Teacher Tuesdays: The Learning

A few weeks ago, I was fortunate to watch a fund-raiser film entitled, The Learning. The Assumption Batch 79 held this at the Powerplant Cinemas. The movie was super duper good.




"When the United States acquired the Philippines from Spain in 1898, American teachers were sent to the newly acquired territory to establish a public school system. The arrival in August 1901 of 523 young American teachers signaled the beginning of the transformation of the Philippines into an English-speaking nation. A century later, the tides have turned.

There is a shortage of teachers in American public school systems. Consequently, a significant number of urban school districts across the country have begun hiring foreign teachers. School districts across the nation have traveled the world in search of highly qualified teachers. In this search, the Philippines has emerged as a recruitment hub American-based education system, and its English-speaking population.

There are 600 Filipino teachers currently working in Baltimore City where they make up ten percent of the teaching force. In a modern-day story of immigration and globalization, these young professionals are coming west in pursuit of economic advantages.

The Learning follows four Filipino teachers – Dorotea, Angel, Grace, and Rhea - during their freshman year in America. Across the school year's changing seasons, the film chronicles the sacrifices they make as they try to maintain a long-distance relationship with their children and families, and begin a new one with the mostly African-American students whose schooling is now entrusted to them. Their story is at once intensely personal, as each woman deals with the implications of her decision to come to the U.S., and fundamentally public, as they become part of the machinery of American education reform policy." Taken from www.cinediaz.com

I honestly can relate to the movie because I am in the verge of deciding on what to do with my career right now. I am a teacher that I guess also looking for greener pastures so I can also help out with my family's finances. This movie showed how passionate teachers the four women are. All for the love for their families. It's amazing how they were able to live in the other side of the planet and save so much so they have something to send back home. This documentary should be watched by every Filipino teacher in the country. It shows how hard it is also to be an OFW teacher and how a Filipino teacher loves their students. :)