New Documentary Tells the REAL Story About Teaching

1/3/2012

American Teacher, a full-length 
documentary narrated by Academy Award-winning actor, writer and director Matt Damon, seeks to counteract
all-too-common negative misconceptions
about teachers and education. The film tells the moving personal stories of four K-12 public school teachers living and working in disparate urban and rural areas. Through a mixture of footage and interviews with these professionals, their students, families and colleagues, American Teacher tells the true story of the teaching profession in America. From low salaries to high teacher turnover rates to lack of resources and professional support, the film addresses the greatest challenges teachers face in classrooms every day.

The film serves as an effective 
antidote to last year’s highly publicized 
Waiting for Superman documentary, which presented an inaccurate, incomplete picture of educators and public schools. American Teacher is part of the non-profit Teacher Salary Project and based on the book “Teachers Have it Easy: The Big Sacrifices and Small Salaries of America’s Teachers,” written by journalist and teacher Daniel Moulthrop.

American Teacher was released in 
limited markets in 2011 but is now showing nationwide. The union and many IFT locals and councils are 
working to arrange regional screenings 
of the documentary in the weeks ahead.

For more information about the film and upcoming screenings, visit the Teacher Salary Project, or contact the IFT department of communications at communications@ift-aft.org about future union screenings or for help arranging one in your area.