At an Oregon high school, Rich Donato (Lou Diamond Phillips) is the most popular adult on campus.  He defies the school’s no music rule by dancing in the cafeteria.  He keeps discipline in the hallways and he counsels the school’s most troubled students.  He’s the adult that all the students come to for advice.  He’s the adult who everyone looks to as being a life coach.  However, Rich is not a teacher or a guidance counselor.  Instead, he’s just a custodian and handyman.  Rich is smart but he never graduated high school.  He doesn’t even have a G.E.D.

That becomes a problem when the school board announces that all employees of the district are now required to have, at the very least, a GED.  If Rich can’t take and pass the GED test in 30 days, Rich will lose his job.  Rich fails the test the first time he takes it but wife and the students at the school come together to try to help him pass.  Along the way, the special education teacher (Joan Chen) diagnoses Rich as having both ADD and dyslexia, helping to explain why Rich always had trouble in school.  Even though their parents say that Rich is just a janitor and not worth the trouble, the school’s students never stop believing in him.

Made for television, In A Class Of His Own is based on a true story.  It takes a typical “inspiring” approach to the material, which means there’s nothing surprising about this movie.  Everyone likes Rich, even the principal (Tom McBeath) who wishes that Rich would stop dancing in the cafeteria.  Luckily, Lou Diamond Phillips is likable as Rich and his performance suggests that he truly cared about the film’s message.  And it’s a good message!  If you have a dream, don’t give up.  And don’t be afraid to ask for help.