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[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/twilight_zone_changing_guard.jpg]]
->'''Creator/RodSerling:''' Professor Ellis Fowler, a gentle, bookish guide to the young, who is about to discover that life still has certain surprises, and that the campus of the Rock Spring School for Boys lies on a direct path to another institution, commonly referred to as the Twilight Zone.
Air date: June 1, 1962
Ellis Fowler (Creator/DonaldPleasence) has spent the last 51 years as an educator in English literature at the Rock Spring Prep School for Boys. Ellis is held in high regard among his students, as he's a highly intelligent teacher who often sprinkles a bit of fun and humor in his lessons. Soon after class ends for the day, the school's staff inform Ellis that he's being sent to mandatory retirement. Even though he has a generous pension to support himself with, Ellis starts questioning what he's done with his life, as well as the legacy he'll leave behind. Fearing that he's accomplished nothing in his old age besides being a teacher, Ellis prepares to shoot himself before the school's statue. Before he can do this, a school bell rings, and the investigative Ellis discovers a classroom filled with the ghosts of some of his former students, who have come to remind Ellis that, even if he was only a simple teacher, he left a mark on them that inspired them to perform various feats of heroism.
----
!!The Changing of the Tropes:
* AgeAppropriateAngst: Ellis is in his seventies when we meet him, and he fears that since he's only ever been a teacher, he has no legacy to leave behind and has done nothing with his life.
* AllForNothing: Ellis feels his entire life has been this. However, after learning about the many of students he inspired in life, he learns it has been quite the opposite.
* ChristmasEpisode: Ellis is forced to retire at Christmas time, and he plans to commit suicide when he believes that his life has been a failure. At the end, his students sing Christmas carols at his house to cheer him up.
* ChromosomeCasting: Nearly every character with a speaking role is male, as the episode is set in and around a boys' prep school. The only exception is Ellis' housekeeper Mrs. Landers.
* CoolTeacher: Professor Fowler is a well-respected and excellent teacher. Although he is a bit sarcastic in his lessons, he means it all in good fun. His students often call him [[InsultOfEndearment "Old]] [[AffectionateNickname Weirdbeard"]], and he knows about it, brandishing the nickname as a term of endearment.
* SugarWiki/CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming: When Ellis says "Merry Christmas" to some of his students when he learns that he's sent to mandatory retirment, they notice that he's crying, so they gather at his house near the end of the episode to cheer him up by singing Christmas carols.
* DrivenToSuicide: After being forced to retire by the school board, Ellis becomes convinced that he hasn't accomplished anything in his long life and plans to shoot himself. However, he meets the ghosts of some of his former students, who assure him that his teachings genuinely made a difference in their lives, as they all died in the pursuit of saving others.
* EarnYourHappyEnding: With some desperately-needed reassurance from the ghosts of his long-dead students, Ellis realizes that he ''did'' leave behind a legacy after all. Content in the knowledge that he's done something noble with his life, he settles down to enjoy retirement. As the cherry on top, his current pupils drop by his home and sing Christmas carols to cheer him up, as they saw he was crying when he was told of his retirement.
* HeroicSacrifice: The ghosts of Ellis' students died in different ways of this trope. Beechcroft was killed at Iwo Jima, Bartlett contracted leukemia while helping study X-ray treatment for cancer research, and Weiss gave his life saving a dozen men during the bombing of the USS ''Arizona''. They may have died, but they gave their lives so others could live theirs, and they're all eternally grateful for how Ellis inspired them.
* HollywoodOld: A 40 year old Creator/DonaldPleasence plays Ellis, albeit in heavy makeup.
* OneGenderSchool: Professor Fowler teaches at Rock Spring School, which is a prepatory school for boys.
* OurGhostsAreDifferent: The ghosts of seven of Ellis' former students, Artie Beechcroft, Bartlett, Dickie Weiss, Thompson, Rice, Hudson, and Whiting, appear to him to stop him from committing suicide. They tell him that his teachings inspired them, as he taught them about patriotism, courage, loyalty, ethics, and honesty.
