1/25/12 "American Teacher" viewing
I decided to go to UCSD for a free viewing of a new documentary entitled "American Teacher". This film followed about 4 different teachers; one from New York, San Francisco, rural Texas, and D.C. and how they struggled with the money that the teaching profession provides.
The San Francisco teacher loved the job and was popular, but quit to go into the family real estate business. The last scene he was in involved him talking while driving and I noticed the "Mercedes Benz" logo on the steering wheel. That just made me think "the choices we make". The Texas teacher taught full time and worked about 25 hours on the side to provide sufficient funds for his family. His wife ended up leaving him, and he still works about 25 hours extra on the side in a warehouse. The D.C. teacher was a great teacher and ended up getting into to a cutting- edge charter school that pays up to $120K / year. She seemed very intelligent, but very stressed. The New York teacher was pregnant with her second kid and she seemed to be the happiest of the four. It seemed like she had much going on, but she had the support of her father and husband and that's what is most important to her.
I am always very skeptical of documentaries. I view them just as any other piece of film. Who directed this? What agenda is being pushed? In this case, they were clearly saying that teachers were underpaid. I'm all for this, but I felt that some of the teachers they used in this documentary were extreme examples of what is out there. I'm primarily thinking of the Texas teacher. I have worked with people who hold down two full time jobs working 80 hours a week (seriously). These people have a different set of priorities. They decide that 80 hour work weeks are needed to provided them with the kind of lifestyle they are accustomed to. This is their choice!
In conclusion, this was an interesting film, but definitely not the best film to start off my optimistic last semester of my credential program. I think I'll pop in "Stand and Deliver" or "Mr. Holland's Opus" before I go to bed tonight.
I decided to go to UCSD for a free viewing of a new documentary entitled "American Teacher". This film followed about 4 different teachers; one from New York, San Francisco, rural Texas, and D.C. and how they struggled with the money that the teaching profession provides.
The San Francisco teacher loved the job and was popular, but quit to go into the family real estate business. The last scene he was in involved him talking while driving and I noticed the "Mercedes Benz" logo on the steering wheel. That just made me think "the choices we make". The Texas teacher taught full time and worked about 25 hours on the side to provide sufficient funds for his family. His wife ended up leaving him, and he still works about 25 hours extra on the side in a warehouse. The D.C. teacher was a great teacher and ended up getting into to a cutting- edge charter school that pays up to $120K / year. She seemed very intelligent, but very stressed. The New York teacher was pregnant with her second kid and she seemed to be the happiest of the four. It seemed like she had much going on, but she had the support of her father and husband and that's what is most important to her.
I am always very skeptical of documentaries. I view them just as any other piece of film. Who directed this? What agenda is being pushed? In this case, they were clearly saying that teachers were underpaid. I'm all for this, but I felt that some of the teachers they used in this documentary were extreme examples of what is out there. I'm primarily thinking of the Texas teacher. I have worked with people who hold down two full time jobs working 80 hours a week (seriously). These people have a different set of priorities. They decide that 80 hour work weeks are needed to provided them with the kind of lifestyle they are accustomed to. This is their choice!
In conclusion, this was an interesting film, but definitely not the best film to start off my optimistic last semester of my credential program. I think I'll pop in "Stand and Deliver" or "Mr. Holland's Opus" before I go to bed tonight.
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