Ms. Labriola
Unit 1: Education
AP Language and Compositon
1. What is the goal of the director in following specific students and their parents in a quest to find and enter a school superior to their local public school? Describe a memorable detail about the lives of these children followed in the film: Anthony (DC 5th grader), Daisy(East LA 5th grader), Francisco (Bronx 1st grader), Bianca (Harlem kindergartner), and Emily (Silicon Valley 8th grader). Why is getting into a charter school so important to each of them?
2. How does the title of the film have personal significance to educator Geoffrey Canada and thematic importance to the entire film?
3. What are the characteristics of failing schools?
4. How have the director's priorities changed since he made an earlier documentary The First Years in 1999 about public school teachers and how they dedicate their lives to the children they teach? Why does he feel he is betraying the ideals he thought he lived by?
5. Why does the film focus on the teachers' unions and on the unions' position on tenure? In contrast to the film's depiction of unions, can you think of reasons that unions might be needed for the teaching profession?
6. Although U.S. schools "have failed to keep pace with the rest of the world" and rank 25th in math and 21st in science among the 30 developed countries, what is the one category that we ranked the highest in--and what is ironic about this?
7. While serving as Chancellor of the Washington, DC Public Schools, what has Michelle Rhee done to try to improve education in her district? How do you feel about her and her methods?
8. Although the film acknowledges that "only one in five charter schools are producing amazing results," what is the appeal of even the unsuccessful charter schools? Why have charter schools eliminated tracking and why is this seen as positive?
9. When Geoffrey Canada founded the 97-block Harlem Children's Zone, the Baby College Program, and the Harlem Success Academy, what did he promise the families of Harlem and what has he achieved?
10. What teaching techniques does the film demonstrate for engaging children from low income families? According to the film, how successful have the Kipp Academies become in the last 16 years?
11. What are some disheartening realities that the audience can draw from this film?
12. Although the education "problem is complex," what does the film suggest are some "simple steps" to improving our school systems?
1. The goal of the director in his presentation was to gain the emotional argument for the viewer. Especially for young viewers, the lives of these small children are extremely emotional due to their struggling environments. Using this to his advantage, the director then presented this narrative in the backdrop of a documentary about failing schools to engage the viewers into the story. One memorable detail of the film was the life of Bianca. Her mother had sacrificed time with her daughter in order to work many jobs to pay for her charter school’s tuition. The stress on Bianca’s mother was crippling. In the end, she had unpaid dues which caused her daughter to be exempt from the graduation ceremony, much to her disappointment.
ReplyDelete2. Geoffrey Canada grew up in Harlem. He himself experienced the neighborhood’s failing schools and the effect it had on the students after him. The title of the film was a childhood anecdote of Canada’s, which, was his mother shattering his small reality that Superman did not exist. This relates to the issue with failing schools because Canada was saddened by the fact that there would be no one to save these well-meaning kids. Henceforth, he tried as much as possible to be “Superman” for those kids.
3. The characteristics of failing schools are bad teachers kept because of tenure, lack of reform due to the union roadblock, and the geopolitical environment of the school. Failing schools are often in “ghetto” neighborhoods, where the crime rate is very high and most kids are living in fatherless households. Gangs are commonplace in these areas and where there are gangs, there is illegal drugs and violence. The problem is not always the school and its teachers; it is very much the environment where the school is placed.
4. The director’s priorities have now shifted to exposing the failure of the schools system due to corruption and teacher’s unions as well as bad neighborhoods. Instead of praising teachers for their hard work and dedication, the director instead thrusted the fact that bad teachers are kept because of tenure into the viewer’s face. His intention for this film was to chastise the establishment for keeping dysfunctional teachers which cause public schools to fail. The director feels that he is betraying himself because he had respected these individuals for so long and it is ironic to him that he is now on the offensive.
5. The documentary focuses on teacher’s unions because of their role in preventing the institution of public education from reform. Their view of tenure is also a roadblock to reformers since they cannot easily dispose of these “lemons” completely. I personally think unions are helpful to teachers because unions assure that their rights are not violated. These rights include pay, working hours, and the right to a fair trial.
6. This fact is ironic because the overconfident character of Americans is greater than their actual academic performance. American are often despised by the international community for being too cocky. This is exactly the case when it comes to education. American students are often optimistic about their grades, which stems from the culture of independence and rebellion that more conservative nations lack.
Replying to # 3 :
DeleteAlec I do agree that unmotivated teachers and a bad environment are causes to failing schools but I believe that high dropout rates is the major causes to the schools' failures.Over confident students are disappointed when they fail so they simply drop out and the school does really nothing to prevents that.Yes the teachers don't execute their job well but it is the school's duty to rid the school of those teachers and hire teachers that actually care.Sometimes the neighborhood doesn't affect the school for example, Rutgers New Brunswick University,the university which discovered a cure for tuberculosis,is located in New Brunswick. Despite its location, it is a college that was close to be included in the ivy league but didn't because it wasn't expensive enough to be included in the list.
Jena, while I do agree that dropout rates are a problem, the causes of students dropping out are many. In low income areas where gangs and drugs are prevalent, there is not much of a purpose for the local school other than a hangout spot for kids. These are kids whose relatives have been imprisoned and have possibly died due to gunshots, stabs, or overdoses. There is no culture for one bettering oneself through education. This especially applies to some young men due to the gangsta culture prevalent in areas such as Harlem or Camden. They are more interested in making money off of drugs rather than learning how to factor polynomials.
DeleteJena Cheikhali:
ReplyDeleteQuestion # 3 : In the movie,failing schools have been called "failure factories".The major characteristic of a failing school is its high drop out rate.Many kids score below average on English and Math which drives them to drop out of school.Under-performing teachers are passed from school to school which is shown by the "lemon"example.When kids drop out, they are un-employed and unskillful which leads to a bad and failing neighborhood.Many drop-outs end up committing crime such as burglary. The money needed to put kids behind bars should be used to feed the minds of the generation.Another characteristic of failing schools is their "lottery" way of selecting students.Students that show potential with high grades should be considered first in entering the school.
