Documentary Captures Challenges of First-Year Teachers

By Andrea Bennett on November 7, 2011 8:04 AM

For the past two months, filmmakers have been following two USC Rossier School of Education graduates in their first semester of teaching at Crenshaw High School.

Their experiences and the issues they confront as math teachers at the high-need, low-income school in South Los Angeles will air in a series of short episodes on the Teaching Channel.

The documentary From September to December is expected to air in early 2012 on TeachingChannel.org, which provides content and tools for those interested in teaching and learning. The series also will air on PBS stations.

Noel Banuelos ’11 and Samantha Warrick ’11 started at Crenshaw High with a few advantages. For one, they already knew each other as USC Rossier Master of Arts in Teaching graduates and fellows in the Math for America Los Angeles (MfA L.A.) program. And, unlike most teachers who enter their first year, they have the ongoing support of a teacher mentor and up to 100 hours of professional development each year through MfA L.A.

“The series shows new teachers that the challenges they face are not unique to them,” said Pam Mason, executive director of MfA L.A. “I hope it will inspire experienced teachers to reach out to new teachers at their schools and raise awareness among the public about what an important job teaching is.”

Alan Arkatov, chief executive officer of the Teaching Channel, which is funded in part by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, said the 15-minute vignettes, by exploring challenges and solutions for new teachers, will help show teachers that they are not alone in their struggles or successes.

“So much of a teacher’s work happens behind closed doors,” Arkatov said. “With this series and many other videos on the Teaching Channel, we hope to showcase inspiring teaching and give the public an inside look at what goes into being a teacher, day in and day out.”

Lou Pepe, one of the producers and directors of the project, said the 15-minute vignettes have raised compelling issues about what it means to be a good teacher, the struggles of an inner-city classroom and the pressures of government-mandated standards.

“As a filmmaker and someone not in education, I’m in awe of what teachers do. In the public discourse, teachers get a bum rap. Over the past several months, Noel and Samantha have floored me with their dedication to their craft and to their students,” Pepe said.

Banuelos, who teaches algebra and geometry, said new teachers who view videos of ideal classroom environments are often shocked when they initially confront the reality of an urban classroom environment.

The series captures an interesting scene that demonstrates the challenges teachers like Banuelos face every day in urban schools.

In the scene, a new student in the algebra class does not respond to repeated requests for his name.

“After a few awkward silent seconds, he responds in Spanish, saying that he does not understand any English and that he has only been in the country for about two months,” said Banuelos, who noted that the series should be an eye-opener for new and prospective teachers.

“This series will help new teachers realize that the first year is extremely challenging,” Banuelos said. “But most importantly, despite all of the struggles of a first-year teacher, they will see it is extremely rewarding when students are excited about and gain confidence in a mathematics classroom.”

Warrick, who teaches geometry and honors calculus, said starting as a teacher can be tough enough without the cameras around, but she and her students have adjusted to the filming.

“My kids need a lot of encouragement,” she said. “I think the cameras capture a lot of me building relationships with the students. As the material gets harder and the students become more confident, I think it will get really exciting.”

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