♪ Every day when you're walking down the street ♪ ♪ Everybody that you meet has an original point of view ♪ (laughing) ♪ And I say hey ♪ Hey!

♪ What a wonderful kind of day ♪ ♪ If we could learn to work and play ♪ ♪ And get along with each other ♪ ♪ You got to listen to your heart, listen to the beat ♪ ♪ Listen to the rhythm, the rhythm of the street ♪ ♪ Open up your eyes, open up your ears ♪ ♪ Get together and make things better ♪ ♪ By working together ♪ ♪ It's a simple message, and it comes from the heart ♪ ♪ Believe in yourself, for that's the place to start ♪ ♪ And I say hey ♪ Hey!

♪ What a wonderful kind of day ♪ ♪ If we could learn to work and play ♪ ♪ And get along with each other ♪ Hey!

♪ What a wonderful kind of day ♪ Hey!

♪ What a wonderful kind of day ♪ Hey!

Hey, D.W.!

Hey!

Whoa... (crash) Welcome to "Know Your Teacher," the game show where we find out how much you know about your favorite teacher.

Our first contestant is... Buster Baxter!

(applause) Hiya, Buster!

Where are you from?

Elwood City, four blocks from your house.

Are you ready to play "Teacher Test"?

BUSTER: You bet!

ARTHUR: Name four things about Mr. Ratburn that everyone knows.

That's easy!

He loves to give homework.

(ding) He loves to give tests.

(ding) He's really, really smart.

(ding) And he loves to give a lot of homework!

Judges?

(upbeat tone) We'll accept it.

(ding) (applause) You've made it to Round Two.

How do you feel?

Excited, nervous, but mainly hungry.

That's great!

Because if you win Round Two, all this can be yours!

A lifetime supply of juicy clementines.

As sweet as mandarins and tangerines, but completely seedless.

Clementines, the perfect snack.

BUSTER: (gasps) They're my favorite citrus fruit!

Let's play!

Okay, name four things about Mr. Ratburn that have nothing to do with school.

Um... uh... he likes puppets.

(ding) He likes to give his puppets a lot of homework?

(buzzer) Oh, I'm sorry, that's incorrect.

I guess I don't really know him that well.

What were some of the right answers?

Um... Hey, that's not fair!

You don't know either!

That's all the time we have.

Enjoy the show.

I want my fruit!

"Lend Me Your Ear."

(gasps) Oh, hey, there's Mr. Ratburn.

I'm just gonna go say hi.

Hi, Mr. Ratburn!

Mr. Ratburn?

Hello?

It was like I wasn't even there.

I must have called his name three times.

I had a similar experience just the other day.

I saw him in the Sugar Bowl.

He was reading A Brief History of Copper Smelting, which I had just finished.

I wanted to talk to him about it.

Ooh, have you got to the part about Incan methods of cooling slag?

(slurping) At the time, I just thought he was too engrossed to notice me.

I mean, it is a very exciting book.

I know what's wrong with him.

He's... Don't say it.

Don't say what?

He's an alien, or a nail-eating vampire, or a secret superhero.

I wasn't going to say any of those things.

Boy, you really think I'll believe anything, don't you?

Okay, I'm sorry.

What were you going to say?

He's a secret agent posing as a nail-eating vampire superhero teacher.

It's the perfect cover!

Maybe he just doesn't feel like being around kids.

I mean, it is summer, and he had to spend the whole year with us.

(gasps) Hello, boys!

Hi, Mr. Ratburn!

We were just talking about you... ...keleles!

Beautiful instruments.

Did you know that the name means "dancing flea" in Hawaiian?

Three grapefruit sorbets to go, please.

Cone or cup?

Yes.

Um... okay.

You sure like those sorbets.

Hm?

Oh, yes.

They're so soothing.

All the lost teachers like them.

Keep the change.

Have a nice day!

You too!

Bye.

See you!

BRAIN: That was really strange.

"All the lost teachers like them"?

I'd like to switch to an alien mind-control theory.

Buster, this is serious.

There could be something wrong with him.

We should do something.

Arthur's right.

Normally, I would never suggest a hare-brained scheme like this, but I think we should follow him.

Okay, he went inside.

Now what?

Maybe we should just ring the doorbell and ask him if he feels all right.

We can't do that.

Why?

You know Mr. Ratburn.

He'd just say he was fine.

He might even be annoyed that we followed him.

ARTHUR: Then what's the plan?

RATBURN (shouting): Yeah!

How about we run?

That seems like a good plan!

(electric guitar strumming) I can't see anything.

(footsteps) RATBURN: Where's Hope?

MAN: Hope's gone, man.

Buster, get on my shoulders.

