I don't get to the movies as often as I'd like to, plus I am a major documentary-phile (yes, I am a geek). So I jumped at the chance when Ellen Seidman- a wonderful new friend I met at BlogHer last summer and the author of the blog Love That Max- invited me to go see "Waiting for Superman" with her. In case you haven't already heard of it, Waiting for Superman is an extraordinary documentary by Davis Guggenheim (Academy Award-winning director of An Inconvenient Truth) that explores the current state of public education in the U.S. through the very personal, moving stories of five unforgettable children across the country. What you see is that these eager children (and their hardworking parents) are being failed by a system that includes tenured teachers who can't be fired no matter how atrocious their conduct, "dropout factory" schools where hardly anyone graduates, and schools so overcrowded that children cry when they do not win lotteries to attend. As a New York City mom, I thought I knew all of the cliches already about how bad public school systems could be...the overcrowding (there is a waitlist for our zoned public school), the rundown buildings, and the budget cuts. But I didn't realize just how bad it really was, or the various forces that fight each other and keep the system from getting fixed. If you have any interest in public education at all (and as a parent reading this blog, I assume that is, well, pretty much all of you), I urge you to watch this stirring film and then to take action to help these kids. Also, please read Ellen's excellent post about the documentary as well.
K12.com- a leader in nationwide online education for grades K-12- provided Ellen and me tickets to see Waiting for Superman free of charge. Learn more about K12.com by visiting its Facebook, Twitter, or blog pages.
I'm looking forward to seeing this. As a mother of four and a future educator, I am anxious to see the depiction of the school system. I have my own opinions on the state of education and I feel it's such a far reaching problem that includes so many areas other than the teachers and the system. The education of our children is a responsibility that belongs to everyone, parents included. Perhaps the teachers are the problem in these 5 cases but there are many wonderful teachers out there who are successful in less than optimum situations. Often times the governments and well meaning financial supporters step in to help but don't really understand how to educate. That is just putting a band aid on the problem.
ReplyDeleteI need to see the film . . . but have to point out that teachers who don't perform well can be let go if proper supervision has been completed. A good teaching union (of which I am a member) protects hard working members and councils out people who should not be educators. This reality is rarely discussed.
ReplyDeleteI also saw the movie, and I agree that it is very interesting to see the inner-workings of America's school systems. This isn't something that many people ever see, and it can only help to stir the debate and spur some action in our overpopulated and underperforming schools. Well written, and I also recommend this movie to others!
ReplyDeleteDisclosure: I work for K12, Inc and found your post through a colleague.
-Scott