A film by Jakob Schmidt.. In ger­man language.

The main­ly theo­re­tic uni­ver­si­ty tea­cher trai­ning has for deca­des been fol­lo­wed with bureau­cra­tic regu­la­ri­ty by two years of stu­dent tea­ching, the prac­ti­cal part of the trai­ning. It’s com­pa­ra­ble to a leap into icy water when pro­s­pec­ti­ve tea­chers work for two years in the field of ten­si­on bet­ween gra­ding and being gra­ded. They must edu­ca­te and are edu­ca­ted them­sel­ves. From day one they are forced to play con­flic­ting roles. It’s a per­ma­nent test, always caught bet­ween two stools.

Student tea­chers must disci­pli­ne clas­ses and be disci­pli­ned by their tutors. They must dis­tri­bu­te gra­des while they panic befo­re their own test les­sons. And they are always both stu­dent and tea­cher. Some start out with idea­lism and pas­si­on, others for lack of alter­na­ti­ves, others see them­sel­ves as future pro­fes­sio­nals in solid employ­ment. Step by step they beco­me – wil­ly-nil­ly – the repre­sen­ta­ti­ves of a sys­tem that has shaped each of us. “To Be a Teacher” fol­lows three very dif­fe­rent cha­rac­ters on this ten­si­on-fil­led path.
Ralph Eue

D 2016, 102 Min. 
Regie und Buch: Jakob Schmidt 
Kamera: David Schittek, Evgeny Revvo, Jakob Schmidt 
Schnitt: Julia Wiedwald