We need your help to tell some important American stories.
There are currently 3.2 million public school teachers in the United States. Yet, few professions are more misunderstood than that of a teacher. While it is rumored that teachers work no later than 3:00 p.m. with 3 months of paid vacation a year, almost 50% of all new teachers burn out from working an average of 60+ hours a week and leave the field within their first five years. The teacher of today is much different than the caricatures portrayed through popular film, television, and the media. Through our upcoming short film series, we will be documenting the lives and careers of today’s teachers through the eyes and experiences of the teachers themselves.
Our films will illustrate the real struggles and challenges facing teachers nationwide. We will speak to teachers giving their all to make amazing accomplishments in the classroom, as well as those who have left the profession. Through our films, audience members will connect with and understand the reality of all that goes into being a teacher.
In 2011, the Teacher Salary Project produced American Teacher, a feature-length documentary created by Vanessa Roth, Dave Eggers and Nínive Calegari and narrated by Matt Damon. In continuing with the storytelling style of American Teacher and Eggers’ non-fiction chronicles, our short film series will provide an eye-opening and heartfelt portrayal of those on the front lines of schools across the nation.
This new series of short films will expand upon the story of American Teacher—the documentaries will continue to show what it means to wake up every morning and educate America’s children. If you are a teacher making big sacrifices to pursue the profession you love, you can help support the making of these films by contributing your stories to casting@theteachersalaryproject.org; or you can make a donation right here through kickstarter!
Risks and challenges
Changing the perception of teachers in this country is a huge challenge; everyone's heard the saying, "Those who can't do teach." But we at The Teacher Salary Project believe that by raising teachers' salaries and reasserting the respectability of the profession, we can once again make teacher a desired job title for the best and brightest of our nation.
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Funding period
- (45 days)