* RealAwardFictionalCharacter: Artie Beechcroft is said to have received the Congressional Medal of Honor posthumously for his heroism during the Battle of Iwo Jima.
* RepayingForTheOne: Ellis is saved from suicidal despair by the spirits of seven students he taught, who explain their deaths came from the bravery he instilled in them through his lessons.
* TalkingDownTheSuicidal: Ellis is prepared to commit suicide before the school statue, but the ghosts of seven of his former students return from beyond the grave to tell him that he genuinely left a mark on their lives.
* YouAreBetterThanYouThinkYouAre: As the ghosts of his students tell him, Ellis may not have saved any lives directly, or made any significant historical changes, but his teachings ''did'' inspire others to save many lives. As seen by the end, he's fully content with this knowledge.
----
->'''Rod Serling:''' Professor Ellis Fowler, teacher, who discovered rather belatedly something of his own value. A very small scholastic lesson, from the campus of the Twilight Zone.
->'''Creator/RodSerling:''' Professor Ellis Fowler, a gentle, bookish guide to the young, who is about to discover that life still has certain surprises, and that the campus of the Rock Spring School for Boys lies on a direct path to another institution, commonly referred to as the Twilight Zone.
Air date: June 1, 1962
Ellis Fowler (Creator/DonaldPleasence) has spent the last 51 years as an educator in English literature at the Rock Spring Prep School for Boys. Ellis is held in high regard among his students, as he's a highly intelligent teacher who often sprinkles a bit of fun and humor in his lessons. Soon after class ends for the day, the school's staff inform Ellis that he's being sent to mandatory retirement. Even though he has a generous pension to support himself with, Ellis starts questioning what he's done with his life, as well as the legacy he'll leave behind. Fearing that he's accomplished nothing in his old age besides being a teacher, Ellis prepares to shoot himself before the school's statue. Before he can do this, a school bell rings, and the investigative Ellis discovers a classroom filled with the ghosts of some of his former students, who have come to remind Ellis that, even if he was only a simple teacher, he left a mark on them that inspired them to perform various feats of heroism.
----
!!The Changing of the Tropes:
* AgeAppropriateAngst: Ellis is in his seventies when we meet him, and he fears that since he's only ever been a teacher, he has no legacy to leave behind and has done nothing with his life.
* AllForNothing: Ellis feels his entire life has been this. However, after learning about the many of students he inspired in life, he learns it has been quite the opposite.
* ChristmasEpisode: Ellis is forced to retire at Christmas time, and he plans to commit suicide when he believes that his life has been a failure. At the end, his students sing Christmas carols at his house to cheer him up.
* ChromosomeCasting: Nearly every character with a speaking role is male, as the episode is set in and around a boys' prep school. The only exception is Ellis' housekeeper Mrs. Landers.
* CoolTeacher: Professor Fowler is a well-respected and excellent teacher. Although he is a bit sarcastic in his lessons, he means it all in good fun. His students often call him [[InsultOfEndearment "Old]] [[AffectionateNickname Weirdbeard"]], and he knows about it, brandishing the nickname as a term of endearment.
* SugarWiki/CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming: When Ellis says "Merry Christmas" to some of his students when he learns that he's sent to mandatory retirment, they notice that he's crying, so they gather at his house near the end of the episode to cheer him up by singing Christmas carols.
* DrivenToSuicide: After being forced to retire by the school board, Ellis becomes convinced that he hasn't accomplished anything in his long life and plans to shoot himself. However, he meets the ghosts of some of his former students, who assure him that his teachings genuinely made a difference in their lives, as they all died in the pursuit of saving others.
* EarnYourHappyEnding: With some desperately-needed reassurance from the ghosts of his long-dead students, Ellis realizes that he ''did'' leave behind a legacy after all. Content in the knowledge that he's done something noble with his life, he settles down to enjoy retirement. As the cherry on top, his current pupils drop by his home and sing Christmas carols to cheer him up, as they saw he was crying when he was told of his retirement.