Question # 6: It is very ironic that although the United States rank very low in English and Math proficiency,they rank # 1 in confidence. Americans believe that they are doing well but they are much behind kids in other countries.Being over confident is harmful to oneself because when a student scores a low grade he will be disappointed and put himself down because he did not meet his high expectations that he believed he was reaching.
Question # 8 : Despite "only 1 in 5 charter schools producing amazing results" charter schools strangely seems appealing to many parents. The idea that students aren't "tracked" or classified according to their level is liked by many.Moreover,charter schools focus on developing their students' reading and problem solving skills.Eliminating "tracking" in charter schools is a very positive move because when students are classified according to their academic ability,many student are put down and feel that they are "less important". With the lack of tracking, comes equality.
Question # 11: The movie includes many disheartening realities.All parents want the best education possible for their children and will do anything to help them reach their goals but the reality is that their kids are chosen to enter the school not by their grades, but by a "lottery" that decides their fate.Parents are worried because the public schools don't prepare their children for college resulting them to fail.Public Schools are also being taken over by private and charter schools which many parents (as shown in the movie) can't afford. Sadly. their childrens' education is not in their hands,and neither are their futures.Students in the movie are not given an opportunity to show their full potential because of unfair circumstances and teachers who lack in their performance.As the schools move backwards,they are dragging the students with them too,demolishing dreams and hopes of success.
Question # 9 : Geoffrey Canada founded the 97-block Harlem Children's Zone, the Baby College Program, and the Harlem Success Academy for students who live in 97 blocks of Harlem with the highest rate of unemployment.He promised students and their families that the school would remain with their children from the moment they enter their school until they graduate from college. To achieve this, he focused on preparing students for college,increased school day hours,and even employed teachers that strive to feed their kids knowledge.All that he has done has resulted in some positive changes.About 90% of the students in his charter schools are going to college.
Replying to #11
DeleteI disagree with your opinion on how children do not have control over their future. Students who fail have mostly themselves to blame, following the teachers who do not carry out their responsibilities properly. After all, if school and their parents do not encourage or be active in their lives, their children will take schooling lightly. Some kids do try their hardest to start anew. It is a sad reality that these children fail because of the lack of cooperation and reform in the education system like you said. The children in the failing schools are all missing the extra push to move forward.
Responding to # 8,
DeleteI believe, however, there must be regulation with following a student's academic history and differentiating each level of learning. An honors student must be separated from a student who simply attends from force and obligation. However, I do agree that charter schools have more freedom to teach a student; of course, with this freedom comes with flaws and inconsistency too. This may lead to uncovered material and a student's difficult transition to higher education. There must be a balance between all schools.
Replying to #3. I agree with you Jena failing schools do have a high drop out rate which is fortunate because then those students turn to crime and get locked. The worst part is the tax payer dollars used to pay for these prisoners could have been used to put them through great schools at a less cost. But the lottery was just for charter schools that had a limited amount of spots and more applications than spots. That was required by law not a characteristic of failing schools.
Delete3. Failing schools are defined by what and how a community contributes to its younger generations. Teachers who are not able to meet standards not only fail as teachers but also their students. Schools fail because of poor enforced policies, dropouts, and lack of encouragement. At home, it is the parents' responsibility to encourage and support their children so they may perform well in school. Also, it is difficult to reform a school. Setting also contributes to a failing school. If a school is located in an underdeveloped area, children and their families have everyday struggles and this could affect their overall behavior and attitude towards school. Some neighborhoods are infested with crime and children in these areas are easily influenced.
ReplyDelete5. The film focuses on tenure teachers and unions to emphasize how weird and complicated the education system is. Tenure teachers are guaranteed their careers for life so firing them is almost impossible. The movie barely praises teachers for their efforts. An education system cannot reform if the bad teachers and ineffective officials are not removed. The teacher union is there to use something such as tenure to protect their rights and interests.
6. America ranked number one in confidence. Ironically, the country ranked low in math and science performances. With all the confidence from the students, it should be no surprise to score very well and achieve good proficiency in math and science. Yet, the confidence does not match what the actual results are.
7. While serving as Chancellor of the Washington, D.C. Public Schools, Michelle Rhee fired a quarter of all principals in D.C., over 100 teachers, and closed down twenty-three schools. I find her methods to be very straight-forward just like the type of person she is. I agree that if change is desired, something has to be done for it to happen. People should not idly sit around and wait for the change. Her straight-forward approach gave people a wake-up call.
11. In this film, there was a clear presentation on how some things just come purely out of luck. Some schools choose their students by luck rather than analyzing individual performances. There will be people who deserve so much more but the opportunity to do better is given to someone else. The luckier person may or may not be deserving of the opportunity. Also, bad teachers cannot even be fired if they have tenure. Some kids just cannot do well in school or find the motivation to do so because of peer influence and their personal lives.
Replying to #3: I do not agree with your opinion that failing schools are defined by how a community contributes to its younger generations. Many prodigies and legends have advanced from their neighborhoods, underdeveloped or not, without community assistance. Children, as they develop, become their own person away from their teachers, counselors, and family. However, I do agree with your opinion, that along the way they are definitely influenced by their community.
