30 Reasons to Be Thankful You’re a Teacher
The blaring alarm at 6 AM, the papercuts from trying to quickly grade tests, struggling to find a balance between caring-too-much for your students and not-caring-enough about your own need for sleep. Teaching comes with a lot of baggage, and often times it’s not even your own. But there’s a lot to be thankful for when it comes to being a teacher. Check out 30 reasons you should give yourself a high five for being a teacher!
- Becoming an expert handwriter.
- The light bulb. Corny, but it’s like seeing a unicorn.
- Scented markers.
- Free parent training.
- Daily cardio because you’re never sitting (hopefully).
- Always knowing what’s in fashion.
- Seeing your students succeed long after you’ve been their teacher.
- Laughing everyday (preferably not at students).
- A stronger immune system.
- Perfecting “the look” a la Cesar Millan.
- The ability to decipher hieroglyphics bad handwriting.
- Knowing 50 ways to use construction paper.
- Time to explore your passion—whether on vacation or in the classroom).
- Having a (sometimes) captive audience.
- Working with other people who are as inspiring as you are.
- Knowing you’re building a legacy everyday.
- The opportunity to inspire a new generation—literally.
- Being part of a community that cares if you’re out sick or celebrating your birthday.
- How being someone’s “favorite teacher” can make you feel like you won an Oscar.
- Your brain never turns to mush because of the new skills, technology, and changes occurring in education.
- All the deals, discounts, and specials to make teachers feel appreciated.
- Being the gateway to “retro” pop culture like David Bowie and Saved by the Bell.
- The challenge to be a better, kinder, more patient person.
- Endless Starbucks cards.
- Knowing your smile, high five, or compliment could turn around a kid’s day.
- Having kids…without having kids.
- Using magical powers to turn something boring or uncool into a challenging and memorable experience.
- Always knowing the latest boy band, and all it’s members.
- Knowing how to repurpose anything and everything.
- Living on in the stories your past students will tell their own children one day.
Screening to take place at the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema as a part of the eduFILM program
Los Angeles (March 2, 2015) – Participant Media and its TEACH campaign teamed up with Roadtrip Nation over the summer to capture The Road to TEACH, a cross-country adventure spotlighting inspiring individuals working to change the face of education. The hour-long documentary, which is scheduled to air on Participant Media’s television network Pivot on March 18, has been selected to premiere at SXSWedu on March 11 at Alamo Drafthouse Cinema in Austin. The SXSWedu Conference & Festival promotes innovation in learning through the avenue of creative arts.
The Road To TEACH is inspired by Davis Guggenheim’s documentary film TEACH, Participant Media’s subsequent TEACH campaign highlighting the positive impact our nation’s teachers have on future generations, as well as Roadtrip Nation’s travel and learn philosophy. Admission into the festival marks Roadtrip Nation’s first time showcasing its work at SXSW.
“Roadtrip Nation is thrilled that our work with Participant Media and the TEACH Campaign will be recognized at SXSWedu. There is perhaps no better place to premiereThe Road to TEACH than at a pinnacle conference which celebrates the power and impact of education,” said Roadtrip Nation cofounder, Mike Marriner.
“The Road to TEACH celebrates the inspiring journey of three students speaking with leading voices in education from around the country,” said Chad Boettcher, EVP Social Action and Advocacy for Participant Media. ”We’re proud to premiere the documentary at the festival.”
Following a five-week cross-country journey that takes place on Roadtrip Nation’s iconic green RV, The Road to TEACH features three student road-trippers: Nadia, Rafael, and Grace, who stop in various cities around the country to interview a diverse range of influential professionals. The three sat down with leading voices such as Arne Duncan, Secretary of Education; Kelly Meyer, creator of the American Heart Association's Teaching Gardens; Charles Best, founder of DonorsChoose; Robert Florio, veteran and special education teacher with Troops to Teachers, and many more.
As the road-trippers explore the eclectic world of education, they also contemplate their futures and begin to understand the vast opportunities, personal rewards, and vital need for passionate young people to make a commitment to teach the next generation.
The film encourages viewers to reassess conventional perceptions of the field of education by highlighting rare insights from teachers, policymakers, and activists. It also leaves students with the message that teaching is not only a vocation but also a strategic tool to enhance social justice across the nation.
