Documentary Addresses Challenges of Teaching Profession

American Teacher is the feature-length documentary created and produced by Vanessa Roth, Nínive Calegari, Dave Eggers, and Brian McGinn. The film includes a musical score by Thao Nguyen and is narrated by Matt Damon. The film chronicles the stories of four teachers living and working in disparate urban and rural areas of the country. Their stories are told through a mixture of footage and interviews with students, families, and colleagues, as well as the teachers themselves. By following these teachers as they reach different milestones in their careers, our film tells the deeper story of the teaching profession in America today.

One featured character, Jonathan Dearman, was an influential teacher at San Francisco’s first charter high school, Leadership High. For many years he was a “wall” for students to lean on, but he was forced to leave the profession due to his inability to support his family on a teacher’s salary. Throughout the film, Jonathan speaks candidly of his love for teaching and commitment to his students, while numerous student and family interviews reflect the painful loss felt by Leadership High School when Jonathan finally left the field of teaching because he could not afford to stay.

“Even though I’ve watched our film countless times, unexpected moments still make me cry,” said American Teacher Producer Ninive Calegari. “This summer, during a screening at a teachers’ conference, I got teary watching a former English teacher named Gretchen Weber describe moving her two thousand novels from basement to basement in the hopes that she might still someday go back into the classroom. I couldn’t help but think of the boxes of original lesson plans and primary document materials in my own basement—like Gretchen, I keep them just in case I ever go back.”

The picture develops further through the parallel narratives of Erik, Jamie, and Rhena. Erik, a history teacher in Texas, coaches three sports teams and works a second job selling stereos while struggling to maintain a middle-class standard of living for himself and his family. Interviews with his students and colleagues describe the invaluable efforts and influence Erik brings to the classroom, while emotional interviews with his family outline their frustrated support for a father who struggles to find time to share with them.

Jamie, an elementary teacher in New York, shows the difficulties of balancing the responsibilities of her career as a teacher with those of pregnancy, a newborn child, and additional tutoring she undertakes to support her family. And Rhena is inspired to enter the field of teaching despite the many suggestions from those around her to use her degree for a more prestigious and lucrative career. After several years of teaching and living at home, she competes for an opportunity to work at the Equity Project Charter School, where teachers earn a base salary of $125,000.

The film’s narrative unfolds through a mixture of interviews and animation, each highlighting different facts and perspectives concerning the big sacrifices of our nation’s teachers, and how these demands force many of our great teachers out of the profession. Interwoven among the four narratives are interviews with prominent reform leaders within the field of education, including Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, several Teacher of the Year recipients, and Dr. Linda Darling-Hammond. Featured stories, interviews, and facts demonstrate the impact teachers have on the success of their students.

Said Director Vanessa Roth, “As much as all the debate around what makes the best learning environment is valid and important, the most defining piece of a kid’s day, or year, is the teacher(s) in front of him or her. Teachers not only affect what our kids learn in books, what they retain, and how they score on tests, but also how they look at the world, and who they become. I can’t imagine a more important role in a person’s life.”

While all research proves that teachers are the most important school-based factor in a child’s future success, almost two-thirds of our nation’s teachers divide their time between teaching and second jobs. American Teachergoes further than simply stating that our system is broken, by shining on a light on various positive reform efforts in the country. Looking at schools and districts paving the way for change, the film aims to demonstrate that by making the teaching profession the financially attractive, prestigious, and competitive profession it deserves to be, our country can and will build a dedicated force of teachers, who not only inspire and challenge students to live up to their potential, but who grow in their profession to shape whole communities.

“We have to make teaching a desirable profession, with fair pay, opportunities for professional growth, and acceptable conditions,” said Calegari. “I want to live in a country where college students stay up at night wondering if they will be successful enough to become a teacher, the same way they worry about getting into medical school.”

Our country is facing a remarkable opportunity right now, with almost half of our teachers eligible for retirement in the next 10 years. Who do we want to take their places? The personal stories of Jonathan, Jamie, Erik, and Rhena portray the proud accomplishments and frustrating sacrifices of teachers nationwide, and will hopefully inspire a cultural shift to value effective teachers nationwide.

Producer Dave Eggers explained, “The hope for the film now is to share the stories of actual teachers: what the job is really all about, how hard it is, and how many of the things we assume we know about the profession aren’t quite right. We’re in an unprecedented age of scrutiny for teachers, and much of the debate is shrill and misinformed. We’re hoping the movie presents a clear, sober picture of the lives of teachers, and can hint at a roadmap for improving conditions and retention.”

American Teacher is playing limited dates in a handful of cities through January 2012. At the documentary’s Web site, visitors can sign up to receive updates on the future release of the DVD version. With the support of Microsoft Partners in Learning, educators also can register to host a screening in their community.

Education World®             
Copyright © 2011 Education World