Kay Dummier, a retired elementary school teacher, was working on a jigsaw puzzle when she heard a former student’s voice on the television.

Daniel Scheinert, an Alabama-raised filmmaker, was accepting his third Oscar of the night for his film “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” which he co-wrote and co-directed with Daniel Kwan.

To her surprise, Dummier was on Scheinert’s list of people he wanted to thank in his speech.

“When he read off the names, I about flipped,” she said.

In all, the movie, made with collaborator Daniel Kwan, won seven Oscars, including best picture.

Scheinert gave a shout out to Dummier and several other Shelby and Jefferson County educators, who he said changed his life and inspired him to pursue a career in film.

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“I had a fantasy as a kid of winning an award and going up and telling off all the teachers that gave my brother and I detention so here goes,” Scheinert said.

“I’m just kidding, these are teachers that changed my life, mostly public school teachers,” Scheinert said, before reading from a list, “Ms. Dummier, Mr. Toole, Mr. Hudson, Mr. Chambers, Madame George, Ms. NFL [Nidia Fernandez-Lee]…”

“You guys educated me, you inspired me, you taught me to be less of a butthead,” Scheinert said.

Born in Birmingham, Scheinert attended Oak Mountain Elementary and Middle School and was a student in the Jefferson County International Baccalaureate program at Shades Valley High School.

Jefferson County International Baccalaureate is a program that offers college-level instruction through a variety of advanced courses. Jefferson County was one of the first systems in the state to offer an academy for performing arts.

“We are so proud of Daniel Scheinert, JCIB class of 2005! He wrote and directed (along with Daniel Kwan) Everything Everywhere All at Once and won Oscars for both categories, as well as 5 other Academy Awards…but what’s even more special was his acceptance speech,” the program wrote in a Facebook post Monday morning. “Never doubt the power of teachers and students working together to learn, achieve and empower.”

Martin Chambers, a former high school humanities teacher, was watching an old Perry Mason movie when the Oscars were on. Then his phone started ringing.

“A bunch of people started calling and said ‘your name was mentioned,’ and I thought they were lying,” he said. “But I mean it was really nice for him to [mention] public school teachers since we’re under such assault now.”

Chambers recently retired from the IB program at Shades Valley. He said he’s taught gifted courses for 40 years, and said Scheinert was the most creative student he’s ever had.

And no, he never sent Scheinert to detention, Chambers said.

Scheinert was already “a wunderkind of musical theater” when he got to high school, said Chambers. Scheinert juggled several extracurriculars and theater programs in the community, all while taking college-level courses.

One of those courses was Chamber’s western culture and humanities class, which involved analyzing classic movies. Scheinert thrived in the course, Chambers said, and would often submit his own films for class projects.

Chambers encouraged Scheinert to go to film school at Emerson College, where Scheinert met Kwan.

The two kept in touch, Chambers said, and he would often show Scheinert’s student films to his high schoolers.

“He just exuded inquisitive energy,” he said. “He was just so far and above as far as that interest in creative energy, and it’s almost like he couldn’t stop himself from being creative.”

Dummier was the only elementary teacher to be mentioned. She taught Scheinert in fourth grade, and said she placed a strong emphasis on reading with all of her students, but was shocked that he remembered her.

Dummier retired from Oak Mountain Elementary about 10 years ago, she said, but is currently working part time with the school system to substitute teach and help with a driver’s ed class.

She said it was a “wonderful thing” to hear Scheinert highlight public school teachers.

“I often watch the Oscars, and I’ve never heard anyone do that. And I thought, ‘Oh, your heart’s in the right place, boy,’” she said.

More on Daniel Scheinert:

One of the Daniels on his Alabama roots, fitting his state into ‘Everything Everywhere’

Mom’s going to the Oscars! ‘Everything Everywhere’ director’s parents talk son’s success

What Steven Spielberg learned from Oscar-nominated Alabama filmmaker