Delete1. The director's goal in following those five specific students and their parents in the film is to show the desperate situation each of them are in. They all come from unlucky backgrounds, some barely even scraping by, yet all still having big dreams. Anthony, whose father had passed away, had spoken about wanting to go and get a better education so he could give his own family and future children a better life than his own. Daisy, who had been forced to attend what a schools with one of the highest dropout rates in her district, had spoken about her aspirations to study hard to become surgeon. Francisco, who was falling behind in school as a result of his inadequate teachers, is at his last chance of getting into a good school since those above grade two are no longer accepted into good charter schools. Bianca, whose mother was barely even making enough money to even send her to school, had spoken about wanting to go to college no matter what. And Emily, whose high school has a ratio of only thirty-two to a hundred students who will be ready by the time of graduation for a four-year college, had spoken about wanting to come a teacher. For not just Francisco, but perhaps even all of these students, getting selected to enter these charter schools was a last chance for them to save their futures.
ReplyDelete5. For every student, encountering a "bad" teacher at least once in their educational career is almost inevitable. However, because of the tenure teachers' have, the film explains that schools cannot even fire those teachers sometimes, even if the entire student body agrees. Its focus on the teachers' union also shows that the teachers side-by-side stance with tenure, which perhaps was just as shocking. While it proves as an amazing thing for teachers, it throws their students under the bus. As a student, I should be able to believe that my teachers truly care for my education rather than solely the money they are earning out of it. However, while I dislike it, I see the importance of having a teachers' union. It ensures that no teacher stands alone in the case of his position or respect from the higher-ups is in jeopardy. Unions have been shown throughout history to be effective and safe. For example, take the Newsboy Strike of 1899; if the newspaper boys had not all stood together and revolted against the paper companies, they would have continued to be taken advantage of and had more of their money unfairly taken from them.
6. The one category America manages to rank first in is, ironically, confidence. Out of all countries, ours was the one whose students had voted the most for "yes" when asked the question of whether or not they believed they performed well in their subjects. I say that this is ironic because of the fact we actually voted low, even last, on every educational based study we participated in.
7. As Chancellor, Michelle Rhee had made the highly controversial decision of shutting down twenty-three schools and therefore cutting tens or hundreds of jobs in D.C.. Despite the backlash she had received as a result of it, I agree with her action. D.C., as described in the film, had rank the lowest in the country for reading. Because those selected schools were most likely "failing factories," Rhee had closed the schools not with bad intentions, but instead the opposite. As a result, education in D.C. had improved.
11. "Waiting for Superman" shows the harsh reality of the world we life in. In the film, Daisy tried the most to make her dreams of helping people and animals come true. Despite that, she still lost in the random selection that would have sent her to a better school. Therefore, her loss stands as proof that it does not matter how much effort one person can put into achieving his goals, or how much good he has in his heart; they can still lose to those who put in half as much effort, or who is rude and selfish. The world is cruel and life is not fair, but we as humans have to accept that regardless because it inevitably is and may always be reality.
Replying to #7
DeleteBy shutting down several schools students were forced scramble into other schools. This caused the number in some schools to rise drastically. As a result, some classes may have been overcrowded and it would have been difficult for students to seek help from a teacher one on one. The teacher would have to focus on the large group of students as a whole instead of focusing on individual students.
2.The films title, “Waiting for Superman” is significant to the purpose of the story because it indicates that the education system is failing it’s students so much that the only thing that can rescue it is some sort of superhero. As a child, educator, Geoffrey Canada discovered superman did not really exist. This left him disappointed, not because his favorite superhero was not real but because he realized there was no one with enough power to save him and all of the other children being left behind in the school system. “Waiting for Superman” in its entirety was created to shed light on a problem that still affects millions of children nationwide even after legislative and presidential action. Moreover, the use of the word “waiting” indicates that the problem has not yet been resolved and there are still kids being pushed through the system. In addition, Superman is notorious for arriving just in time to save the day. The education system is broken beyond repair and using the word “superman” suggests that he is the only one that can save them now.
ReplyDelete3. There are certain tell tale signs that are unique to failing schools. Low attendance, low graduation rate, violence, unqualified teachers and frequent use of disciplinary actions are all factors that contribute to a failing school. Ultimately, the goal of getting an education is to graduate, obtain a degree of some sorts, and become a productive member of society. A failing school does not accomplish these goals, students of failing schools often end up in prison, homeless, or stuck earning minimum wage. Low attendance means students are not in school in school to learn the material, if the student does not learn the material he or she does not graduate. Feeling as if their life is already heading down hill, the student may demonstrate their frustration in acts of violence which results in disciplinary actions. As you can see, factors that contribute to a failing school system go hand in hand, if a school is performing less than adequately in one area it will have a domino affect on other aspects as well.
4. Although not ranked highly in comparison to developed countries in math and reading proficiency, the US did rank the highest in confidence. A poll depicted in the film shows that American students have more confidence in their math skills compared to international students who actually score higher than the US on standardized tests. I think the reason being is the fact that in America one is praised for doing a good job in school whereas in a more academically driven environment like Asia or Finland it is just expected to do well.
5. Unfortunately, every story does not have a happy ending. A reality that we have to face is that now and most likely for years to come the education system will not efficiently serve its students. Teachers, directors, even presidents have contributed countless hours to trying to come up with a solution to our education system to no avail. I believe the problem does not lie within the system itself but the authority figures who operate it. I believe the system is corrupt from lazy teachers and officials that only care if they get paid rather than whether or not we learn.
6. Charter schools cater to the needs of students, do not follow a state curriculum, and adopts their own school theme. In a charter school teachers have the freedom to alter their curriculum and teach material that they think the student should learn, as opposed to a state curriculum that is forced upon a teacher. Also, a charter school may be more focused in STEM rather than English or History. While it does cover all of common core subjects one area may be emphasized over the other. This emphasis is helpful for students who are already sure of what career they are interested in. Furthermore, “tracking” is merely separating students based on academic ability. Popular in public schools, tracking is unfair to kids who are not placed in honors or AP classes. Leaving average and below average students neglected in the learning process while the over-achievers prosper.