Whoa... (electric guitar strumming) (loud bang) What was that?

I'll be right back.

BRAIN: Okay, let's review what we know.

Mr. Ratburn has talked about all the lost teachers and said that "hope is gone."

Although when he said that, his voice sounded kind of different.

I bet it was because he was crying.

What?

That's crazy.

Why would Mr. Ratburn be crying?

Think about it.

He spends the whole school year teaching.

Then summer comes and he has no one to give tests or assign homework to.

All right, Vladimir and Estragon, put away your books.

Time for a pop quiz.

What's the square root of 121?

(gurgling) Wrong!

It is not zero!

The correct answer is 11.

You get an F. (yawns) Failing fish just isn't the same.

(crying) Without students to teach, his life is meaningless.

I never thought I'd say this, but Buster might be right.

What about that strange, loud sound we heard?

What was that?

Oh, well that's where the alien mind-control comes in.

You see... Quit while you're ahead.

If Buster is right, then I think I know how we could help him tomorrow.

(doorbell rings) What are you going to have Mr. Ratburn teach you?

I'll ask him to give me some word problems.

Those always put him in a good mood.

You?

Chinese history.

I know nothing about it, so if he quizzes me, I won't do very well.

Ring again.

It must be hard for Mr. Ratburn to hear over all his sobbing.

RATBURN: (clears throat) And why exactly am I sobbing?

Contrary to popular belief, I do have a life outside of school.

However, your assumption that I have a problem is correct.

I just came from Dr. Conway.

Is he your nemesis?

Uh, no, he's my audiologist-- a doctor who specializes in hearing.

My hearing is impaired.

Impaired?

What does that mean?

It means that I'm not hearing as well as I once did.

Close your eyes and imagine we are inside an ear.

You might think that all hearing takes place right here, but this is just the outer ear.

Let's follow a sound and see what happens.

(ding) The sound goes down into the ear canal.

What's this squishy stuff?

That must be ear wax.

Ooh, let's make a candle!

RATBURN: No fires in the ear, please.

It really isn't wax.

It's actually cerumen, a substance the ear makes to help clean and protect it.

Oh!

Can I keep it?

No, you have plenty in your own ears.

(ding) Come along!

Sound hits the eardrum and causes it to vibrate.

(rumbling) (voices vibrating): Ah... My t-t-teeth are f-f-feeling loose.

W-w-what's happening on the other side?

When the ear drum vibrates, it moves these three tiny bones: the hammer, the anvil, and the stirrup.

They help carry the sound into the inner ear, which we'll look at now.

The sound vibrations make those hairs move, and that information is taken to the brain, where it is translated as an identifiable sound.

BRAIN: Why is that patch bare over there?

RATBURN: Because that's where I've lost some of my hearing.

We better get back.

My tea's getting cold.

Ah.

You know, it really did feel good to do a little teaching.

How about a quick quiz about the ear?

That's okay.

No thanks.

Anyway, now I have these, which will help a great deal: hearing aids.

There's one thing I still don't understand.

How did you lose your hearing in the first place?

(doorbell rings) You're about to find out.

(electric guitar tuning) (gasps) Hearing loss can occur for a variety of reasons at any age, but for years, we never used ear plugs.

Gotta protect the ears, amigos.

But we've learned our lesson.

May I present Trevor Brown from Mighty Mountain on drums.

(plays drum fill) Hope Locke from Glenbrook Academy on bass.

'Sup?

I am Nigel "The Rat" Ratburn from Lakewood Elementary.

And we are... (strumming guitar) The Lost Teachers!

One... Two... One, two!

(rock music playing) ♪ See them coming in the morning ♪ ♪ Looking happy, there's no warning ♪ ♪ Take your seats now, pay attention ♪ ♪ No, you can't have an extension ♪ ♪ Just a little business before we start our day ♪ ♪ Take out your pencil, put your books away ♪ ♪ Pop quiz, pop quiz!

♪ ♪ Pop quiz, pop quiz!

♪ ♪ No begging and no pleading ♪ ♪ 'Cause you didn't do the reading ♪ ♪ Pop quiz, yeah!

♪ (playing guitar solo) Now do you believe he's an alien?

(faint music playing) RATBURN: Yeah!

♪ Pop quiz!

♪ And now a word from an ear doctor.

BOY: Today, we're at Mass Eye and Ear to see Dr. Cohen.

Do you know what your eardrum looks like?

No idea.

Why is it called an eardrum?

It is a thin layer that is held very tightly inside your ear, just like the top of a drum.

(laughing) COHEN: We're gonna take a look now with a tiny camera called an endoscope.

So there's the eardrum, and if you look at the top of the eardrum, you can see a little white line, and that is the hammer.

