From the opening moments of this inspiring documentary, one attribute about educator Pedro Santana is made clear: He is beloved by those who know him. Standing in the doorway of the Nyack Community Center in Rockland County, a New York City suburb, he exchanges hugs with countless former and present-day students, parents, and others who have come to hear him speak. The film then flashes back three years to when Santana was assistant superintendent for the local school district, attempting to improve lives through his unconventional ideas and boisterous personality.

Director Lillian LaSalle traces the breadth of her subject’s life from humble beginnings—growing up impoverished in the South Bronx—to his latter days as an international educational consultant. Both Santana and his family admit that he was a problem child as a result of a learning disability. Luckily, he had a patient teacher who never gave up on him. Following Santana on his rounds as a school administrator, we sense that paying this kindness forward is an integral part of his mission—whether as a teacher in the Peace Corps or a principal-turned- champion of several troubled public schools.

As a profile of an inspiring figure, the documentary succeeds on the strength of its subject’s personality: colorful, energetic, and empathetic. Some of the best scenes point out how Santana routinely goes above and beyond for students, whether that’s stopping them in the hallway to offer a quick pep talk or visiting well after school hours the home of a pupil who has missed so much school she’s in danger of failing. The student thinks it’s too late to catch up, to which Santana responds, with his irrepressibly wide smile, that they’re right on time to turn things around.

What makes Santana so likable as a figure isn’t just his selflessness, it’s also his tendency to defy conventional wisdom. He points out how certain students aren’t really awake mentally when the school day starts at 7:30 AM, and in that case, it should be okay for them not to show up until noon or whenever they’re able to be productive. As crazy as some of his ideas may sound at first, he always argues for them in a way that makes them seem entirely logical on second glance.

But Santana potentially meets his match in the aforementioned Rockland County school district. The surrounding community is two-thirds Orthodox Jewish, and most of these households send their children to private religious schools that take up a disproportionate amount of public funding—members of that community hold a majority on the local community board. Santana’s initial success as assistant superintendent threatens this unequal system, and the fight leads to dirty politics and backstabbing. LaSalle takes the high road the same way Santana does, putting his critics out of sight and mind once the central conflict between the two sides reaches its climax. Although this may befit her subject’s approach, it leaves a bitter aftertaste.

The film’s imperfections also include how none of the many secondary figures who appear and periodically reappear leaves much of an impression; this is entirely Santana’s show. Meanwhile, the filmmakers lean a little too much on animated sequences that reenact key moments of Santana’s life from his viewpoint. The sketchy animation style isn’t distinct enough. It also misses the point that while Santana may have been able to see the world through a child’s point of view, that doesn’t mean he saw the world simplistically, just differently than everyone else.

Nevertheless, the film makes the case that more inspirational leaders like Santana are needed in our schools. For those who do not already know his story, the final scenes may be a shock, but LaSalle rightfully shifts the focus to hard-working teachers everywhere who continue to inspire young people.