Replying to #4: I agree with your response in saying how the more successful countries, especially like Asia, drive their students more to do well because of the higher standards that may already seem preset to them. However, this difficult-to-obtain approval by their parents and teachers should not be seen as a complete good thing. For them, I feel as though they are not praised as easily as American students are for getting even an average-ranking grade. They must aim higher to get the praise they want, and, as a result, are not as full of confidence as America is. Because they do not receive as much recognition for their studies and efforts, this lack of appraisal can cause their students to develop a lingering sense of inadequacy that just might never seem to go away. They are taught to never be content with what they have, and will continue to shun themselves for it, even possibly for the rest of their lives.
Delete1. I think that the goal of the director in following the parents and children in their quest for a better education is to put faces to the problem. Although the statistics and facts that he presents throughout the film are alarming and compelling, hearing the true stories of these children adds more power to his point. It also stirs feelings of anger, sympathy and sadness in the reader. Additionally, following the quest of these children helps meet the director's bigger goal, to show the extent of the failing school system and raise awareness for change. A memorable detail about Anthony was his perseverance and will to improve after losing his dad and repeating a grade. He was growing as a student , and entering SEED was what could help him grow and break the stereotypes. It was a roller coaster of emotions going from him being placed on the waiting list and finally getting off the waiting list and packing his stuff. The most memorable detail about Daisy when she describes her goals of becoming a surgeon to help people or animals, and the saddest moment is learning that she was not able to attend the charter school. Francisco's story was memorable because his mom was very involved and wanted to see her son succeed but his teacher did not give his problem the attention it needed. The most memorable detail about Bianca was the scene in which she is staring out the window on the day of her kindergarten graduation, one which she could not attend. It was very angering and sad to see that because her struggling mom could not make a payment, she would not be able to attend this special event. Lastly, Emily's story rose some of my personal fears, given that although safety was not a concern for her choosing, her chances of getting to the college of her choice was. Getting into a charter is crucial for the education of all the children in this movie and country, as a fact. The children in the movie are part of some of the worst school districts in the country and getting into a charter school keeps them away from the "drop out factories" . For their parents, it means that their children will receive a quality education even if they are struggling financially.
ReplyDelete7. In her time serving as Chancellor of the Washington D.C School District, Michelle Rhee made many severe changes to the school district. Two of the most significant changes include the closing of 23 schools and 141 teachers being fired . Although many people were outraged by these changes , I believe that Michelle Rhee made the right decision by doing this . The school system has alarmingly been failing since 1970 and many people have promised to make changes but have failed parents , the country but most importantly students . Michelle Rhee made a decision that many others have been afraid to do and it was what the district needed . By firing underperforming teachers and closing outdated schools , she would be able to create a strong foundation to rebuild an improved school district. I think that this should set an example for other failing districts throughout the United States .
6. Although the United States ranks very poorly in math and reading among 30 developed countries, it ranks number 1 in confidence. The irony in this is that even with such high confidence, Americans are not performing to the level they should. With the confidence, it is expected that they would have the academic record to support it. However, high schools are becoming drop out factories and children across the country are not reading at proper levels.
(Part 2)
ReplyDelete8.The movie includes many eye opening and dispiriting realities. The first and more impacting one for me, was the fact that our school systems are failing children all across America and nobody is giving an effective solution. Presidents, governors, superintendents all make promise during elections about education and none of them keep it. Secondly, the fact that parents want the best education possible for their children but are not able to give it to them because of economic problems. The parents portrayed in the movie were struggling economically and this frustrated them because a low income means a low standard for education. Additionally, the faith of thousands of children is chosen by a lottery and their future is all decided by luck. Lastly, the movie emphasized the reality that lower income and minority schools are alarmingly behind rich school districts. High school in low income areas are called “dropout factories” and the people that are pushed through the system and graduate, are not ready for college.
2.) The title of the film “Waiting for Superman” has a personal significance towards the educator Geoffrey Canada. At the beginning of the film, Canada mentions that he always admired superman as a child. He always looked forward to the day his superman would rescue him from the terrible environment he lived in. The children involved in the film also have a superman they are waiting for. All the children live in bad neighborhoods that are poor in education, and many of the students either fall behind other schools or drop out. However, they have a chance to escape these “dropout factories” with lotteries to better schools, also known as their superman. However, majority of the children cannot be rescued, because there is not enough spots in the better schools. The title expresses the thematic importance of the film because the all the students were waiting to be rescued by their ‘superman’.
ReplyDelete3.) A major characteristic of failing schools is the environment it is surrounded in. The environment is usually a low income area and many of the residents do not care about getting better. Teachers also involved in failing schools seem to not care and are a few years behind in their lessons compared to the other schools. In the film they provided video footage of some of these teachers. Teachers were seen reading the newspaper and torturing students with cruel punishments, such as putting their heads in toilets. Due to the bad environment students are put into, it is difficult for them to excel in their studies.
11.) Watching the film draws some disheartening realities about the education system. For example, Daisy’s, a child from the film, story. Daisy was a driven and hardworking student who wanted to do great and escape her bad neighborhood. She wanted to be a doctor, and even applied to colleges. However, because only her mother works in the family as a housekeeper, their family does not have money to give Daisy a nice education and instead she goes to one of the worst schools in the district. However, Daisy does have a chance at attending a better school, if she wins a lottery that hundreds of other students are applying to. Unfortunately, Daisy does not win the lottery and has no choice but to continue going to her current school. This is disheartening because it shows even though you have a good character, some things can only be obtained by luck.
