5-21-10
Carolina Weekly
Christina Ritchie Rogers

At a time of transition, frustration and dissolution in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, “Souls of our Teachers” emerges as an audiovisual reality check and an intimate glimpse into the lives of seven teachers working in high-poverty Charlotte-Mecklenburg schools.

“For me, it was a compelling mission and vision for this project – to highlight the hard work and commitment of teachers who share a commitment to working with kids who really need them the most,” LaToya Walker, executive director in the office of the superintendent, said.

Walker learned of the project in 2008 when Maria Hanlin, executive director of Mecklenburg Ministries, and Rabbi Judy Schindler of Temple Beth-El reached out to Superintendent Peter Gorman with their idea for the film.

“We had Dr. Gorman on board right away,” Schindler said. In fact, the Hanlin-Schindler team had everyone on board – Mecklenburg Ministries, Temple Beth-El, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools and Communities in Schools – before they even had money.

“We had no doubt we would find funding. It was just a question of when,” Hanlin said.

The great success of “Souls of our Students,” a 2008 documentary created by Hanlin and Schindler and funded by Foundation for the Carolinas, encouraged the duo to make a movie centered on teachers. “Souls of our Students” aimed to foster appreciation for diversity and generated four curricula: one for use in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, one for independent schools, one for congregations and one for businesses.

The “Souls of our Teachers” workforce waited for funding for almost a year, but the John S. & James L. Knight Foundation and The Leon Levine Foundation answered their prayers by giving a combined $36,400 in grant funding. The grants covered all costs for DVD production, publicity, teacher stipends and payment for the committee work.

To cast the film, Gorman met with principals at 14 high-poverty schools and encouraged them to participate in the project. He asked each principal to nominate one teacher for participation in the documentary based on success in the classroom, a passion for teaching and a commitment to teaching in economically disadvantaged schools.  Of the 14 teachers nominated, the documentary team which included Russ and Wendy Gill of Professional Communications, selected seven.

Aaron Pomis of Kipp Charlotte, Tamica Stubbs of E.E. Waddell High, Sarah Faulkenberry of Albemarle Road Middle, Anne Robinette of Hawthorne High, Jacqueline Saavedra of Collinswood Elementary, Shanna Rae of Billingsville Elementary, and Thomas Kirkley of Martin Luther King Jr. Middle became the voices for Charlotte-Mecklenburg teachers and bared their souls through the big screen. Individual interview clips, roundtable discussions and classroom footage tell stories of life in high-poverty schools.

“So often we miss out on hearing the voice of those who really work closest to the students who really have a lot of unique challenges that they bring with them to school every day,” Walker said. “I wanted to hear from those teachers.”

Though the teachers spent fewer than 10 hours filming, the impact of their words and shared experiences will have a lasting impact on viewers – an impact, the creators hope, will lead to awareness andaction.

“Understanding without action is kind of limited. We want understanding with action,” Schindler said.
In addition to the documentary film, the team is publishing a facilitators guide for use in businesses and will distribute them and DVDs at a “Leaders Lunch” in August. Wachovia is underwriting the facilitators guide and the lunch.

The documentary premieres May 27 at 7 p.m. at ImaginOn. The seven teachers will attend, and Walker and Gorman will participate in a discussion following the viewing.

“I hope when everybody finishes seeing the movie that they stand up and applaud that they applaud not the documentary, but teachers, and they are so inspired that they want to immediately go and act on behalf of supporting our teachers, supporting our schools and supporting every student and to realize how vital that is for our community,” Hanlin said.