Of course.

Miss Harbor: Thank you both. I'd like to see those reports in the morning. Have a seat.

Ned: Tiffany, I...

Tiffany Rockler: Don't say a word. We'll talk at recess.

Ned, do you have a minute?

Ned: Hi, Tiffany.

Tiffany Rockler: Okay, you really messed that one up.

Ned: I'm sorry.

Tiffany Rockler: I'm not looking for excuses. You said that you would write two reports. You wrote one and changed a few words.

Ned: Yeah, well, that's the thing.

Tiffany Rockler: You will do it right this time, or...

Ned: You're not going to do your own report this time?

Tiffany Rockler: Write my book report and I expect at least a B.

Ned: But I'm barely going to have time to write my own. You should have read the book yourself last week.

Tiffany Rockler: You show up with a good book report in the morning for me to sign my name to, or you will never recover from what I will do to you. You embarrassed me. No one does that twice. Do you understand? No one.

Dave Carl: Hi there, I'm Dave Carl, creator of Paws & Tales. We so want more kids, more families around the world to hear about the fun and the solid teaching built into every episode. So we're looking for folks who would like to join the Paws & Tales team. Just log on to pawsandtales.org and click on the donate button and help us out with a donation for any amount. It really will make a world of difference.

Tiffany Rockler: Come on in, girls.

Guest (Female): Wow, look at this stuff.

Marsha: This whole room is your bedroom?

Tiffany Rockler: Well, it's all the hotel had.

Stacy: How many shoes do you have?

Tiffany Rockler: I'm not sure. Have a seat. Did you see what Maria had on?

Marsha: Yeah.

Tiffany Rockler: Have you ever seen such a dress? It looked like a potato sack. Does she have parents?

Marsha: Of course she does.

Tiffany Rockler: Well, they must shop for clothes at the city dump. I wouldn't be caught dead in a rag like that.

Stacy: Did you see her funny little ponytail? Oh, please.

Marsha: Marsha, what a thing to say. There's nothing wrong with Maria's ponytail. It's just the same as Stacy's.

Tiffany Rockler: Oh no, it's spreading. It's the curse of the bad hair day.

Stacy: Hey, knock it off.

Tiffany Rockler: Sorry. I'm sorry.

Marsha: Yeah, we were just kidding, Stacy.

Stacy: It's not very funny.

Marsha: But it's almost as funny as when Marsha knocked over the paint on herself.

Stacy: Hey, it was an accident.

Marsha: It always is.

Stacy: Stacy, what a thing to say. Well, that's just mean.

Marsha: She asked for it.

Tiffany Rockler: How about tomorrow we all wear ribbons in our hair?

Marsha: I love hair ribbons.

Tiffany Rockler: Hey, Stacy, you have the blue one.

Stacy: This is beautiful.

Marsha: Goos, I'm not sure you have enough hair to tie a ribbon onto.

Goos: Glue might work. You guys are just mean. I'm done. See you later.

Stacy: Goos, we were just kidding.

Tiffany Rockler: Is she always so touchy?

Maria: Maybe I should go with her.

Tiffany Rockler: How about a red and blue ribbon? Look at that.

Stacy: It's from France.

Marsha: I want one from France.

Insight for Living: Well, it went from bad to worse. Tiffany got the girls all making fun of each other and she had poor Ned doing her homework every night. By the end of her first month in Wildwood, she had everyone in school either fighting with each other or terrified of what she could do to them.

Yep, Tiffany had them all dancing to her tune and she was right proud of herself for being able to. She woke up the next morning, headed to school for another day of bossing and putting others down.

Marsha: Hey, Tiffany, I thought you were going to wear hair ribbons.

Stacy: Yeah, we were all going to wear ribbons from France. We're wearing ours.

Tiffany Rockler: Hey, guys, do you like those hair ribbons?

Stacy: They're okay, I guess. I've never seen ribbons from France.

Tiffany Rockler: You still haven't. Those are from the boxes my shoes were shipped in.

Stacy: So they're still pretty.

Tiffany Rockler: If you're a pair of sandals.

Marsha: Knock it off.