And just to the right of the hammer, there's a little tan-colored dot which is the anvil, and the anvil's connected to the stirrup.

Do you remember why Mr. Ratburn had problems hearing?

The music was really loud and it was starting to damage all his ear hairs.

And it's important that we protect our hair cells so that we don't have problems with hearing later on.

Can the hairs in your cochlea grow back once they're damaged?

Once those hair cells are damaged, they can't grow back.

Most phones that you can listen to music on can get loud enough to damage your hearing.

What do you think would be the right volume to set on a phone?

COHEN: On most phones, if you keep the volume about three-quarters of the way across, then you'll be safe.

Volume limit.

We're gonna go right this way to meet Dr. Bhakta.

She's an audiologist who's gonna show you how we test hearing.

Hi, guys, come on in.

She would play beeps.

Here comes a beep.

(beep) And if we heard it, we'd raise our hand.

(beep) The purpose of the hearing test is to find out if your hearing's good or bad.

This is Ethan's hearing.

You see those red circles?

That's his right ear.

You see those blue Xs?

That's his left ear.

If there were anything down there, that would mean hearing loss, but the good news is Ethan has good hearing today.

Yay!

Nice job.

I want to protect my hearing so I can listen to music, other people talking, and anything with sound.

And now back to Arthur!

Excuse me, what's this?

It's for making duck-shaped ice cubes.

Oh, thanks.

Who on earth would buy this?

(gasps) Duck-shaped ice cubes!

I have to have it!

Name your price!

Isn't it strange how sometimes you have to have something, then a week later, you've forgotten all about it?

Like those Moon Boots I really wanted.

Or that Woogle I had to have.

(squeaks) (panting) Or Virtual Goose, version 5.0.

(goose squawking) Or those scented erasers, and the X-ray glasses, and that mind-reading helmet, an d the Dark Bunny belt buckle, and that solar-powered popcorn maker.

Wow, I sure have bought a lot of useless stuff.

From now on, I'm only buying things I really need, like... (gasps) Shoe umbrellas?!

That's amazing!

How much?

(horn honking) MUFFY: Now remember, we're looking for something special.

No ties, cuff links, or gift certificates.

What about needle point, Miss Muffy?

You could make your father a Crosswire Motors pillow.

Make him something?

Ugh!

I always do that for Father's Day.

Remember?

I made him that card.

I think it needs one more peacock.

(sighs) MUFFY: And that scarf.

Ugh!

Now that I see it, I think yellow is more his color.

MUFFY: And that cake.

Oopsie!

(groaning) No, this year I want his gift to be a complete surprise.

Something wild.

Something extravagant.

Something... (gasps) That's it!

"Keats the Car-bot, the first voice-controlled, fully-automated robot butler."

Oh, it's perfect.

What a wonderful Father's Day.

Such thoughtful presents.

Wait!

There's one more.

Bailey!

What on earth?

Just a small token of our love for you.

What is it?

It's your new car-bot!

His name is Keats, and he's fully charged.

You just have to put your hand on his top.

That's how he bonds with you.

(chuckling) Car-bot?

What on earth will they think of next?

KEATS: Imprinting Edward Edsel Crosswire.

Union is complete.

Hello, sir.

How may I serve you?

Oh, well, dent my fenders!

The little feller talks!

Give him a command.

Um... roll over.

Daddy!

He's a butler, not a dog.

Have him bring you something.

Keats, please get my father some orange juice.

Well, he was close.

(whirring) Here you are, sir.

Freshly squeezed orange juice.

Thanks.

Would you like me to clean up now, sir?

Sure.

Oh, that's all right, Mr. Crosswire.

I'm almost finished.

(vacuum whirring) (laughing): He's amazing!

I love him, Muffin.

Got some competition there, eh, old boy?

Come on, Keats.

Let's see how good you are at waxing cars.

(sighs) Where is that one with the little pandas on it?

Bailey?

Might I be of service?

Sorry, Mr. Crosswire, I had trouble hearing you.

I was scrubbing the insides of the trash cans.

No worries.

I was just looking for a tie.

Keats found it.

(horn honking) Daddy sure likes his new gift.

Indeed, Miss Muffy.

It was a great success.

I find Keats to be a boon as well.

Really?

Oh, yes.

This morning alone, he's taken care of all the chores I normally do.

I say!

I could... take the day off.

That is, unless you require me... No, no, please!

You've earned it.

Whatever shall I do?

There's that antique doorknob exhibit at the museum.

Of course, my collars do need starching.

That would be relaxing.

I've never seen him so upset.

He went into his room and I didn't see him until dinner.

Maybe he was relaxing.

Francine, Bailey's idea of relaxing is scrubbing the grout between the kitchen tiles.

