American Teacher Reflection

             The documentary “American Teacher” was certainly interesting, and brought up what I consider to be several important points about the teaching profession in the United States. Though there was a very heavy focus on the financial aspects of being a schoolteacher, I felt that the statements made about the respect a teacher receives were more powerful, though less focused upon.

                Throughout the documentary, the stories of several teachers from across the country were followed. Each of the teachers faced different hardships connected with being a teacher, though this documentary focused in particular on the financial strain that a teaching career placed on the individuals’ lives. While I feel that the scenarios presented were eye-opening, there is a lot of information regarding finances that was left unsaid during the documentary, including standard of living and benefits, which slightly took away from the argument. I feel that the stories of financial difficulties would most impact those unfamiliar with the teaching profession, who may be unaware that such financial hardship can occur while an individual holds a “professional” job.

               

                While the commentary on financial struggles was intriguing, the part of the documentary that resonated with me most was the idea of the respect that teachers receive in our country. It wasn’t something that I had given much thought to before, at least not from the angle of comparing the profession to others. When considering my own life, however, I found that the difference in respect between teaching and other professions has already begun to play a role. Both of my roommates intend on going to medical school, pursuing careers in pediatrics and optometry. We are often asked about our career goals, and the responses to my roommates’ and my own answer are always different. While my roommates’ answers evoke a, “Wow, that’s intense, good for you!” response, my answer generally evokes an, “Aw, that’s really cute!”. It is interesting to me that, though my roommate’s career choice involves children just as mine does, the responses to our intended careers are so much different. I feel that some of that difference comes from the perception of our careers by the public, and I believe that this documentary calls attention to that. I found the comparison of attitudes towards the teaching profession in the United States and in other countries interesting, and I would like to learn more about it. If our country were to follow the education profession models used by other countries, would our education system improve? 

                Overall, I feel that the documentary “American Teacher” brought up interesting points about challenges faced by teachers today, and presented a strong commentary about the perceptions of teachers in our country. I hope that this documentary will bring educational issues further into the public eye, and help our country to develop the best educational system possible for our teachers, and, ultimately, for our students.