Chelsea Bennett, Chicago Teacher Residency alum and Nkanga Nsa's mentor, interacting with one of her elementary school students. (Photo courtesy of Adam Gacka)All forms of entertainment lead back to universal stories that connect with people. From blockbuster superhero movies to documentaries on real-life heroes, emotions and experiences that connect us are what sustain filmmaking. This rang true for filmmaker Adam Gacka in the making of his most recent documentary, “Teacher,” currently available on
WTTW.
“Teacher” follows Nkanga Nsa’s journey in the
Chicago Teacher Residency, a one-year teacher training program including in-classroom experience and guidance from expert coaches and mentors. The program is run through DePaul’s College of Education, where Nsa earned a Master of Education in Special Education in June 2022.
“I spent about a week with Nkanga initially for an Academy for Urban School Leadership fundraising initiative, and we just kind of hit it off. After the project was completed, I had the idea to continue telling her story and that’s how the documentary came to be,” Gacka says.
Filming began in 2021 and followed Nsa’s experience in the residency during the 2021-22 school year. After a full year of filming and editing along the way, the film premiered the following year at the education arm of the South by Southwest film festival. Gacka hopes that this film can connect with parents and demonstrate the passion and difficulty of being a teacher.
“Each teacher has such a profound impact on so many lives. What I've learned over the years, because I've seen it, is that there’s a general lack of appreciation and respect for that profession,” Gacka says. “I hope this documentary is an educational tool that can give people an inside look at what it's like in the classroom. If the respect level from parents goes up, that will translate into support in other ways.”
From Politics to Productions
"Teacher" was selected to be shown at the education arm of the South by Southwest film festival. (Photo courtesy of Adam Gacka)Although Gacka
always had an interest in filmmaking, he graduated from DePaul in 2008 with a bachelor's degree in political science. His political science background continues to influence the work he creates today.
“I got into political science because I was idealistic and always thought about people, society and how we can all live together harmoniously. Of course, I know it's not an easy thing to achieve. Going to DePaul gave me an opportunity to explore that and develop that part of my thinking and shaped my perspective on things,” Gacka explains.
After quitting his job after college, Gacka focused on entering the film industry. Although he struggled due to a lack of professional experience, he was hired in an admissions role at the film school Flashpoint Academy. This allowed him to have access to film equipment, network with other creatives and begin to work on his own projects. This kickstarted his career as a filmmaker which led him to found a full-service production company called
Production House that has since created content for Northeastern Illinois University, Tricoci University and the Chicago Department of Public Health’s “Me and Nic Broke Up” campaign.
“It's been a roller coaster,” Gacka admits. “I have an untraditional path. I didn't study it. I just steamrolled my way into it, making mistakes along the way, learning from them, and sticking to it.”
Gacka advises aspiring filmmakers to be assertive and make their own path. He believes that being honest about what needs to be done – whether that’s putting yourself out there, working long hours, or being a bit uncomfortable – is important in carving out a path in such a competitive industry.
“Even if you’re in a place where you’re not doing exactly what you want to do, find ways to share the passion that other people have for what they’re doing,” Gacka says. “I never would have guessed I would have gotten into education, but it was the types of clients that I had when I started out. I grew to appreciate the passion that these teachers have for their students and was able to tell some amazing stories because I put myself out there and just focused on the work.”
Jade Walker is a student assistant of media relations and communications in University Communications.