De senaste veckorna har diskussionen om lärares löner brusat högt på bloggar och twitter. De flesta argument är välkända och variationen måttlig. Till sist tror inte att det handlar om hur lärare ser på andra lärares löner – om löneläget ska förändras krävs det att allmänhetens bild av skolan förändras.

I USA rasar motsvarande debatt och film är ett effektivt sätt att skapa opinion. Jag blir nyfiken på två filmer som försöker lyfta betydelsen av läraryrket, men inser att det är en riskabel väg.

LÄNK till LA times

The filmmakers argue, rightly, that many of us can point to teachers who made a huge difference in our lives. Sadly, the film did a less-than-convincing job of showing teachers in the act of accomplishing just that. A young graduate of Harvard University — who found that she had to continually explain her decision to enter such a low-prestige profession — brilliantly delivered creative, heartfelt lessons, keeping a continual eye out for her students’ ability to make independent decisions and stand up for themselves, along with their ability to do academic work. The other teachers seemed nice, but $125,000-a-year nice?

Finding a teacher in the midst of doing his or her magic isn’t an easy task; inspiration comes in those unscripted moments when just the right explanation reaches just the right child. But that might be what the filmmakers need to do in order to convince the public that great education doesn’t come cheap. Nor can a convincing film shy away from addressing the tough questions. The film has a single showing planned in Washington; its future past that point is unclear, and that might be for the best right now.