American Teacher movie

There will be a special free screening of a recently released documentary on teaching in the U.S. American Teacher on December 12 at 6:00 PM at Town Hall Seattle. Admission is free and open to the public, but seats are limited, and registration is required.

Following the film Warren Etheredge, The Warren Report and the host of The High Bar, will facilitate a discussion with the filmmaker, Nínive Calegari, and an internationally-recognized teacher from Tacoma, Colin Horak. Doors open at 6:00pm and the film starts promptly at 6:30pm.

Blurb provided by Microsoft Partners in Learning:

Weaving interviews of policy experts and startling facts with the lives and careers of four teachers, American Teacher tells the collective story by and about those closest to the issues in our educational system—the 3.2 million teachers who spend every day in classrooms across the country. American Teacher shines a bright light on a real and imminent crisis in our educational system—how little we value our strongest, most committed, and most effective teachers, and the ripple effect this has on how our children learn and their potential for future success.

The best school systems in the world all share one consistent feature: top-performing teachers. But more than 1 million US teachers will retire in the coming decade, and our ability to attract, recruit, retain and reward our teachers is increasingly difficult. By following several teachers as they reach different milestones in their careers, and considering the views of both education experts and students, the film explores the impact that not having committed, effective teachers has on our children’s education.

In keeping with the storytelling styles of Dave Eggers (writer) and Vanessa Roth (director), American Teacher is a character-driven film that explores this urgent issue through humor, irony, and the energy of the teachers who fill the screen. More information about the film is available at www.americanteachermovie.com.

Following the film, there will be a discussion Warren Etheredge, the founder of The Warren Report and the host of The High Bar (himself a former educator) with Nínive Calegari, the producer, and Colin Horak, an internationally-recognized teacher from Franklin Pierce High in Tacoma. Doors open at 6:00PM and the film starts promptly at 6:30 PM.

Don’t forget to register online to ensure that you have a seat! Direct link to registration: http://www.regonline.com/AmericanTeacherSeattle

The film has had limited release in a few cities in the US, is not scheduled for distribution in the Seattle area. Through partnership with American Teacher, the Microsoft Partners in Learning hopes to engage and inspire audiences to be part of a local and national discussion on how we improve our nation’s education system. The DVD will not be released until next year, so this is a unique opportunity to see this important film before it’s available to the public.

A few points:

1. I don't know this film, but I do know that any discussion of public school teaching is highly politicized. I'm particularly cautious about those voices that stress the importance of "teacher quality" as this language and idea is most commonly wielded as a club for beating teachers rather than a tool for supporting students.
2. I don't want to say where the film falls on the political spectrum, but it is narrated by Matt Damon.
3. The film is being presented by Microsoft's Partners in Learning which is a corporate effort, and completely independent of the Gates Foundation.
4. Regardless of your established perspective on any matter that is likely to be discussed either in the film or in the discussion to follow, it is always good to hear what other people are saying. I would hope that folks would come with an open (but appropriately skeptical) mind to hear something new.
5. I fully support the free distribution of all opinions - whether or not they align with my own.