American Teacher

Critics of America's educational system often level their attacks at teachers. Vanessa Roth's documentary offers a response, arguing that the folks who staff the classrooms put up with low pay and demanding working conditions to do a job made all the more difficult by a lack of public understanding and political support. Although American Teacher serves up an array of statistics and comments from knowledgeable analysts and administrators, the focus here is on five individuals whose experiences exemplify the profession's problems. One, a small-town Texas history instructor, finds his marriage deteriorating as he's forced to take on extra jobs to make ends meet; another reluctantly abandons teaching for a position in real estate; a third has to balance her classroom obligations with her own pregnancy; the fourth keeps a video journal about trying to work effectively in an overcrowded class; and the fifth is fortunate enough to be selected for a position in a special program that rewards exceptional teachers. Soberly narrated by Matt Damon, American Teacher doesn't suggest that greater funding alone will solve the problems of public education, but it persuasively argues that sufficient financial support for schools—even at a time of stringent budgets—and greater respect for the effort and sacrifice that educators put into their jobs are essential to achieving the improvement coveted by all. DVD extras include additional interviews, and a discussion of what constitutes great teaching. Recommended. Aud: H, C, P. (F. Swietek)