LEARNING CURVE. Globalization, immigration, poverty in urban America — to
say that P.O.V.’s The Learning tackles complex problems is an
understatement. The documentary follows four Filipina teachers who move to
the United States to teach in Baltimore, Maryland with the hope of
transforming their families’ impoverished lives back home. Pictured are
Dorotea Godinez (top photo, far right in black shirt) at her former school
in Bogo, the Philippines and Angel Alim at her family’s eatery in Antipolo,
the Philippines. (Photos/Miguel V. Fabie III)
From The Asian Reporter, V21, #18 (September 19, 2011), page 13 &
20.
The Learning’s harsh lessons
The Learning
Directed by Ramona Diaz
Airing September 22 at 7:30pm
on Oregon Public Broadcasting Plus
By Maileen Hamto
The Asian Reporter
Globalization, immigration, poverty in urban America — to say that
P.O.V.’s The Learning tackles complex problems is an understatement.
Through the stories of newly arrived teachers from a small island nation
in Asia, The Learning tells of four Filipina women facing their first
year teaching in Baltimore’s schools. Their stories reflect the Philippines’
colonial history. In 1898, when the United States took possession of the
Philippines from Spain, American teachers set up the country’s public school
system, establishing English as the language of instruction for math and
science. Today, there is a large pool of trained, motivated,
English-speaking teachers, especially in high school math, science, and
special education.
In recent years, Filipino teachers have sought a better life in the
United States by lending a much-needed hand in America’s urban schools. In
Baltimore, 600 Filipina educators represent 10 percent of the teaching
force. A majority of the students they teach come from families of color
living in poverty.
It’s hard to ignore the pervading presence of race and class in the
stories. The film follows the journeys of four women — educators Dorotea
Godinez, Angel Alim, Grace Amper, and Rhea Espedido — during an
extraordinary year of their lives. Coming to America, with all their hopes
and dreams of a better life for themselves and their families, they work
hard to understand the challenges of children living in poverty in the
United States.
American public school officials recruit teachers in urban centers and
village schools in the Philippines. The women profiled in the film come from
poverty in the developing world. The primary motivation for leaving home is
chiefly economic. In the Philippines, trained and specialized teachers
receive salaries below the poverty level, making them prized recruitment
targets for many school districts in the United States, especially
inner-city schools facing budgetary challenges. While teacher pay in one of
these urban districts may be low by American standards, it can be as much as
25 times a teacher’s salary in the Philippines.
The story of Filipina women leaving home to make a living in other
countries is not new. The global Filipino diaspora exceeds 8 million.
Teaching is only the latest in the long list of jobs traditionally held by
women that is drawing talent from developing countries. Filipina nurses,
healthcare workers, nannies, and domestic helpers have long sought
employment in first-world countries to do vital work in some of the most
challenging environments.
In documenting a very special year in the lives of these Filipina
teachers, The Learning captures their individual experiences, hopes,
and daily classroom struggles while also highlighting the many problems that
affect American public schools.
A continued decline in school funding — exacerbated by urban poverty —
has given these teachers a unique opportunity to impact the lives of
American youth. At the same time, dealing with the cultural divide delivers
rude shocks as the women are thrust headlong into the core of America’s
educational crisis.
The Learning sheds light on a necessary kind of outsourcing, one that
underscores the need for institutions to seek redemption for failing their
students by bringing in teachers who won’t give up on "difficult" children.
In some ways, the women’s own experiences with hard- ship back home give
them a better understanding of the challenges faced by Americans living in
poverty. In Baltimore, as in any cash-strapped urban center plagued by a
myriad of problems, many children whose needs are misunderstood by
mainstream society suffer academically. School districts simply don’t have
the resources to provide incentives for U.S.-trained teachers to stay and
teach poor black and brown children.
Clearly, the film is made for an American audience, as it makes sweeping
assumptions that viewers will already have a ready-made understanding of the
issues plaguing urban school districts. Imagining the film from the point of
view of newcomers to America — even the teachers themselves — it would be
hard for those who are not steeped in American social justice issues to
understand why children in a first-world country are so unmotivated and
unprepared to learn. Without knowing about the complexities of race and
class issues in the United States, it’s difficult to comprehend why children
fail in America’s urban schools.
More than a story about globalization, an important underlying narrative
of The Learning is the harsh reality of living in the "third world,"
right here in our America.
The Learning airs September 22 at 7:30pm on Oregon Public
Broadcasting Plus, with a replay scheduled September 24 at 4:30am. To verify
showtimes, call (503) 293-1982 or visit <www.opb.org>.
To learn more, or to view the film online between September 21 and October
20, 2011, visit <www.pbs.org/pov/learning>.
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