When the United States took possession of the Philippines in 1898, American teachers set up schools modeled on the American public school system. Now, in a striking turnabout, American schools are recruiting Filipino teachers. The Learning is the story of four Filipina women, each facing her first year in the Baltimore public schools, where learning is a two-way street marked with disappointment and inspiring breakthroughs. As an outreach tool, the film uses the touching lens of personal profiles to offer opportunities to examine educational issues facing urban schools, the ways that cultural differences affect classroom dynamics and the challenges faced by foreign workers in the United States who leave their families behind in order to improve their economic status.
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