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.