In keeping with the storytelling styles of both Dave Eggers (writer) and Vanessa Roth (director), “American Teacher” is a character-driven film that explores the real and imminent crisis in our educational system—how little we value our strongest, most committed, and most effective teachers, and the ripple effect this has on how our children learn and their potential for future success. The film’s narrative balances the personal stories of each character with a mixture of interviews and animated facts and statistics by Stefan Nadelman, each highlighting the big sacrifices made by our nation’s teachers, and how these demanding costs force many of our greatest teachers out of the profession. (Dir. Vanessa Roth and Brian McGinn)