The First Year (2001 TV Movie) User Reviews

Full of idealism ... and maybe little else

[postmanwhoalwaysringstwice · 6/10 · 16 October 2007]

The documentary "The First Year" follows five first year teachers into five schools in the Los Angeles area during the 1999-2000 school year. The teachers are passionate, driven, and full of the idealism of an unjaded educator. These are clearly strong, loving individuals who want to make a difference. Watching what lengths they will go to for the benefit of the students is admirable.

The film's overall presentation of them is less so. Clearly a full school year's worth of footage was shot for each of the five individuals and their classrooms. Documentarian Davis Guggenheim directed "The First Year" several years prior to his work on the academy award winning "The Inconvenient Truth". Unfortunately this earlier work does not benefit from the same clear, unmuddled, realistic perspective of that later work.

Clearly the film uses these five individuals to recruit new teachers. With that overarching intention, it makes the picture of modern education that much more sanitized as the film quickly paints over noticeable administrative issues or the needs to form a better link between parents and teachers. Using first year teachers as a statement of "it's not so bad, you should do it too" is imbalanced at best.

misleading

[jkella1 · 6/10 · 22 May 2004]

Yes, the film is inspiring and evokes awe for the beautiful work depicted. But the film sets up classroom relationships based on care and love, opposed to expectations of learning, testing, and obedience. Little attention is given to the learning that is likely expected to be done. Further, from my experience inside CPS classrooms, as well as stories from other teachers, the behavioral issues depicted in the film are non-existent to mind-numbingly mild. If the classrooms in the film were intended to model how classrooms ought to be, I would fully agree. Unfortunately, the film ought to be watched as a piece of recruiting propaganda and public schooling fantasy.

For a different perspective on youth and school-life, though not focused on teachers, check out 'Chain Camera'. Also filmed in LA in 2001, this film has students taking a camera with them for a week each to record their lives. The stories of several students are edited to comprise this interesting portrayal of youth culture.

Unbelievably Moving

[Craig0509 · 10/10 · 2 March 2004]

This is such a fantastic documentary. Gives you a whole new appreciation for teachers, especially the five portrayed here. I hope they (the teachers) stay with their work as they are obviously working from a deep passion and calling. And for the same reasons, I hope these filmmakers keep doing the work they're doing.

Thank God for PBS and who ever funds movies like this. Good stuff. Watch if you get a chance. An excellent documentary. This movie is impossible to forget. Great, great, great. Students should watch this movie at the beginning of every year. Not only to help them appreciate the good teachers they have, but also to understand that there are a few weak links in the chain as well.

A great documentary of unsung heros

[Gambit8234 · 9/10 · 28 September 2001]

I saw this documentary by chance on PBS last night. It chronicles the hardships of being an inter-city teacher in Los Angeles. Some segments are very emotional, such as when one teacher realizes how little his students have. The main thing that this documentary brings to mind, is that the teachers who are helping these kids out are heros. Heros that not many people in our country recognize.

I watched it back-to-back-to-back.

[dustindmorrow-1 · 3 March 2003]

This is a fantastic, engaging, wonderful documentary. It chronicles the the first year of teaching in inner-city Los Angeles for five (and on DVD, six) first time teachers.

The insight these heroes give into the rights and wrongs of the teaching profession are emotional and inspiring. It is a film that every citizen of this country must see.

The DVD adds a promotional video called TEACH, and the teacher commentaries options provides further insight into the lives these five fascinating individuals that you cannot help but love.

A Great Little Topical Movie

[prof-23 · 29 September 2005]

I am a professor in a college of education. I saw this movie when it was broadcast on PBS and purchased a copy of it for my Intro to Education classes. It is a realistic portrayal, though snapshot, of what it is like to be a new teacher (did middle school myself for many years). Each of the 5 teachers confront the myriad of problems that all first year teachers face. Their struggles and frustrations are evident. The movie runs approximately 80 minutes but is done so as a series of 10-12 minute vignettes. This allows one to view the movie over a number of classes, which I do with my Intro students. It is an effective instructional resource, but also an engaging undocumentary-like movie simply for the viewing. One witnesses numerous issues as they arise and these make for great discussion topics in a class. I strongly recommend this movie.