Miss Harbor: What am I hearing out here? That kind of mean behavior is unacceptable. Tiffany, please apologize to Marsha.

Tiffany Rockler: Marsha, I am very sorry.

Miss Harbor: All right, let's head back in.

Tiffany Rockler: Ned, here's a couple of dollars. That math homework you did got me a B-plus.

Ned: I'm done with you. I'm not doing your homework anymore.

Miss Harbor: Class, please start to copy down your spelling words for the week. Tiffany, Ned, could I see you up here, please?

Tiffany Rockler: Certainly.

Ned: Yes, Miss Harbor.

Miss Harbor: Tiffany, it has come to my attention that you have been paying Ned to do your homework. Cheating is a very serious matter.

Tiffany Rockler: What did you tell her?

Ned: I told her everything.

Tiffany Rockler: I don't know what lies this terrible rodent has told you, but...

Miss Harbor: Did you pay Ned to do your homework?

Tiffany Rockler: Certainly not.

Miss Harbor: Would you please tell me about the book you read for your report?

Tiffany Rockler: That was weeks ago.

Miss Harbor: Please tell me something you remember from reading that book.

Tiffany Rockler: Are you going to take his word over mine?

Miss Harbor: I have already discussed this with Ned's parents. I will need to do the same with your father. Please deliver this note to him. It's a request for a teacher-parent conference tomorrow after school.

Tiffany Rockler: He is too busy. And besides, Mr. Yusuf handles my affairs. Perhaps he could make it.

Miss Harbor: He handles your affairs?

Tiffany Rockler: Takes care of things for me.

Miss Harbor: Doesn't your father take care of things for you?

Tiffany Rockler: He is a very busy man. It is Mr. Yusuf that you want to talk to.

Miss Harbor: On the contrary, please deliver the note to your father, not Mr. Yusuf.

Tiffany Rockler: All right, I'll do the report on another book. I'll make it up.

Miss Harbor: I'll be discussing that with your father.

Tiffany Rockler: He's too busy to come meet with a small-town schoolmarm. He won't come.

Miss Harbor: I will not allow this kind of disrespect.

Tiffany Rockler: Then take my advice. Let me make up the work and leave my father out of it.

Miss Harbor: You may deliver the note now. You are done for the day in this class.

Tiffany Rockler: You're kicking me out of the class?

Miss Harbor: There is no room for disrespect in a classroom. Please gather up your things.

Insight for Living: Although she hid it pretty well, Miss Harbor was very upset about Tiffany. After class, she was grading papers and trying to imagine what could make a little girl act like that.

Mayor Boggs: Miss Harbor.

Miss Harbor: Mayor Boggs, I'm glad you came.

Mayor Boggs: You expelled Mr. Rockler's daughter? You kicked her out of your class?

Miss Harbor: I did. Let me explain.

Mayor Boggs: Could you not have made her stay after class? Write something on the board several hundred times? Was there nothing else you could think of that you could have done to get this little girl under control?

Miss Harbor: In my opinion, Tiffany has no respect for anything except her father. He needs to know about this.

Mayor Boggs: Well, it's done. You've sent the note and he's coming.

Miss Harbor: Good, I will explain.

Mayor Boggs: I will be there as well.

Miss Harbor: Why will you be there?

Mayor Boggs: The future of this town is in the balance. If you don't take care of this properly, I will. Be sure of that. I'll see you tomorrow.

Insight for Living: Miss Harbor spent that night thinking and praying. Now she had a tough enough time just talking with the grown-ups in the town when things were going well. But here she was facing a meeting about a troubled little girl who was the daughter of the most powerful man that had ever set foot in Wildwood.

That night, she did very little sleeping and quite a lot of praying. Tiffany was absent the next day from school, and finally, 3:30 came.

Miss Harbor: Mr. Rockler.

Mr. Rockler: Miss Harbor, nice to meet you.

Miss Harbor: Come in, please.

Mr. Rockler: Thank you.

Miss Harbor: Please have a seat.

Mr. Rockler: Thank you. I understand there's been...

Mayor Boggs: Mr. Rockler, I guess I missed you at the hotel.

Mr. Rockler: I guess you did. Please proceed.

