KICKSTARTER x The Teacher

Please support the making of this movie!

One of my talented friends Tarisai, a graduate of the New School, is producing a special film called, The Teacher. It warms my heart to see people living their dreams (even when it includes 4am call times.) The Teacher is a story about NYC public schools. I was drawn to it because we all know what an important role teachers can play in the lives of young people. Also my mother and sister are teachers so I really believe teachers do not get enough credit and I love to see movies giving them their due..

This what the writer/director Jeremy Engle has to say.

I was a high school teacher for over 10 years and have worked with schools and teachers across the country as a professional developer. I have drawn upon these experiences to create an intimate story about the relationships between a teacher and his students.
I hope to challenge some of the conventions of the high school film. There is no sex, drugs, gangs or teenage pregnancy in THE TEACHER. And there also won't be any heroes, white saviors, convenient villains, easy answers or false uplift that we often see in Hollywood films about high school.

THE STORY

THE TEACHER is the coming of adulthood story of Vance Stewart. Young, white and idealistic, Vance has always been successful in everything he has done. Now he faces his biggest challenge, teaching in a NYC public high school. Vance doesn’t want to be a traditional, “authoritarian” teacher who stands up in front of the classroom and lectures all day. He wants to be a different kind of teacher – creative, original. He wants to give his students a voice, to hear their stories.

His ideals are put to the test when his students challenge his every step and misstep. Despite his best intentions, his students see him as just another teacher and they interrupt, ignore, question, and resist his efforts.

Will Vance survive the year? And will he survive with his ideals intact?

Please support the Kickstarter Campaign! They've raised $32k but need $50k, if they do not reach the goal they get $0. Only 4 days remain.