6.) Although U.S. schools rank low in math and science, we rank highest in confidence. Our testing scores in math and science are bad, yet we believe that we did the best. This statement is ironic because we thought we did the best when we were obviously the worst. I believe this comes from the American mentality. Ever since I was young, being able to do anything as long as I set my mind to it has been engraved into my head, as well as other American children. This is due to our previous American ancestors who went through wars, the Great Depression, etc. and were still able to surpass those obstacles. Americans have ‘bragging rights’ because of their successes which leads to their overconfidence. However, overconfidence is never a good thing, which is proven with American school rankings.
Replying to #3
DeleteI agree with you when you say most failing schools occur in low-income communities and teachers in these neighborhoods neglect their obligation to their students. This is a defining trait of these schools. However, I do not believe that the residents do not care about getting better. Educators such as Geoffrey Canada has dedicated his life to improve the lives of the residents who live in these low-income neighborhoods. Many of the residents wish to escape and find a better life, but they do not have an outlet in which they can express themselves. Also, the desire to send their children to charter schools signify the residents' desire to improve and make sure that their children have a better life.
2. The title of the film, Waiting for Superman, provides thematic importance to the film because of the strength Superman is symbolized to hold. Superman symbolically saves people, and leaves situations better than he found them. In this case, the children wish to have a better education as much as their parents want them to have a better education but are held back by luck, financial struggles, and location. The obstacles holding the children back from a quality education are inevitable for themselves, so they rely on a higher power to take over such as superman. In addition, Geoffrey Canada has been referred to as Harlem's "Superman." This is where he not only is the Superman the children of Harlem has been waiting for, but the same one the title of the documentary is in desperate search of. Geoffrey Canada runs a nonprofit organization in Harlem that provides the neighborhood children with education and support to their families. He's the superman they have been waiting for since he was in the Bronx school system himself.
ReplyDelete5. The film focuses on the teachers' unions and on the unions' position on tenure because of the affect tenure combined with bad teacher has on the children of our education system. Some teachers do not teach their students, but have reached tenure, and show up to their job just to collect a check. This effects our children's education because they move up the education system lacking basic skills needed in life such as reading, critical thinking, mathematics, science, and more. Teachers' unions were established to protect a teacher's rights and their salaries. For instance, a never ending controversy between teacher unions and their employers are healthcare. Therefore, the teachers' unions represent the teacher's
rights in several cases.
7. While serving as Chancellor of the Washington, DC Public Schools Michelle Rhee has tried to improve the educators and their efficiency for the children. She started by firing all the inefficient teachers, tenured or not, which then backfired since she did not know the policies and she was forced to rehire them. Due to her immediate action in the Summer of 2008 that would have given the teachers a choice between a six figure pay and tenure with a "modest" raise. She wanted to reward effective teachers for their work with the students and not reward the ineffective teachers. I feel as though her methods had the right idea, but she did not implement them properly. Instead of offering more money, or going against unions' ideas, or even firing all the ineffective teachers, she should have devised her plan of action more effectively. Her plan of action could have consisted of more teacher evaluations, the dance with the lemons and find where they fit best, or even probationary systems like they have in many school districts.
11. Some disheartening realities that could be drawn from this documentary are that some children will not grow up to be lawyers and doctors like they wish to be. Not only does luck and location and lack of financial resources hold a child back, but some children do not even graduate with a basic high school education due to dropout factories like the ones mentioned in the film. The film provides a shocking reality for the audience that many children want to change the world, but they can not due to where they were brought up and the educators they are given. Children like Daisy who want to be a doctor only have charter schools as a last resort, but rely purely on luck and hope and when those fail them what else do they do? They enroll in the dropout factories and hope for the best, which is an abrupt harsh reality for some people who have never known anything short of a great education.
-Christina
5. The film focuses on teacher unions and tenure to show how difficult it is to reform the school system. Fundamental changes are nearly impossible without running into complications with teacher unions. Specifically, firing an underperforming teacher is a tedious process. In fact, only one in 2,500 teachers have ever lost their teaching credentials, according to the movie. Tenure prevents teachers from being fired, even if they are failing as teachers. Therefore, reforming schools by replacing teachers with poor performances is not possible. However, teacher unions are not all bad. They protect the rights and jobs of teachers. Without teacher unions, a teacher may be fired unjustly or be underpaid. Teacher unions also provide teachers with legal support if needed.
ReplyDelete7. In order to improve education in her district, Michelle Rhee fired a quarter of all principles, closed twenty three schools, and cut over 100 jobs. Rhee also made sure each school had an art teacher, music teacher, physical education teacher, a librarian, and a nurse. Her efforts eventually resulted in a rise in test scores through out the city. I believe Rhee had good intentions and wanted to see change immediately. She cared deeply about the students and used drastic measures to reform the school system. In my opinion, her methods were drastic and very sudden and caused many people to be upset. However, I agree with her methods because immediate change is better than no change at all. People that came before her continued to promise change but did very little. Michelle, on the other hand, made changes immediately that ultimately led to higher test scores.
10. Techniques demonstrated in the film are utilizing songs, increasing school hours, and having school on Saturday. Students learned material easier when it was put into a song they could easily memorize. Furthermore, by having longer school days, the students' main focus and priority on school. This included holding school on Saturdays even during the summer. Moreover, within the last sixteen years, eighty-two Kipp schools have opened. Additionally, in 1998, Kipp Academy was the highest performing school in the Bronx. In brief, the techniques used at the Kipp schools have proven to be successful.
11. The movie "waiting for superman" opened the eyes of many people and made them realize the disheartening realities of the education system. For example, people cannot rely solely on school teachers to properly teach their children. Many teachers underperform but are not replaced due to their tenure. Therefore, students do not receive the best education. Furthermore, when it comes to choosing a school you either have to settle, be wealthy, or have luck on your side. If you cannot afford to send your child to an excellent private school you may have no other choice than to send your child to a public school. However, many public schools could be drop out factories. Accordingly, you could also enter in a lottery to be accepted into a charter school. Students are accepted at random instead of by their academic abilities.This puts students who deserve a spot in the school over others at a disadvantage.