Miss Harbor: I was saying... No, you go first, please. Well, Tiffany is a bright and precocious child.

Mr. Rockler: Yes, I agree. Let's talk about the cheating.

Can we get to the heart of the matter, Miss Harbor?

Miss Harbor: Of course. Tiffany has been cheating on her homework. When confronted, she admitted to this.

Mr. Rockler: So she told me. Did she offer to make up the work?

Miss Harbor: She did, but only with the greatest disrespect to me.

Mr. Rockler: Is this not the real issue?

Miss Harbor: Excuse me?

Mr. Rockler: She has no respect for you. I think that is the point. You pulled me away from my work because you cannot earn the respect of a little girl.

Miss Harbor: She cheated. That is one issue. She also has shown disrespect that is unacceptable.

Mr. Rockler: If you cannot gain the respect of an 11-year-old girl, how can you teach a whole class?

Mayor Boggs: That is a very good question.

Miss Harbor: Mr. Rockler, I am very afraid for the future of your daughter. You have no idea what she is like, good or bad. You are off building railroads and leaving your daughter to the care of strangers. She needs your attention and she needs your discipline. Tiffany is in a battle with me right now, and if you let her win, she will lose in ways that will affect her for years to come.

Mayor Boggs: Miss Harbor, you may stop now. Mr. Rockler, I am the mayor, head of the school board, and I am now exercising my authority by reinstating Tiffany back into the class tomorrow morning. I can also assure you that we will begin immediately to search for a teacher that can teach children and not wage battles against them.

Miss Harbor: Mayor Boggs, I don't think...

Mayor Boggs: Miss Harbor, that is all. You are quite finished here.

Ned: Hi, this is Ned the Beaver, star of Paws & Tales. You might be surprised to know that each and every episode requires a bunch of actors, a writer, a songwriter, singers, genius web people. Okay, it takes a lot.

If you'd like to help us keep creating fun things that teach God's love to his children, just visit pawsandtales.org and go to the donate button. You know, a gift of any size will help us to introduce Paws & Tales to families around the world.

Insight for Living: Well, Mayor Boggs and Mr. Rockler left Miss Harbor crying at her desk. Mr. Rockler had an uneasy feeling in his stomach. Part of him knew that Miss Harbor was right about his sweet little girl. Another part was furious that anyone would talk to him like that.

This is a good thing to be mindful of. When you feel uneasy about something, you'd best stop and rethink what you're doing. So Mr. Rockler headed straight to the hotel and straight up to his daughter's room.

Mr. Rockler: Mr. Yusuf, do you know where Tiffany is?

Mr. Yusuf: In her room, sir, with some young ladies, tea party.

Mr. Rockler: Thank you.

Mr. Yusuf: Not at all, sir.

Tiffany Rockler: I told her, she did not know who she was dealing with. I can't believe you said that to a teacher. Weren't you afraid? Of what? That backwater schoolmarm? I can't believe she'd say that.

I've made teachers and tutors beg me not to give a bad report to my father. Miss Harbor? She wasn't even a challenge. If she loses her job, no other teacher will ever go up against you.

Mr. Rockler: Ladies.

Tiffany Rockler: Mr. Rockler. Good afternoon, sir. Father.

Mr. Rockler: Ladies, I'll have to ask you to excuse us.

Stacy/Marsha: Of course. See you tomorrow, Tiffany.

Tiffany Rockler: How did it go with Miss Harbor?

Mr. Rockler: I can't believe what I just heard.

Tiffany Rockler: What do you mean?

Mr. Rockler: You. Miss Harbor was right. She was right about you.

Tiffany Rockler: I'm not sure I know what you mean.

Mr. Rockler: I guess I knew it all along. I've spoiled you. Since mother left, I have spoiled you, and this is what you have become.

Tiffany Rockler: You're going to believe that teacher over me?

Mr. Rockler: Yes. You've lied to me about a lot of things. I overlooked them. I allowed them. Get ready for dinner. I have some thinking to do.

Tiffany Rockler: Father, I'm sorry.

Insight for Living: That night was the worst night of Miss Harbor's life. She loved the kids in her class. She wanted to live in this town and watch them all grow up. And it was all over. She had lost her dream, all while doing the right thing and standing up to Mr. Rockler.

