Passion to Teach Trailer (2016) from Bart Nourse on Vimeo.

A new documentary by two former teachers is sure to raise some eyebrows even as others embrace the need for “maverick” teachers.

“Our movie is about the individual versus the system. It’s a conflict we all face in one way or another,” said Bart Nourse.

“Passion to Teach” is a feature-length film produced and directed by Nourse and his partner Sandria Parsons, both education professionals, former teachers and founders of Learning Network Associates.

The movie looks at “top-down,” government mandated educational standards – which Nourse and Parsons see as problematic ­– while praising what “independent-minded” teachers can bring to the classroom.

At the heart of the documentary is Amy Lake, a Connecticut middle school teacher who epitomizes the directors’ idea of a maverick teacher.

“Her independent streak is why she’s effective,” Nourse said. “She is teaching kids beautifully everyday despite the system….yet you see she is not some sort of outlaw. They’d never fire Amy Lake. They love her.”

Lake was one of five teachers originally profiled in Nourse’s and Parsons’ cross-country search for teachers who got around the red tape to the benefit of their students.

After decades in the education business, Nourse and Parsons have strong opinions on standardized testing and cookie cutter educational mandates.

Nourse began teaching in 1975, working in middle, high and graduate schools.

Parsons taught fourth and fifth grade for a decade in Plymouth public schools.

“I never taught to the test,” she said. “I wanted always to bring the real world in to the classroom and keep my kids engaged in what they were doing. They knew they were doing meaningful work and as a result they did really well on the tests.”

Parsons and Nourse met in Marion and found they had similar ideas on education, particularly the need for it to be hands-on and experiential.

The two founded the South Coast Learning Network, a community education nonprofit that taught adults and also worked in New Bedford schools.

That led to a series of short, instructional videos for and by teachers, which in turn sparked the idea for a longer documentary that communicated through a story rather than didactic videos. Parsons and Nourse sold the South Coast Learning Network, and in 2012, began working on “Passion to Teach.”

They got recommendations of “maverick-y” teachers across the country, hired a New Bedford videographer and started filming five teachers. That was the easy part.

Once the editing process began, the fledgling directors struggled to capture the exact tone they wanted, and eventually had to kill their darlings (figuratively speaking), deciding to focus solely on Lake.

The directors hold Lake up as an example of thousands of teachers in the U.S. who engage their students.

The problem with many classrooms, said Nourse, is boredom, uniformity and a lack of connection with the real world.

“We knock the curiosity out of [children] when we start doing the systemic stuff – that is really about crowd control more than it is about learning achievement,” he said. “When you are concerned about the whole child, you take a whole different perspective.”

It does take work, though.

“You’ve got to put more into your planning. It takes an individual who is willing to go the extra mile,” Parsons said.

Yet, while the directors oppose the “teaching to the test” culture, the purpose of “Passion to Teach” isn’t to incite a dismantling of standardized tests and the Common Core.

“There’s always a system,” Nourse said. “What the maverick does is figure out a way for how to get around the system for human ends.”

Additionally, they’re not saying education in America is hopeless or that poverty and segregation aren’t huge factors in the quality of education students receive.

They do want to encourage teachers, schools and communities to take a hard look at an approach that they believe could lead to engaged and successful students who then go on to have a positive influence in their adult lives.

As people see the film, Parsons and Nourse expect they will make some enemies, but they believe their message is critical.

Said Nourse, “If people are inspired by it, great. If they don’t like it, no problem. If we get criticism, that’s good.”

Taber Library will host a screening of  “Passion to Teach” at the Music Hall on Thursday, Dec. 1 from 7-9 p.m. The event is open to the public at no charge, although a $5 donation ($10/family) is requested at the door to support the library’s programming budget.

For further information about the film, contact Sandria Parsons at Learning Network Associates: 508-577-1634 or sparsons@maverick2mainstream.org.