Replying to #5:
DeleteI don't believe firing a failing teacher is impossible, it might be necessary. Students will fall behind their peers that have well performing teachers. Having an under-performing teacher for a whole school year is a waste of time and money. Parents may not want their children to attend a certain school when their test scores are exceptionally lower than other well performing schools in a district. Therefore, these types of teachers can create a bad reputation for a school which lowers the rate of new incoming students. While tenure may be good for the union and the teacher's rights, if they do not perform well to educate a student then they do not deserve to have a lifetime career. If the school truly cared for the children's they would prioritize the quality of the teacher.
replying to #10: Although longer school hours and more school days does provide students with more instruction time which covers more material, I don't believe schools should implement this in our school systems. Longer school days would give teachers the opportunity to assign more homework students less time to finish it while simultaneously squeezing in 8 hours of sleep and clubs/sports.
Delete2. The film’s title ,Waiting for Superman, is explained by a small anecdote at the beginning of the film. Geoffrey Canada believed that Superman would come to save him from difficulties in life. However, his dreams were crushed from a young age when his mother told him that Superman isn't real. Geoffrey realized that problems cannot be solved by Superman and had to be fixed in some other realistic manner. These children could be seen "waiting for Superman". They wish for someone that can fix their family's financial problems and change the future that the American education system dictates. Without someone to change the quality of living or the system itself, the children are helpless and cannot do anything to change the path that leads to an unsuccessful future.
ReplyDelete6. America ranks highest in confidence. It is ironic that the children that score low on their tests believed that they passed. Teachers always reassure their students when taking tests, regardless of their skill level. Children are told from a young age that they have a better education education, or a higher chance of success in life when living in America. However, the schools lack efficient teaching skills that prepare students for these standardized tests. The confidence that the nation builds for their students does not match the quality of education that is given. The funds that the state and the government uses for education is never used to improve the quality of learning. How can we not match the quality of Finland's education when we can access the same teaching strategies or resources, even when the government and state funds?
7. Michelle Rhee tore down a number of public schools by firing all inefficient teachers and principals and hiring new ones. By raising the teaching standards of the public school system in that area, she successfully created a boost in test taking averages. Her idea of education reform may have been abrupt and controversial, but it generated better results in the children’s standardized tests. I wish that her standards could be implemented in all States. Without the need to troubleshoot new learning methods with every year with different students, a motivated teacher will know what is best for their students. As compared to a unmotivated teacher, who does little to explain to their students and neglects the need to reinforce concepts.
11. Children are asked “what do you want to be when you grow up?” by adults, and the children are elated to say they want to be an astronaut, firefighter, librarian,or etc. Even with the devotion to get these jobs, the child’s education goes downhill with each passing grade and many drop out of high school or do not go to college. It is unlikely for a child to have such a major career if the education that is given is sub-par. Moreover, many parents and children do not understand the defects in the public school system. Some parents that previously lived in foreign countries do not know much about the public school education in America. America’s standards for education is inconsistent between states, for their proficiency in reading varies. While they may put their child in a great public school education system, proficiency may still be lower than private schools and significantly lower compared to other foreign states.
-Carla Cagandahan
Replying to #7 : I understand your perspective on Rhee's actions of firing teachers in the D.C. area, but if her tactics of fire and hire were to be implemented on other states, do you think a union strike would be established? The tenure grant certainly is controversial and motivates some teacher to neglect their responsibilities, but they're still workers from a union. Although they can reevaluate their abilities and improve as a teacher, some of them might resort to strike. No matter how low these types of teachers are, they can still protest and create arguments to influence other teachers that firing a bunch of teachers are "unmoral" and"demonstrates injustice". A teacher shortage will harm this nation, but do you really think that there is a compromise to both sides?
DeleteReplying to #11
DeleteI do agree that immigrant parents do not understand the American education system at all, especially if their children are first-generation Americans. The dream of almost all immigrating parents is so that their child can have the gift of "opportunity". What they do not know is of these problems with teachers and corruption. As idealistic as the United States may seem to the people of other countries, it is no where near perfect in this day and age. It sometimes does not matter whether or not the parents are involved or if the student is indeed willing, if the conveyor belt of a public school produces criminals 9 out of 10 times, the kid won't be so different.
2. The purpose of Superman’s character is a savior out to help everyone no matter what the cost. Geoffrey Canada viewed Superman as a role model as a child due to his heroism and selflessness. However, as Canada grew up, he had to face the grim reality Superman is not real. Figuratively, a “Superman” doesn’t have to have powers or strengths, but the will to save anyone in dire need. The title “Waiting for Superman” represents how nobody successfully fixed the failing public education system and neglect to help the struggling students of across America
ReplyDelete5. The teacher’s union and the idea on tenures are believed to conflict with a better development for American schools. Michelle Rhee’s controversial actions of firing underperforming teachers led the teacher’s union in D.C. Some argue that Rhee’s decision was beneficial because those certain teachers were not capable of doing their job. However, the teacher’s union argue that firing a large amount of teachers will destroy D.C.’s public education due to the lack of staff. The film mentions how teachers usually underperform when granted a tenure. When a teacher is granted their job for life without consequence, their efficiency, effort, and quality plummets, thus ruining a child’s education. Although some teachers exploit the tenure grant, some good intentioned teachers still exist that will still do their job correctly. Both Rhee’s supporters and the union have pros and cons, but in the end, the situation will never improve if both parties only bicker at each other.
6. America lives in its own irony. We rank as the top in confidence, yet compared to other nations, our scores in math and reading plummet. America’s attitude towards their education is all bark, but no bite. Boasting about our few improvements and “innovations” in education while ignoring the major flaws demonstrate how truly ignorant the populous is when concerning the matters of the public education system’s failure.