She didn't understand how God could let it happen, but it just did right there before her very eyes. She was determined, however, to leave her job well and she had worked on just the right way to tell her class that she would no longer be their teacher.

Miss Harbor: Please, all of you, find your seats. I have an announcement to make. You must know that I have no greater joy than to be with all of you.

Goos: Me too, Miss Harbor.

Miss Harbor: Thank you, Goos. But sometimes things just don't work out the way... Mr. Rockler, this isn't necessary.

Mr. Rockler: Yes, it is.

Mayor Boggs: Mr. Rockler, I saw you headed this way. I wanted you to know that we are having an emergency meeting of the school board to begin the search for a new teacher.

Mr. Rockler: If you would allow me.

Mayor Boggs: Well, of course. And who would blame you?

Mr. Rockler: Tiffany.

Tiffany Rockler: I can't.

Mr. Rockler: Go ahead.

Tiffany Rockler: I am, Miss Harbor, I am sorry for lying to you and being disrespectful.

Mr. Rockler: Cheating?

Tiffany Rockler: And I'm sorry I cheated. I will be a model student from now on.

Mr. Rockler: Miss Harbor?

Miss Harbor: Yes?

Mr. Rockler: Would you allow my daughter to rejoin your class?

Mayor Boggs: But there's no need for that. Why, I have everything ready.

Miss Harbor: I would be very glad for Tiffany to rejoin the class.

Mayor Boggs: But I...

Mr. Rockler: Could I have a word with you? Of course. I have been a fool. You stood up to me for the sake of my own daughter, and I was angry with you.

Miss Harbor: I said some things that are very difficult for a father to hear.

Mr. Rockler: Do you know one of the worst things about my job? No one wants to tell me bad news, even when I need to hear it.

Miss Harbor: I can imagine.

Mr. Rockler: You were right about my daughter. I need to be with her more, do normal family things. I apologize to you too. And you needn't worry about your job.

Miss Harbor: But Mayor Boggs is...

Mr. Rockler: Will agree with whatever I ask. Please forgive me.

Miss Harbor: Of course I do.

Mr. Rockler: I will leave you to your class now. Thank you. Oh, and the library?

Miss Harbor: Yes?

Mr. Rockler: I expect you'll be checking books out within the year.

Miss Harbor: That is wonderful.

Mr. Rockler: Keep up the good work.

Miss Harbor: Thank you, Lord. Let's start the day with a science lesson. What do plants need to grow?

Guest (Male): (Singing) The Bible tells us that we should not be rebellious. No, we should not disobey authority, but give honor to our parents and our teachers. You might ask, "Hey, what's in that for me?" Well, if we treat others with respect, then we'll be blessed ourselves. And so it would be silly to do anything else.

If you were a bird, you'd surely listen to your mother. You'd hang on every word that she taught you about the sky. You wouldn't balk or squawk or say you'd rather walk when you, you could be learning how to fly. It would be silly to do anything else. Yes, I'm sure that you can see it yourself. You'll be blessed each day if you just obey. It wouldn't be silly to do anything else.

If you were a fish, a fish, a little fish, you know you'd be in school, and you would not resist learning how to use your fins. You wouldn't carp or pout or flounder all about when you, you could be learning how to swim. It would be silly to do anything else. Yes, I'm sure that you can see it yourself, because you'll be blessed each day if you just obey. It wouldn't be silly to do anything else.

Your elders want to help you to be smarter and wiser than any little fish or little bird. That's why God put them above us. Can't you see they love us? So let's give them the respect that they deserve. It would be silly to do anything else. Yes, I'm sure that you can see it yourself. You'll be blessed each day if you just obey. It would be silly to do anything, silly to do anything, silly to do anything else.

Insight for Living: To order a copy of today's program, Tiffany Cometh, just log on to pawsandtales.org. Tiffany Cometh was written and directed by David Carl. Our script supervisor was Phil Lawler.

The song, It Would Be Silly, was written by Sandy Howell and Nick Brown. Music was by John Campbell and our sound designer was Jerry Swafford. Paws & Tales is an Insight for Living production.