Profile Spotlight: Chris Baer

[Profile Spotlights]

iEarn classrooms in Azerbaijan, Uganda, and Taiwan.


Who are you and what is your profession?
My name is Chris Baer and I am a public high school teacher. I've been teaching photography, design, and technology at the Martha's Vineyard Regional High School in Oak Bluffs, MA, USA since 1995.

I also volunteer as co-facilitator of iEARN's "One Day in the Life" project (with Marta García Lorea of Argentina) in which K-12 students from 125 countries document, share and discuss aspects of their day in writing and photography. We document details of both typical days (like visiting the grocery or getting ready for school) as well as unusual days (like a bike accident or a birthday.) iEARN - the International Education and Resource Network - is the world's largest non-profit global collaborative network for teachers and students. We invite all you teachers out there to join us!

Can you tell us a little about your background and upbringing?
I was born on an island off the shores of Cape Cod and have lived here all of my life. My parents were both artists. I was the nerd of the family.

My resumé runs a little thin compared to most of the artists you've Spotlighted, but I do have one (questionably boastable) claim to fame: I'm pretty sure I was the guy who accidently coined the word "spam" (in its meaning as unwanted email) back in 1985 while sending out really annoying canned-meat-themed messages as a freshman at RPI in Troy, NY.

I became involved in international classroom photography exchanges about six years ago - I've found it a perfect way to give my (literally) insular students an appreciative audience for their documentary work, while giving them a great opportunity to learn about the rest of the world, and in doing so make some far-flung friends. What many of my students find ordinary and boring - like American school buses and cafeteria lunches - students from across the planet often find very interesting, and vice versa!

Last year we asked iEARN students from Argentina to Zambia photograph a single day - 10 November 2009 - and we had thousands of amazing photographs uploaded and discussed. This year we decided to try something different - join One Day on Earth on 10.10.10!

What inspired you to be a filmmaker?
My grandfather bought an early VHS camera in 1981 and fixed it to a lazy susan on the roof of his Datsun. He worked the controls with pulleys and cords and drove around the island recording street scenes. After that, I became hooked.

Who are your heroes?
Meme-makers, street artists, artists whose work makes me laugh out loud, and those who stir the proverbial pot.

What story do you want to tell on 10.10.10?
Personally? Something very, very simple - like a good toothbrushing.

Why is this important to you?
I worry that so many international projects undertaken in USA schools these days (at least those working with "non-Western" countries) are limited to anonymous charity projects. I fear these can sometimes breed condescending attitudes - especially in kids who only have stereotypes to work from. People need respect. And we overprotect our students. I want my students to listen and talk to their international peers directly and to share their lives, especially the ordinary stuff: what they have for breakfast, what family life is like, what they do after school, what their math class is like, or what they might see on the street on the way to the local market.

[Laura Victore]

[France ann]

dear Chris
everyday life seen in France: have a look at my videos.

[vbecker]

Congratulations Chris, my Martha's Vineyard colleague and often, mentor. Great to see you featured here!

[Zoltan Marton]

Dear Chris

Could you just check my group named Zero 1 please, maybe you could give 10 seconds of your time on 10.10.10 to shoot one shot of a child. Please read my concept on my profile page.

Thank you

Zoltan

[Catherine Schuelke]

I enjoy your comment about your inspiration. My Dad had a VHS and Beta cameras in the early 80's, though I think the Datsun was gone a little before that. But I can totally see him with a similar contraption. That's one of his many endearing qualities.