11. The film focuses on the failing education in poverty stricken areas. We learn that although the parents want the best education for their child, the schools they can go to will never fulfill those promises. The only chances of having a decent education for their child, parents must depend on a lottery that admissions their child into a charter school. The grim reality is that parents must cling to luck in order to give their child a decent future.
1) Davis Guggenheim, the director of “Waiting for Superman” shows multiple children’s perspectives as they attempt to enter new schools, in order to connect the audience to real life examples. Guggenheim introduces different children with different lives though they share the same desire to receive an education. He directs the audience towards the struggle between each student, and he utilizes both logos and pathos to inform the audience about a flawed education system, while putting an emotional appeal to the characters. It shows even with diverse backgrounds, a child must have a chance to succeed; the heartbroken looks after the school’s rejection leads the audience to disparage upon the thought that only mere luck at a lottery should determine a child’s future. One memorable detail about the children is their willingness to learn. They are self-motivated to learn, accompanied by their parents’ support. 5th grader Daisy’s confidence and ambition reminded me of my younger self-- it recuperated memories of dreaming and working hard my younger years.
ReplyDelete2) The title, “Waiting for Superman” has personal significance to educator Geoffrey Canada and thematic importance to the film. As a young boy, Canada believed Superman was someone designated to help those crying of need. His mother shattered this belief, which saddened Canada; at a young age, he realized that there is no true hero ready to come to someone’s aid. This is significant to the film, as it leads the audience to connect to the problem at hand: who will save education? Superman is symbolic to a solution--in this case, it is prevalent to our flawed school systems. This theme is recurring throughout the film and brings up previous individuals claiming to save education--though to no avail. Canada took it upon himself to fill superman’s role and vowed to become Harlem’s own superhero of education.
6)Although we rank the lowest out of 30 developed countries, we rank the highest in self-confidence. It is ironic, because it is normal for an individual to doubt themselves when dealing with material they are not the best at. It’s a blind confidence, associated with the “American ego”. However, i believe this self-confidence can be worked towards a good head space and faith towards a better education. It can fuel an individual’s motivation towards learning and retaining knowledge.
11) Some disheartening realities can be drawn from the film. As I watched the movie, I realized that school systems will always contain flaws. There is never a true solution, as one cannot always cater to everyone’s needs. It is survival of the fittest; people have to work hard and compete with one another to get what they need. The film also shows the cruel realities of privilege; some people are born into families who are fortunate to give their children great education, while some to people have to fight for their right. However, with struggles result with resilience and allows even the brightest flowers to bloom through concrete.
2. The title "Waiting For Superman" comes from the moment when the main educator and narrator in the story, Geoffrey Canada, realizes that Superman is actually a fictional character. He has to save himself instead of relying on Superman to save him. The children presented in the movie were waiting for "Superman" or a powerful person to save them from the dilemma that they are facing. Throughout the film, the obstacles to gaining access to better schools are explained in detail, and there is no "Superman" to save them from their situation. It shows the complexities of the problems shown in the film and how none of them are easily solvable.
ReplyDelete3. The characteristics of failing schools are inadequate teachers who do not teach well. They only go to their job to collect a paid check, instead of educating children. Poverty is extremely common in these neighborhoods. The schools usually have low-income families where public schools are . The schools are underfunded, and lack the ability to sustain itself or its very well. Failing elementary schools lead to failing high schools, which leads to most of their students being poorly educated. Many of these underfunded schools are called "dropout factories", where over 40% of students do not graduate on time. This cycle of incompetent teachers, underfunded schools, and dropout factories keeps the school failing.
6. The narrator in the movie states that the number one category where American ranks the highest in is spending per student. We spend the most money per student, but we rank low in comparison to the rest of the world. This is ironic because it shows that as we increase in spending per student, our scores do not improve. Out of thirty developed countries, we rank 25th in math and 21st in science. This proves that there are more effective ways of teaching that would work better for our students. In addition, even though we scored low on these international tests, US students ranked 1st in how confident they felt about their test scores. We had the most confidence while taking the test, but our results were much worse than expected.
9. Geoffrey Canada promised the families of Harlem that every child who goes to the Harlem Success Academy will get into college. His team will track and support them through every step in their education. This was a great relief and reassurance for parents who wanted their children to have better educational opportunities and individualized attention. He would do this in low-income neighborhoods which were stricken with poverty. His Baby College Program and other programs were seen as a way out of the cycle of poverty prevalent in Harlem's neighborhoods. Children can be truly college-ready. Canada has dedicated his life to helping children and families be college-ready in Harlem. He was the President of the Harlem Children's Zone for twenty-four years.
Joshua Edmunds
Replying to #6:
DeleteThough I do agree with your statement about about the increase spending per student. I want to add that another reason for our low standardized test scores is that students do not fully understand the concepts of the subject. Because of this lack of understanding, teachers show inefficient methods of proper teaching.
3) Failing schools have many common factors. They are in bad neighborhoods filled with gangs and families with low income. A majority of the failing schools have earned the nickname of "dropout factories" because over 40% of the students do not graduate. For example, in the movie, Alain Leroy Locke High School had a class of about 1,200 freshmen. By sophomore year, almost 800 students dropped out, resulting in 300-400 students left in the grade. Students who dropped out have no desire to live, leaving them with no skills or diploma.
ReplyDelete6) Despite ranking low in the subjects of math and other subjects among the other countries, the US does rank the highest in confidence. It is true that confidence is needed during standardized testing. However, the US has the resources and funds to rank high in education along with the top countries. The US ranks low because students are not fully prepared when taking the tests. Teachers rush through the curriculum to meet the deadline, and they do not make sure that each student understands the concepts.
