Last week I got a chance to see the documentary American Teacher ,
narrated by Matt Damon. In recent years
we have seen Waiting for Superman and Race
to Nowhere. No single movie can
adequately analyze all the issues in American education, and this is no different. The reality is that the problems are complex,
the solutions more so. Whether you agree
or disagree with the agendas of any of these films, the point is to get
engaged.
American Teacher
looks at the challenges that four great teachers face to make a living. The film takes an intimate look at four
specific teachers drawing out some trends and generalizations based on their
experiences. The overarching point is
that teachers don’t get paid particularly well.
We’ve heard that point a million times, but in this movie there is some
nuance. Teachers don’t make enough to
support a family on the teacher’s salary as the sole income. Teachers don’t make much relative to their
similarly educated peers, particularly later in their careers. Teachers love their work and often do it
regardless of the pay. If you pay
teachers well you might just attract the best and the brightest. Many teachers do so as a calling, as a value statement, as an avocation. Losing such teachers is painful for communities, their families and for them.
The movie is worth seeing.
Start some conversation over it.
What can we do to change the situation?
What is the role of merit pay?
Unions? Tenure and job
security? What are the benefits of
teaching beyond the paycheck? In hard
economic times for virtually everyone, where does the money come from?
You can tell what a society values but watching what it pays
for.