* HeroicSacrifice: The ghosts of Ellis' students died in different ways of this trope. Beechcroft was killed at Iwo Jima, Bartlett contracted leukemia while helping study X-ray treatment for cancer research, and Weiss gave his life saving a dozen men during the bombing of the USS ''Arizona''. They may have died, but they gave their lives so others could live theirs, and they're all eternally grateful for how Ellis inspired them.
* HollywoodOld: A 40 year old Creator/DonaldPleasence plays Ellis, albeit in heavy makeup.
* OneGenderSchool: Professor Fowler teaches at Rock Spring School, which is a prepatory school for boys.
* OurGhostsAreDifferent: The ghosts of seven of Ellis' former students, Artie Beechcroft, Bartlett, Dickie Weiss, Thompson, Rice, Hudson, and Whiting, appear to him to stop him from committing suicide. They tell him that his teachings inspired them, as he taught them about patriotism, courage, loyalty, ethics, and honesty.
* RealAwardFictionalCharacter: Artie Beechcroft is said to have received the Congressional Medal of Honor posthumously for his heroism during the Battle of Iwo Jima.
* RepayingForTheOne: Ellis is saved from suicidal despair by the spirits of seven students he taught, who explain their deaths came from the bravery he instilled in them through his lessons.
* TalkingDownTheSuicidal: Ellis is prepared to commit suicide before the school statue, but the ghosts of seven of his former students return from beyond the grave to tell him that he genuinely left a mark on their lives.
* YouAreBetterThanYouThinkYouAre: As the ghosts of his students tell him, Ellis may not have saved any lives directly, or made any significant historical changes, but his teachings ''did'' inspire others to save many lives. As seen by the end, he's fully content with this knowledge.
----
->'''Rod Serling:''' Professor Ellis Fowler, teacher, who discovered rather belatedly something of his own value. A very small scholastic lesson, from the campus of the Twilight Zone.
to:
->'''Creator/RodSerling:''' Professor Ellis Fowler, a gentle, bookish guide to the young, who is about to discover that life still has certain surprises, and that the campus of the Rock Spring School for Boys lies on a direct path to another institution, commonly referred to as the Twilight Zone.
Air date: June 1, 1962
Ellis Fowler (Creator/DonaldPleasence) has spent the last 51 years as an educator in English literature at the Rock Spring Prep School for Boys. Ellis is held in high regard among his students, as he's a highly intelligent teacher who often sprinkles a bit of fun and humor in his lessons. Soon after class ends for the day, the school's staff inform Ellis that he's being sent to mandatory retirement. Even though he has a generous pension to support himself with, Ellis starts questioning what he's done with his life, as well as the legacy he'll leave behind. Fearing that he's accomplished nothing in his old age besides being a teacher, Ellis prepares to shoot himself before the school's statue. Before he can do this, a school bell rings, and the investigative Ellis discovers a classroom filled with the ghosts of some of his former students, who have come to remind Ellis that, even if he was only a simple teacher, he left a mark on them that inspired them to perform various feats of heroism.
----
!!The Changing of the Tropes:
* AgeAppropriateAngst: Ellis is in his seventies when we meet him, and he fears that since he's only ever been a teacher, he has no legacy to leave behind and has done nothing with his life.
* AllForNothing: Ellis feels his entire life has been this. However, after learning about the many of students he inspired in life, he learns it has been quite the opposite.
* ChristmasEpisode: Ellis is forced to retire at Christmas time, and he plans to commit suicide when he believes that his life has been a failure. At the end, his students sing Christmas carols at his house to cheer him up.
* ChromosomeCasting: Nearly every character with a speaking role is male, as the episode is set in and around a boys' prep school. The only exception is Ellis' housekeeper Mrs. Landers.
