Waiting for Superman
Waiting for Superman is a film that I had little desire to watch – I heard the hype when it was in theaters and watched some of the news about it. The entire movie is propaganda for charter schools, which are not nearly as successful as the movie presents them. Guggenheim does not even send his children to a charter school; he sends them to a private school. Waiting for Superman follows five students whose parents care about their education, but are not successful in school. Four of the five families live in the inner-city, only one family lives in the suburbs. Ethnic diversity was well represented in the film. The statistics presented in Waiting for Superman are bleak and meant to shock. Mentioned specifically were ninth graders entering high school with first to third grade reading levels, and how many minority students go from B to D averages between fourth and eighth grade. Guggenheim posed the question do failing neighborhoods make failing schools, or is it the other way around? His film would have you believe the failing schools came first. The lottery system was a large focus of the film. It appeared that the only way to get a good education was to gamble and hope that your number or name was drawn to go to an amazing charter school. If you did not get lucky, then you just have to suffer in misery at the local public school where your fate has been cast and there is nothing you can do about it. Mark Twain’s quote comes to mind, “I have never let my schooling interfere with my education.” The film says it is an individual teacher that makes the difference in a child’s education. Yes and no. It is the student and their parents that make a difference. My brother and I went to the same schools through childhood. I had wonderful teachers that I loved. My brother hated school and had teachers that I viewed as not so good to downright bad. Yet we both succeeded because of our parents’ support and the value they put on education. Another key point in Superman was about the teachers unions. Guggenheim seems to blame many of the problems in education on the unions; in fact that they “are a menace and an impediment to reform.” Perhaps they are partially responsible for the current state of education, but there is much blame that can be spread to a wide variety of parties. Personally I have no experience with unions. I can appreciate them protecting teachers’ rights, but you have to be able to do your job. The private sector does not give nearly as many chances if you do not perform your duties to their expectations.
Waiting for Superman generally made me angry, mostly because I believe in public education. My school experience was good overall. Talk to any mathematician and they will tell you that you can find statistics supporting anything. Guggenheim found statistics that supported his call for charter schools. I honestly believe that there are more success stories from public schools than the failures that Waiting for Superman points out. Obviously there are horrendous schools, great schools, and everything in between. The kids that walk into any class are just as diverse as the schools that serve them. Parents who value education instill that in their children. Those children do better in school. Parents who could care less and do not see the benefits of education pass that on to their children. Those are usually the kids who drop out and learn the lessons of life the hard way. Every individual has to value education for it to be successful. The film chose to highlight successful charter schools and failing public schools. There are many more average or failing charter schools and successful public schools that were not represented by Waiting for Superman. I felt that it belittled those teachers who commit their time, skills, and money to the students they teach. It frustrated me that so many people might watch this documentary and fall prey to this one viewpoint that could further hurt the public school system. Does education need reform? Yes. Is this the way to go about it? No. Many districts, schools, and teachers care about each and every student that walks through the door. I am blessed to be in a district that believes all students can learn and they should all have to opportunity to learn.
The best thing anyone can do for education is to get parents involved through all thirteen years of school. Many parents fall off the wagon after elementary school is complete – their kids do not want them there, so they back away. Adequate funding for student resources and excellent teacher training would go a long way. Smaller classes would allow teachers to make deeper connections with their students. Instead of breezing by 35 students each class to see if it looks like students got the material, teachers could connect with 20 students and know they understand the material. Greater connections equate to greater learning. I believe that students need to know from early on what their goal in life is – to be a teacher, a mechanic, an engineer – so they can train early for that field. That will bring us more success on the global playing field. As teachers we must remember that our students can learn and that we are the vehicle for that learning. Not everyone will learn at the same rate and in the same way. Some will pick it up because they love the subject, others will learn it because they have to. But most important is instilling the desire to learn and explore – be it through school or on their own time – and to grow as a person.
Waiting for Superman is a film that I had little desire to watch – I heard the hype when it was in theaters and watched some of the news about it. The entire movie is propaganda for charter schools, which are not nearly as successful as the movie presents them. Guggenheim does not even send his children to a charter school; he sends them to a private school. Waiting for Superman follows five students whose parents care about their education, but are not successful in school. Four of the five families live in the inner-city, only one family lives in the suburbs. Ethnic diversity was well represented in the film. The statistics presented in Waiting for Superman are bleak and meant to shock. Mentioned specifically were ninth graders entering high school with first to third grade reading levels, and how many minority students go from B to D averages between fourth and eighth grade. Guggenheim posed the question do failing neighborhoods make failing schools, or is it the other way around? His film would have you believe the failing schools came first. The lottery system was a large focus of the film. It appeared that the only way to get a good education was to gamble and hope that your number or name was drawn to go to an amazing charter school. If you did not get lucky, then you just have to suffer in misery at the local public school where your fate has been cast and there is nothing you can do about it. Mark Twain’s quote comes to mind, “I have never let my schooling interfere with my education.” The film says it is an individual teacher that makes the difference in a child’s education. Yes and no. It is the student and their parents that make a difference. My brother and I went to the same schools through childhood. I had wonderful teachers that I loved. My brother hated school and had teachers that I viewed as not so good to downright bad. Yet we both succeeded because of our parents’ support and the value they put on education. Another key point in Superman was about the teachers unions. Guggenheim seems to blame many of the problems in education on the unions; in fact that they “are a menace and an impediment to reform.” Perhaps they are partially responsible for the current state of education, but there is much blame that can be spread to a wide variety of parties. Personally I have no experience with unions. I can appreciate them protecting teachers’ rights, but you have to be able to do your job. The private sector does not give nearly as many chances if you do not perform your duties to their expectations.
Waiting for Superman generally made me angry, mostly because I believe in public education. My school experience was good overall. Talk to any mathematician and they will tell you that you can find statistics supporting anything. Guggenheim found statistics that supported his call for charter schools. I honestly believe that there are more success stories from public schools than the failures that Waiting for Superman points out. Obviously there are horrendous schools, great schools, and everything in between. The kids that walk into any class are just as diverse as the schools that serve them. Parents who value education instill that in their children. Those children do better in school. Parents who could care less and do not see the benefits of education pass that on to their children. Those are usually the kids who drop out and learn the lessons of life the hard way. Every individual has to value education for it to be successful. The film chose to highlight successful charter schools and failing public schools. There are many more average or failing charter schools and successful public schools that were not represented by Waiting for Superman. I felt that it belittled those teachers who commit their time, skills, and money to the students they teach. It frustrated me that so many people might watch this documentary and fall prey to this one viewpoint that could further hurt the public school system. Does education need reform? Yes. Is this the way to go about it? No. Many districts, schools, and teachers care about each and every student that walks through the door. I am blessed to be in a district that believes all students can learn and they should all have to opportunity to learn.
The best thing anyone can do for education is to get parents involved through all thirteen years of school. Many parents fall off the wagon after elementary school is complete – their kids do not want them there, so they back away. Adequate funding for student resources and excellent teacher training would go a long way. Smaller classes would allow teachers to make deeper connections with their students. Instead of breezing by 35 students each class to see if it looks like students got the material, teachers could connect with 20 students and know they understand the material. Greater connections equate to greater learning. I believe that students need to know from early on what their goal in life is – to be a teacher, a mechanic, an engineer – so they can train early for that field. That will bring us more success on the global playing field. As teachers we must remember that our students can learn and that we are the vehicle for that learning. Not everyone will learn at the same rate and in the same way. Some will pick it up because they love the subject, others will learn it because they have to. But most important is instilling the desire to learn and explore – be it through school or on their own time – and to grow as a person.