The film’s premiere will take place at the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema on March 11. The Road to TEACH will also air on Pivot on March 18, and will be available live and on-demand through the Pivot TV app. Additionally, the insights from interviews will be accessible to thousands of students through Roadtrip Nation’s career exploration curriculum and online multimedia resources, reaching over 6,000 schools and representing five million young people across the country – continuously inspiring viewers to explore different careers.
For more information, follow #RoadtoTEACH.
About Roadtrip Nation
Roadtrip Nation creates self-discovery resources designed to help young people build fulfilling lives and careers around their interests. Combining self-reflection with real-world exposure, Roadtrip Nation tools enable youth to connect their interests to relevant life pathways and stay engaged with their futures. For more information, visit roadtripnation.com and roadtripnation.org.
About Participant Media
Participant Media (http://www.ParticipantMedia.com) is a global entertainment company founded in 2004 by Jeff Skoll to focus on feature film, television, publishing and digital content that inspires social change. Participant's more than 60 films include Good Night, and Good Luck, Syriana, An Inconvenient Truth, Food, Inc., Waiting for ‘Superman’, The Help, Contagion and Lincoln. Participant launches campaigns that bring together government entities, foundations, schools, and others to raise awareness and drive people to take action on issues from each film or television show. Pivot (http://www.Pivot.tv), the company’s television network, is available in over 47 million homes, with a diverse slate of talent and a mix of original series, acquired programming, films and documentaries. TakePart (http://www.TakePart.com) is Participant’s digital news and lifestyle magazine and social action platform for the conscious consumer. Through its films, social action campaigns, digital network, and its television network, Participant seeks to entertain, encourage and empower every individual to take action.
About SXSWedu
The SXSWedu® Conference & Festival fosters innovation in learning by hosting a diverse and energetic community of stakeholders from a variety of backgrounds in education. The four-day event affords registrants open access to engaging sessions, interactive workshops, hands on learning experiences, cinematic portrayals, early stage startups and a host of networking opportunities. By providing a platform for collaboration, SXSWedu works to promote creativity and social change.ROADTRIP NATION AND PARTICIPANT MEDIA’S THE ROAD TO TEACH TO PREMIERE IN AUSTIN AT SXSWEDU
Guest post by Jacob Bell
Though many students have an interest in becoming educators, they may also have apprehension about joining a profession that can sometimes sound less than desirable. A new documentary follows a trio of students deciding whether to pursue such a career.
"The Road to TEACH" follows the cross-country road trip of three 20-somethings who are considering careers in education despite discouragement from parents and peers.
Throughout the trip, the trio interviews education leaders about current triumphs in the system and the challenges—budget cuts, decline in the number of young people becoming teachers—it continues to face.
"We have so many teachers retiring in the next ten years, and we need to think of new ways—out-of-the-box ways—to inspire the next generation to teach," Lisa Zimble, director of the TEACH campaign for Participant Media, a collaborator for the documentary's production, said. (Participant Media also produced the films "TEACH" and "Waiting for 'Superman.'")
These ways, Zimble added, include improving teacher preparation and retention, giving mentors to new teachers in their first years, and inspiring students to become teachers so they "can experience the joy of teaching" earlier in their schooling.
Roughly half of all teachers in the U.S. are Baby Boomers, according to a 2009 report from the National Commission on Teaching and America's Future. Because of this, U.S. public education could lose more than 1.72 million teachers to retirement in the next few years. And problems with teacher attrition are well known, with somewhere north of 30 percent of teachers leaving within the first five years of their careers.
The documentary prompts deep thinking about what it means to successfully recruit next generation teachers, Zimble said.
"The Road to TEACH" was shot between August and September of 2014, culminating in a forum discussion in Washington. The show formally debuted at the SXSWedu education conference on March 11 and premiered on Pivot, a Participant Media television channel, on March 18.
The Newseum, in Washington, also hosted a screening on March 12. Around 100 people attended the latter screening, which was followed by a brainstorming session where representatives from teacher recruitment organizations and the U.S. Department of Education talked about the issues raised in the film.
