Section: Neighbors WE Edition: Final Page: 2WE

By BY TERE FIGUERAS, tfigueras@herald.com

Illustration: photo: Beth Davis with the Kids 4 Kids Club at Jack D. Gordon

Caption: MICHAEL MARKO / HERALD STAFF A CLASS ACT: Teacher Beth Davis, here with the Kids 4 Kids Club at Jack D. Gordon, will be on Cosby at 8 p.m. Wednesday.

Beth Davis, a science teacher at Jack D. Gordon Elementary, isn't a superstar. But maybe she should be.

That's the idea behind a special hour long episode of Cosby that will air at 8 p.m. Wednesday on CBS4. Davis is featured in a dream sequence in which a teacher, played by Doug E. Doug, fantasizes about a world where educators - not athletes - get all the glory.

In this upside-down world, basketball stars and football heroes are underpaid and underappreciated while teachers get celebrity endorsement deals and negotiate million-dollar contracts.

In a spoof on celebrity gossip shows, Davis and two other teachers - one from Philadelphia and another from Boston - appear on Education Tonight. But the Country Walk resident didn't have to exercise her acting chops all that much - she plays herself.

Davis was nominated for the part by the local network affiliate for her work with Kids 4 Kids, a nonprofit organization that provides school supplies and holiday treats for underprivileged kids in South Florida.

So, does Davis want to ``be like Mike''?

Not really, but her network television debut gave her a chance to shine the spotlight on her favorite stars: the student volunteers of Kids 4 Kids who meet an hour before school starts every Wednesday to help their less-fortunate peers.

``I really did this for Kids 4 Kids,'' said Davis, quick to downplay her role. ``I'd only done a few little plays in high school and wasn't very good at it. I didn't even tell most of the kids I was going to be on TV, just that Kids 4 Kids was going to be mentioned - and that they might see someone they know.''

Davis started the program three years ago with 50 children - she now averages about 200 kids at each weekly meeting.

Earlier this month, a camera crew dropped by Jack D. Gordon to film her segment.

``It was kind of weird and I was nervous,'' Davis said. ``I mean, what does one wear to an appearance on The Cosby Show?''

But while Davis said she won't trade in her lesson plans for a studio limo any time soon, she is hoping one Hollywood star drops by her classroom for some extra credit. ``After the show airs, we're going to send Bill Cosby a letter thanking him for this opportunity,'' she said. ``And ask him to be a presenter at the Kids 4 Kids awards we have at the end of the year. You never know, he just might do it.''

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