On November 15, I invited teachers from around the county to send in their thoughts on Waiting for "Superman".
Thank you for writing and taking the time to share your ideas, comments, frustrations and opinions on the film. There is no doubt this is a heated issue. And you are all at the center of it. Trying to change our classrooms without involving teachers is like trying to bake a cake without an oven. Your voice must be a part of the discussion.
Below are some answers to a few of the same questions a lot of you had. But please keep the conversation going. I really do love hearing from you.
To ProfTK: Thanks for your question. I don't think charters are the answer. Charters can suffer from many of the same problems any district schools suffer from, and I note in the film that only 1 in 5 are doing better than average. I think there are some outstanding examples of charters that prove that it's possible to get amazing results in some of the toughest neighborhoods and I think we should learn from what they are doing. The message of Waiting for "Superman" should not be misconstrued as "pro" this or "anti" that. The message of the film is that we are failing too many kids and that you shouldn't have to "win" a chance at a great education in America. It's important to note that the families in my movie don't care what their schools are called -- district, magnet, charter, etc. They just want great schools!
Dear Shelz: Thank you so much for your question. I completely understand your frustration as a teacher. My first film, The First Year, was about the life and struggles of five teachers. I saw firsthand what you are talking about. After making that film, I promised myself that if I ever had the chance to make another film about public education, I'd talk about the "system" that makes it so hard on teachers like yourself. And that is what I tried to do. I don't agree with people who want to frame Waiting for "Superman" in a polarizing way. I believe we need to reward great teachers like yourself, make sure we have great principals and leaders to support you, and change the system to further support what you are doing for kids. I hope teachers, as well as parents, students and people who care about the children and direction of our country keep sending comments and thoughts and most importantly, taking action to help ensure every kid in America gets a great education.
Jacqueline Edelberg: Geoffrey Canada Leads the Charge
Waiting For "Superman" | Trailer & Official Movie Site | Pledge Now
No, Davis; we needed you to listen and then offer a mea culpa. FAIL
Or on the flipside, mandate that all private/charter private schools relax their admissions' policies - and exhaust ALL resources (due process) before outing a student. Private/charter schools would be forced to keep their low-performing and/or maladaptive-behavior students ALL YEAR LONG - unless they exhausted all resources and could build a case for expulsion. They would also have to keep students with attendance issues (the current comprehensive public school system).
With all schools educating on a level playing field, the Gates Foundation would more quickly find the most effective eduators, the most cutting-edge curricula & instructional strategies, and the most adaptive learning milieus.
"The standards, testing and accountability movement is built on a claim that education can change society. The corporate support for the accountability movement and the "no excuses" charter school movement seeks to reinforce that claim because, otherwise, corporate America and the politicians supporting corporate America would have to admit that something is wrong with our economic and political structures.
And the evidence isn't on the side of corporate America.
The Joseph Rowntree Foundation has shown that only 14% of pupil achievement can be attributed to the quality of the school; 86% of that achievement is driven by factors outside of education. David Berliner has also established six out-of- school factors that overwhelm the effectiveness of education against poverty and expanding social inequities."
Are you even qualified to comprehend fully the effects of poverty are on education -or what poverty feels like? Do you have any experience with this? Do you think next time you might want to do more research before jumping in? As teachers, we are always constantly to reflect on our practice , so we can remedy the effects of poverty. I would have liked to hear a more heartfelt reflection from you. What will you be doing to remedy the effects of poverty in the future?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=po9qy-tjeYw
Where is the money supposed to come from? That's where you;ll find your "misers".
Perhaps your next movie could be "Waiting for Parenting". You might find all the answers that you sought in "Waiting for Superman".
I hope your children are doing well and best of luck.
i just want to add one thing.
We can't separate ourselves from these problems. They represent who we are. Let's face it, as a country we are a mess. And everyone of us is accountable. Corruption in government, selfishness, greed, idolizing athletes with out equal regard for intellect, disregard for the natural world, not holding our leaders accountable, not making informed decisions, only caring how cheap things are, not how or where they were made, a crazed addiction to prescription drugs, ingesting massive amounts of chemicals in our "food". I could go on and on and on. And I don't for one minute believe that we are capable of making the changes necessary to fix all of this. BUT that doesn't for one second mean that I am giving up.
Make no mistake about it, education is our last and only hope.
Like I always said, Finland has the best education system in the world and the teachers are treated with HIGH respect. Plus, parents and students (along with teachers) are held accountable for their education...teachers can't do it alone. Finland also doesn't rely on ONE TEST or data collection/anlaysis systems to prove their students's worth. I think its time that we as a nation admit we don't value education like we once did. Let's turn off the TV and make our kids study and help them to be the best they can be.
sadly, such words fall on deaf ears when profit is concerned. and in this country, is it ever not concerned?
And, if the charter systems portrayed in Waiting for Superman are so stellar, those systems should be replicable in all schools, regardless of student/family SES, adapatibility, structure, stability, parenting style, or student mental health status. I fear that the bulk of the current education debate is politically charged, and hindered by politically correctness -- to the degree that the most adaptive remedies are still floating about looking for a real-time place to land. Remove the politics. Discover the cure. It is as simple and complex as that.
Teachers cut, Pfizr to pay Ex-Chief $4.5 millon in severence.
Educate the educable, train the trainable!
We are what we value!
I graduated highs school in 1966, and i thought i had the opportunity to get a fairly good education.
But , in the years since my high school graduation and eventually my college qraduation , boy , did things get messed up. My children , who are all grown and have lives of their own, seem to have done very wel lalso, so just what went wrong with the system?
If that is necessary to get straight teeth out of a very expensive and professional process, certainly the same must be true of learning. It will only happen if the student and the parent are actively and fully engaged. Schools, and especially teachers, can do everything possible, but in the end achievement comes from the learners engagement and effort.
This is not to absolve schools and educators who must do all they can to motivate that effort, but to put the entire responsibility on their shoulders without even discussing the importance of parent and student effort is just plain wrong.
I speak frequently in high schools about birth control, STD's, responisble sexual behavior etc.. This is usually a two-day program. On the first day, I set guidelines: raise your hand, speak respectfully, ask all the questions you want. You would not believe the positive response I get from the kids. They seem grateful to have guidelines and limits. I wish I could publish the letters I get from them after I've left! They really appreciate having an educator who treats them respectfully and gives them truthful (non-sensational, non-judgemental) information to process.
I dare say we need to look more broadly than just the educational system (and I thank you for using that phrase, as opposed to just "teachers.")