The Learning

Inspirational teachers have been a staple of tug-at-your-heartstrings dramas for decades, but Ramona S. Diaz's PBS-aired documentary The Learning provides a distinctively contemporary slice-of-life take on the subject, following four women from the Philippines who are recruited by Baltimore's public school system. The trans-Pacific outreach is explained by a supposed shortage of math, science, and special education instructors in the U.S.—although one might also easily assume that many qualified Americans would prefer not to work in a harsh and chronically underfunded urban public school setting. The Filipina women are happy for the opportunity (especially since equivalent work in their own country pays below-poverty wages), but clearly unhappy at having to leave behind their families. Not surprisingly, they face an immediate culture shock: the disciplined schools in the Philippines are a world removed from the decidedly non-regimented Baltimore classrooms, where students are not initially eager to show their respect. Still, the recruits struggle to push their pupils to excellence, often facing significant challenges to their own self-esteem along the way. Filmed over the course of a single school year, the film delivers an uncommonly personal look at the teachers' lives, thoughts, and concerns while also providing valuable insights about bridging cultural differences through education. Intelligent and often moving, this is highly recommended. Aud: H, C, P. (P. Hall)