Cure for the Cameron Diaz

I swear I have a sense of humor, but so close on the heels of states stripping teacher rights and benefits, trailers for Bad Teacher—the Cameron Diaz comeback vehicle and extension of the Bad Santa brand—make me cringe. ("I became a teacher for all the right reasons: summers off, no accountability.")

No worries: a few education documentaries are making the rounds this summer, offering a more thoughtful take on education (though Bad Teacher's portrayal of high-stakes test pressure is not totally off-base). 

Here's a preview:

American Teacher / USA, 2011 (Director: Vanessa Roth)— hrough vignettes following several teachers in varying circumstances, viewers learn the societal cost of low teacher salary, support, and status in the United States. (Read a previous post on this film.)

The Bully Project / USA, 2011 (Director: Lee Hirsch)—A sensitive examination of an urgent crisis in American society, this film follows five children and their families over the course of one school year as their lives are affected in different ways by bullying.

The Learning / USA/Philippines, 2010 (Director: Ramona Diaz)—Follow a year in the life of four teachers from the Philippines recruited to work in Baltimore City Schools. Drawn to America by hopes of a better life, find out how realities of urban American schools match these teachers' expectations and compares to their teaching experiences in the Philippines.

Our School / Romania/Switzerland/USA, 2011 (Director: Mona Nicoara, Miruna Coco-Cozma)—Shot over the course of four years, this film follows the attempt to integrate isolated rural Roma children into the mainstream school system of Romania. Focusing on seven-year-old Alin, 12-year-old Beni, and 16-year-old Dana, this film takes an unflinching look at the challenges of a longstanding tradition of prejudice.

The Bully Project, The Learning, and Our School are all showing at this year's Silverdocs festival, June 20-26, in Silver Spring, Md. American Teacher screened this week in D.C. and New York, with future dates to be announced here.