7) In her attempt to improve education, Michelle Rhee closed 23 schools and fired more more than 100 inefficient teachers and principals. She even fired teachers who had tenure without knowing what tenure was. Later on, she was forced to rehire the people she hired. Rhee wanted remove all of the "bad" teachers, and this led to better results in tests. Though her actions were quite sudden, I do agree that it was needed to make education better in her area. Better teachers will keep kids on track with the rest of the other countries because they're first priority is their students.
11) The movie has shown the cruel part of the world. Though most of the children had the skills and potential to do great things, almost all of them did not get into their desired school. The pickings were merely based on sheer luck, which is fair and unfair at the same time. For instance, Daisy wanted to be a doctor and help kids and animals. She had such good intentions, a pure heart, and showed a great amount of effort, but she didn't get into the better school. This just shows how harsh reality can be to anyone regardless of age, and as humans, all we can do is accept our fate and move on.
3.) Although I agree that bad neighborhoods are a common factor for failing schools, students dropping out having no desire to live is not. Instead, they simply do not care. Due to their living conditions, they are taught that they cannot move up in life, and settle for the bare minimum. It is only what they know, for they saw it happen to their parents and others around them.
Delete#5 The film focuses on teachers’ unions and on the union’s position on tenure because they are one of the reasons schools and children are failing. The teachers’ union's position on tenure is that it should never be taken away but if a bad teacher who under performs gets tenure you can almost never fire him/her and that is what keeps students failing. Teachers’ unions want all teachers to be the same but they are not some are horrible and some are amazing but that mentality of all teachers being the same is what is causing students to fail. Even though unions are one of the reasons children are failing they are still needed in the teaching profession because teachers need protection from being unfairly fired. If tenure wasn’t in place a good teacher could get fired just because they have different beliefs than the principal or they just doesn’t get along with the principal.
ReplyDelete#6 The one category the U.S. ranked the highest in was confidence. It’s ironic because even though we are the worst in English and Math we feel like we are the best and those who are the best don’t feel like they are. Confidence is not a bad emotion, sometimes if you feel confident that is all you need to succeed. If you feel confident people around you might just believe you because of your confidence. However, overconfidence can just make you a jerk and feel disappointed when you fail at something because you thought you were a genius.
#11 Some of the disheartening realities the audience draws from the film is that sometimes it is all up to luck if you get a good education are not. The charter schools’ lotteries for example. It was just luck whether you got in or not some of the students we followed were lucky like Emily and Anthony and the others unlucky like Bianca and Daisy. It had nothing to do with grades and how good you were or how big your dreams were like Daisy who wanted to be a veterinarian, nurse, surgeon, and doctor to just help people and animals. Another thing is that education has become about adults and keeping them happy instead of teaching the next generations. It has become about making sure teachers are safe and can keep their jobs for life and not about how well they taught their students. If education was truly about the children then it would be allowed to fire bad, under performing teachers and not have to keep them to continue not teaching and causing students to fail because of tenure.
#12 The simple steps the film suggests to improve the school systems are for us, the audience, to share the film with others, to tell others to pledge and join the movement, and to text "POSSIBLE" to 77177. We know that great teachers, more class time, world class standards, high expectations, and accountability are what work and are what make schools great. To succeed in fixing the school system teachers need to become the best, leaders need to remove the barriers to change, neighbors need to commit to their schools, and people, us the audience, need to be willing to act.
~Jamie-Ann
I strongly agree with your point, education has in fact become all about meeting standards and pleasing adults with those standards like you mentioned rather then working towards teaching the soon to be fully functioning adults in society. The sad thing is the ones who suffer the most are innocent in all of this, like Daisy and Bianca.
Delete#2 Growing up in Harlem's' very own and suffering at the hand of the schools less than adequate education system Canada was shown then the very prominent problem in school education. He noticed the effect it had on the other students and how bad the situation could get, from first hand experience. Growing up as a little boy, if not already derailed by circumstances he had to endure, this poor boy had to face the fact that superman was not in fact real. The relevance this has is stupendous because as a boy like the other children Geoffrey was waiting for his superman, waiting for his hero to come and rescue him out of the poverty ridden life he was living, to take him out of the gutter, and give him a better life, one where the education system bettered the good man he already was. This entire film was to show the circumstances that they are dealing with are very real and very damaging, and maybe so that they don't end up like he did, he named this film 'Waiting for Superman" so someone with actual power, watches it, and becomes the hero that these kids need and that Geoffrey himself never had.
ReplyDelete#3 Some characteristics of failing schools include horrid neighborhoods filled with unsafe gang activity already exposing young minds to the worst possible of life, inadequate teachers who instead of worrying about setting a good example and trying to shape young minds, are looking for their next pay check, and lastly very low income families resulting in unfunded schools, which could then lead to not many resources, if any and not the best supplies.
#5 The film focuses on the teachers union and the unions position on tenure to bring light to the struggles all teachers are dealing with because of the problem they have now caused do to tenure and lack of teachers who actually do what their job requires them to do . The teachers union main concern with tenure is simply that they have a right to have their jobs protected and the problem with that is, when you have a job where you're aware that you will never get fired no matter what you do, your automatic perception of doing your job the to the best of your ability gets obscured by the fact that you can never get fired. This poses a huge threat to the student who walks into a classroom where the teacher has no real interest to teach since they are in fact, ensured a job for life, no matter what they chose to do. I believe you could use the union for the protection of a teachers rights and a way to ensure a person who worked for a degree, after a certain length of time will be rewarded for their hard work.
#6 The one category we ranked the highest in is confidence and this screams ironic because normally you could expect a person who has confidence to be sure of themselves and their capabilities, so in turn they almost merit the confidence, however we showed that we are incapable of testing well, based on our scores, and yet we still have confidence.