Hugh Jackman calls teachers 'the real superheroes'

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Hugh Jackman announces top 10 finalists for Global Teacher Prize

Transcript

00:00When I was a kid, there were lots of superheroes that I wanted to be, but I can tell you right

00:12now from where I stand with all my experience, the real superheroes are teachers.

00:17They're the ones that change the world.

00:25My favorite uncle was a teacher.

00:28My sister's a teacher.

00:30My brother's a teacher.

00:32And I've always felt the most important job in the world is teachers.

00:36My hope for every single person on the planet is that you have at least one.

00:40I think of Lyle Jones, who was the most influential acting teacher I ever had.

00:47Prior to Lyle, I could only get to a certain point.

00:52He used to say to me things like, you're standing outside the character.

00:59He said, you're good.

01:01Don't get me wrong.

01:02It's fine.

01:03It's okay.

01:04But what you need to do is to let go and trust.

01:09Someone like me who did quite like to control things, that was transformative.

01:14And there was a moment for me about 18 months into my course.

01:19So this is the patience of a teacher.

01:21For 18 months, he had to watch me being, okay, maybe.

01:25And I remember this one monologue that I had to give.

01:29And all of a sudden for me, it felt completely different.

01:32I felt inside the character.

01:34At halfway through, and it was a big audience, it was in a theater.

01:37That teacher had this big, booming voice.

01:40He stood up.

01:42And in the dark, I just heard this, yes, finally.

01:47All of us go through insecurity and doubt, trepidation along this journey of life.

01:55And those teachers that see the best in us and are patient enough to allow us to grow

02:00into that, they are like gold.

02:06Ladies and gentlemen, it is now my great pleasure to announce the top 10 finalists for the Global

02:10Teacher Prize for 2019.

02:14They are Andrew Moffat from the United Kingdom, Daisy Mertens from the Netherlands, Deborah

02:26Garofalo from Brazil, Hidekazu Shoto from Japan, Martin Salvetti from Argentina, Melissa

02:41Salguero from the United States, Peter Tbishi from Kenya, Swarup Rawal from India, Vladimir

02:54Apkezava from Georgia, Yasadai Selvakumaran from Australia.

03:05And I would like to give special thanks to His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al

03:09Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates and ruler of Dubai,

03:15under whose continued patronage, the Global Teacher Prize has become a shining beacon

03:19for teachers around the world.

03:22I'd also like to thank Sunny Varkey and the Varkey Foundation for giving us such a powerful

03:27celebration of the work of teachers and their commitment to education throughout the world.

03:33Since the launch of the Global Teacher Prize in Dubai, UAE, just five years ago, it has

03:38gone on to inspire over 30 national teacher prizes, unearthing thousands of stories of

03:43heroes that have transformed young people's lives.

03:46To our 10 finalists and to every dedicated teacher around the world, thank you.

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