No, he's definitely depressed.

So tell your father to get rid of the car-bot.

I can't.

He loves it.

Plus Bailey would know I said something and would feel embarrassed.

(groans) This is all my fault.

Keats can't do everything.

Show your dad how indispensable Bailey is.

Hm...

I need a new book.

How about...

The ABCs of Automatic Transmissions and Transaxles.

Ooh, that one's a real page turner.

I better get Bailey.

It's much too high for Keats.

(horn honking) Excellent choice, madam.

Hmph!

I just can't find my slippers anywhere.

You haven't seen them, have you, Muffler?

No, but I'm sure Bailey will know where to look.

(horn honking) Perhaps I can be of assistance?

(sniffing) (Keats sniffing) (loud bang) (horn honking) Who's a good boy?

You're a good boy.

It's no use.

Keats can do everything.

He even made dinner last night.

How was it?

Delicious.

Braised duckling in a fig reduction.

Daddy had three helpings.

Bailey has been spending hours in his room.

I can't imagine what he's doing.

♪ Figaro qua, Figaro la, Figaro su, Figaro giù!

♪ Poor Bailey!

I wouldn't be surprised if he decided to quit.

Just unplug Keats.

I can't.

He runs on a battery that recharges when he rests.

(gasps) But there might be a way to disable him, and I know just the person to do it.

BRAIN: It's not going to be easy.

But if I can embed a rootkit into Keats' system, it might give me remote access.

Um... great!

I'll be right here if you need help.

First I have to crack the password.

Hm...

"Keats."

Could be a poem.

"Nightingale"?

I'm in!

Ooh, Brain, you are good!

(classical music playing) Intruder alert!

Intruder alert!

Okay, now I just need to mount a DDoS to overload the server.

(sighs) This is taking forever.

(satellite beeping) Hm...

Almost there...

Excuse me, madam.

May I come in?

(gasps) KEATS: There appears to be a hacker in your room.

Um, nope!

There's no one in here but me!

(nervous laughter) (whispering): Hurry up!

I must insist, madam.

If I am disabled, I will no longer be able to serve your father.

Brain!

Do something!

Just two more files to go.

KEATS: ♪ I'm a little teapot short and stout ♪ BRAIN: Done!

(slowing down): ♪ Here... is my handle... ♪ ♪ Here is my... ♪ (voice scrambled) (voice stops) Good morning, Miss Muffy.

Bailey!

It's a very nice day.

I'll say.

It's the best day ever.

(gasps) He's still here?!

BAILEY: That's Keats 2.0.

It seems the original Keats had a malfunction, so the company delivered a newer model this morning.

This one flies.

(horn honking) Do you need anything else, Miss Muffy?

I might be out today.

No.

Where are you going?

I have a personal errand I must attend to.

(phone ringing) Hello?

MUFFY: Brain crashed Keats, but then Daddy upgraded and now Bailey's running a personal errand!

What if he's leaving?!

Tell Bailey how you feel.

Your father might like this Keats, but Bailey's irreplaceable to you.

Right!

Thanks!

Bailey?

(gasps) He is leaving!

Bailey!

Hello, madam.

Is there a problem?

You!

Because of you, my best friend in the world is leaving.

I'm sorry to hear that.

Would you like a fruit smoothie?

(screaming) Foot massage?

Cucumber sandwich?

Bedtime story?

There must be something down here I can use to stop that tin can.

(rattling) KEATS: The door is locked, madam.

Yes, I can tell that, Keats.

Would you open it, please?

ED CROSSWIRE: Keats!

Could I have a snack?

Keats?

Keats, where did you go?

Hello?

Someone?

Help!

Help!

MUFFY: Help, I'm trapped!

(gasps) Miss Muffy!

MUFFY: Oh, Bailey!

Thank goodness!

What's all the commotion?

I was locked in the basement and that silly car-bot wouldn't let me out!

Keats?

Is this true?

You required a snack, sir.

I am programmed to put your needs above everyone else's.

MUFFY: Now that Keats is gone, will you unpack your bags and stay?

Oh, I wasn't going anywhere, Miss Muffy.

I made a sculpture and a gallery has agreed to exhibit it.

It's called "The Luxury of Solitude."

Bailey would never leave us.

He's family.

Indeed, Mr. Crosswire.

Now, how about some lunch?

Bailey, could you whip up some poached salmon?

Oh, yes!

With the dill sauce and those teeny-tiny potatoes you do so well.

BUSTER: To watch more Arthur and play games with all the Elwood City friends, visit pbskids.org.

You can find Arthur books and lots of other books too at your local library.

Captioned by Media Access Group at WGBH access.wgbh.org