Dear Tom, (Hanks)

Dear Tom,

I have a favor to ask of you. I have a big, huge favor. I need a movie made, about my mother, who was a teacher and taught for 25 years. She was an awesome, amazing, wonderful, inspiring teacher, but in the middle of her 25th year of teaching, she was fired on grounds of incompetence. But, she wasn't incompetent. Far from it. As I said, she was awesome, amazing, wonderful and inspiring. Absolutely inspiring. An inspiring teacher and an inspiring woman and mother.

She was unique. Very unique. She was about 5'4'' in heels and was from Kentucky. There was a lot of Indian ancestory. Her hair was dark brown and her eyes were a yellowish/chestnutish color. Yellow around the pupil. I used to sit and look at her eyes and try to memorize what they looked like. When she laughed or smiled, she could light up the world.

She was also educated. Very, very educated. She could have had a Ph.D. She taught science and biology. She loved the field of science and she was a master at teaching it. One person said it was like she was doing a demonstration speech when she taught.

When I was in high school, I saw people on a stage, and I saw them bringing honor to her. I felt in my heart that one day that would happen.

She died from colon cancer when I was 19 and it was discovered through emergency measures when I was 16. The guy that should be in the movie, or portrayed, "Josh," said once, "She must fought hard," and she did. She did fight hard. She fought for me. She lived for me and she fought for me. ( my father died before I was born)

I wrote a book about all this, to the best of my ability---tough subject matter and many detailed details that I did leave out---back in 1998-2001. I wrote it to deal with what happened with "Josh" in real life, and also to create a memory bank of my mother and her life/our life. There is an element of fiction that runs through the book but there is also an element of truth. There is much truth that runs through it also.

Honestly, I'm ashamed of the book---I shouldn't say that, I know---but it needs overhauling. It needs an overhaul. There's a lot that was left out and there was a lot that a novice writer was writing back then. ( and I'm still a bit of a novice )

I went into education, knowing what happened to my mother, after having been set against it, for years. Education has been in my blood, though. It's in me and all about me. I have been unemployed, though, for most of the time I've been purusing it. I started my training in 2001 and have been on over 10 interviews (Over 10). I've interviewed with at least 2 of the same places about 4 times. I have substituted (filled in for teachers) in an attempt to "get in" with the school to no avail. I was once in a situation that was totally against my conscience, also, while substituting. I worked in a wonderful place for three years as a Learning Disabilities tutor (my field is special education) and the position was eliminated in June of 2007. I have again, interviewed, interviewed, interviewed, to no avail. I depleted my savings, and am trying to work in a job that could be lucritive but do not feel I belong. Things are rough at ________, ________, OH. (my address) I'm moving my aunt (my mom's sister) in my house to help pay expenses. I have a little house.

This would be a good time for me to start the making of the movie, but I know it's not that simple. It's not that simple.

But, my mother led an extraordinary life--an extra-ordinary life. There's more to it than her being "put out" from teaching---she always said, "put out." She didn't work a job after that and we were never on public assistance. And there's more about her, after that. If you and Stephen Speilberg could work on this, I would be so, so, so, so grateful. So grateful.

I would like you to play the mean-ish assist. principal and George Clooney to play the really mean Superintendent. You would be SUPERB. ABSOLUTELY SUPERB at playing this guy. I would like Charlie Sheen to play the nice Assist. Superintendent, and a few other people to play a few other people.

Much Appreciation in Advance,

Cindy Taylor