This movie has sparked a conversation in my mind, which I believe will turn into a series of blog entries centered around the same topic, mainly the numerous items presented in the movie and the various debates which it has sparked. The long and short of it all is this:
Go see "Waiting for Superman".
There are so many criticisms about this film, and the greatest thing is that they aren't all black and white. This isn't a two sided issue where people are for or against it - it's a multifaceted coin with rounded edges that is likely to flip at any moment. There's the opinion of those for and against the union, those who are for and against public schools, of charter versus private versus public, of public reform and a million other issues, and any combination in between. And since this is the case, the message of the film will continue to gain strength as it fulfills its true purpose - of sparking conversation on the public education system.
Having said that, I would like to talk about the movie itself a bit first, and hold off on addressing the individual debates for future blog posts. "Waiting for Superman" (hereafter referred to as WfS) is a dramatically effective documentary that utilizes the lottery-entry based system of a few different charter schools for five students across the country to drive the message of the film.
When I say lottery, what I mean is that some of the highest achieving, public charter schools can only accept a specified number of students. And due to the fact that since the schools are so high achieving, there are many more applications to attend that school than there are positions available. So, since the charter school is a public school, they need to provide the same opportunity for all applicants, and thus enters the lottery - a system to provide equal probability to each applicant to the program.
If you were to take WfS at face value, you might think that it's these students lives that are at stake with the lottery. And to be totally honest, if it were any of the students who were not actually at the lotteries, you wouldn't be far off. What do I mean by this? Well, I'll expound upon this further in an upcoming blog entry, but for now - know that every one of the students in this film have extremely supportive, concerned parents (or guardians). They're concerned enough to put the research into the schools, to make the effort to apply, to get their child emotionally invested in their education, and help them to care about their futures. This fact alone is probably sufficient to waive the death sentence that gets signed by some of these kids not getting into the schools. (Combined now with the fact that they've been in this movie and touched the hearts of every person who goes to see it, they'll probably have their education paid for for the rest of their lives.)
It's the millions of students who were NOT at the lottery. For any one of them, getting in to that charter school, or winning the lottery most likely WOULD be the difference between a successful future and the state penitentiary. As I watched this movie, I could literally only think of two or three of my student's parents who would go through this type of effort to apply for a charter school. And as I watched and read the jaw dropping statistics about the number of students who drop out of high school correlating with the number of them that end up in the state penitentiary, the names of my students flashed through my mind. It absolutely PAINS me to think about it, but I could probably name off at least 8 of my students that will likely be facing jail time within the next 5-6 years. The signs are all there...
But what can I do about it? I bust my hide on a daily basis to provide the best education that my 13 months in the classroom can afford. I play as large a role in these kids lives at school, as well as beyond the school yard that I can manage, I try to connect with them not only at an educational level, but at a personal level. I take notice of their behaviors, I know their demeanors, I can tell when a student is behaving in a manner that isn't attune to their normal repertoire, I can sense when they're having a bad day, and I let them know that I love them daily, that I care for them. And if they don't know this by now, it's because they're blind, deaf and dumb - I literally tell them this every day, and if actions don't speak louder than words, then by golly I don't know how to communicate.
Thus enters the title - "Waiting for Superman". As a member of public education, it feels like we're waiting for Superman to come save the day. Waiting for that one key public policy that will turn the tides, waiting for that one administrator who will flip the school upside down, waiting for that federal grant that will literally force feed education to my kids on a golden spoon. However, if we sit around and wait for the education system to get fixed, we'll be waiting as long as we would be for Superman to clean up the Gulf from the BP oil spill.
Let's get the ball rolling on this. TFA calls the educational achievement gap "our nation's greatest injustice". I thought I knew what that meant, but after having seen this film and contemplated on the implications, I wholeheartedly believe it. Be a part of the action, and go see WfS.
Stay tuned for the exciting, upcoming blog entries:
1. Teacher's Unions, what are they good for?
2. The Three Pillars of Education
3. Charter Schools versus Public
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