* CoolTeacher: Professor Fowler is a well-respected and excellent teacher. Although he is a bit sarcastic in his lessons, he means it all in good fun. His students often call him [[InsultOfEndearment "Old]] [[AffectionateNickname Weirdbeard"]], and he knows about it, brandishing the nickname as a term of endearment.
* SugarWiki/CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming: When Ellis says "Merry Christmas" to some of his students when he learns that he's sent to mandatory retirment, they notice that he's crying, so they gather at his house near the end of the episode to cheer him up by singing Christmas carols.
* DrivenToSuicide: After being forced to retire by the school board, Ellis becomes convinced that he hasn't accomplished anything in his long life and plans to shoot himself. However, he meets the ghosts of some of his former students, who assure him that his teachings genuinely made a difference in their lives, as they all died in the pursuit of saving others.
* EarnYourHappyEnding: With some desperately-needed reassurance from the ghosts of his long-dead students, Ellis realizes that he ''did'' leave behind a legacy after all. Content in the knowledge that he's done something noble with his life, he settles down to enjoy retirement. As the cherry on top, his current pupils drop by his home and sing Christmas carols to cheer him up, as they saw he was crying when he was told of his retirement.
* HeroicSacrifice: The ghosts of Ellis' students died in different ways of this trope. Beechcroft was killed at Iwo Jima, Bartlett contracted leukemia while helping study X-ray treatment for cancer research, and Weiss gave his life saving a dozen men during the bombing of the USS ''Arizona''. They may have died, but they gave their lives so others could live theirs, and they're all eternally grateful for how Ellis inspired them.
* HollywoodOld: A 40 year old Creator/DonaldPleasence plays Ellis, albeit in heavy makeup.
* OneGenderSchool: Professor Fowler teaches at Rock Spring School, which is a prepatory school for boys.
* OurGhostsAreDifferent: The ghosts of seven of Ellis' former students, Artie Beechcroft, Bartlett, Dickie Weiss, Thompson, Rice, Hudson, and Whiting, appear to him to stop him from committing suicide. They tell him that his teachings inspired them, as he taught them about patriotism, courage, loyalty, ethics, and honesty.
* RealAwardFictionalCharacter: Artie Beechcroft is said to have received the Congressional Medal of Honor posthumously for his heroism during the Battle of Iwo Jima.
* RepayingForTheOne: Ellis is saved from suicidal despair by the spirits of seven students he taught, who explain their deaths came from the bravery he instilled in them through his lessons.
* TalkingDownTheSuicidal: Ellis is prepared to commit suicide before the school statue, but the ghosts of seven of his former students return from beyond the grave to tell him that he genuinely left a mark on their lives.
* YouAreBetterThanYouThinkYouAre: As the ghosts of his students tell him, Ellis may not have saved any lives directly, or made any significant historical changes, but his teachings ''did'' inspire others to save many lives. As seen by the end, he's fully content with this knowledge.
----
->'''Rod Serling:''' Professor Ellis Fowler, teacher, who discovered rather belatedly something of his own value. A very small scholastic lesson, from the campus of the Twilight Zone.
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None
Changed line(s) 20 (click to see context) from:
* HollywoodOld: A 40 year old Creator/DonaldPleasence plays Ellis albeit in heavy makeup.
to:
* HollywoodOld: A 40 year old Creator/DonaldPleasence plays Ellis Ellis, albeit in heavy makeup.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 14 (click to see context) from:
* ChromosomeCasting: Nearly every character with a speaking role is male, as the episode is set in and around a boys' prep school. The only exception is Ellis' caretaker Mrs. Landers.
to:
* ChromosomeCasting: Nearly every character with a speaking role is male, as the episode is set in and around a boys' prep school. The only exception is Ellis' caretaker housekeeper Mrs. Landers.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 14 (click to see context) from:
* ChromosomeCasting: Nearly every character with a speaking role is male, as the episode is set in and around a boys' prep school.
to:
* ChromosomeCasting: Nearly every character with a speaking role is male, as the episode is set in and around a boys' prep school. The only exception is Ellis' caretaker Mrs. Landers.
