The Realization that Superman is Not Real

               

Notes on Waiting for Superman

"The realization that Superman is not real."

Geoffrey Canida?  (need to look up) "The uneasy feeling each morning of wanting to believe in our schools, but taking a leap of faith."

In 1999 Geoffrey created a documentary film on education.

10 years later it was time to pick a school for his own kids despite his feelings on education, but he is lucky, "He has a choice." For some families it is the luck of the draw.

Anthony’s father past away from drug use when he was in 2^nd grade. He was sent to live with his grandmother.

Daisy wants to be a nurse, a doctor, and a veterinarian; this idea came to her from the books she read in the library. She has already written a letter to her potential college, she looks to be of elementary school age. Daisy Father is unemployed and they live on the sole income of her mother.

Bill Clinton, "I would like to be the education president."

$4300 per student in 1971 to over ____ per student. (need to look this up)

Since 1971 reading scores have flat lined.

Francisco wants to be a reporter, he looks to be about 6 years old, his mom says walking into his school in the Bronx is a desk with a security guard.

Bianca lives in Harlem she is an elementary school student, her mother says that she will go to college no matter how many jobs she has to hold.

January 2002 in spite of unmet promises they (Bush) were finally going to fix education “No child left behind”

Alabama 18% of 8^th graders are efficient in math, NY 30%. The worst percentage is in Washington DC are nation’s capital.

Daisy’s father dropped out of school in 8th grade to put food on the table, her mother cleans the local hospital. She will attend Stevenson Middle School this feeds into Roosevelt 50% of Daisy’s class will not graduate at all. Drop out factories.
Over 2000 drop factories were found in Steve Barr’s research?

9^th grade reading at 3^rd grade reading level. Blaming failing schools on failing neighborhoods or vice versa?
68% of inmates in PA are high school dropouts 33,000 per year versus 8,000 per year for a private school.

Antony’s grandmother prays for him daily, his mother has other kids that he doesn’t even know.

With a good teacher this year Anthony is showing promise.But he will probably go to an academic sinkhole.

Time how to fix America’s schools. Michelle Reys lack of accountability for kids.

Francisco is behind in his reading and at risk of repeating first grade.  His mother looks at his classroom and feels like why do they even bother but she has no choice in sending him there.

Students with high performing teachers learn 3 times as fast. A bad teacher can cover 50% of the lesson plan a great teacher can cover 150%.

Teacher tenure guaranties their job for life. Public schools tenure is automatic.

Teachers organized because lack of pay. Teachers union NEA NFT, more money than the Teamsters or the NRA goes to Democratic Party. PEPAC (look up)

Jayson Camris teacher of the year.

Cannot pay teacher that is knocking it out of the park more it is not in the contract.

280T dance of the lemons, pass the trash, or the turkey truck.

In NY there are 600 teachers in what is called the rubber room where unfit teachers spend time reading and playing cards for full pay.

1 in 2500 teachers has ever lost their teaching credentials.

Charter Schools public schools with public money but independently run based on the lottery system.

Guaranteed to graduate from college.

Bianca’s mother pays 500 per mos. for her school.

Francisco’s mother is taking him to reading studies and was told to take him beyond the school.

Magnet schools? Charter schools. In Charter schools every student behind in reading is assigned a tutor to get caught up.

In 1970 American schools were number one.
Redwood City in Silicon Valley where the average home is about a million dollars Woodside High was ranked in the top six % of the nation, but there is tracking. Summit School does not do tracking but works on the lottery system.

Schools were made to produce managers, workers and farmers but the world has changed and now the need for a college education is a requirement.

Daisy has been entered into the Kip lottery.

Bianca’s mother has been reduced in hours at work so she is behind in tuition they would not allow Bianca to go to her graduation ceremony. The school is directly across from their apartment, so Bianca watches her class graduate from her window.

Bianca has been entered into the lottery in Harlem’s charter school.

In Harlem’s charter school students bring with them other problems from home poverty, crime, students know more people who have been to prison than to college.

Too many people try to help once the child has fallen behind but what if we don’t let our children fall behind? “NO excuse.”

There are now 82 Kip schools across the country.

The right accountability and standards.

Anthony has gone to see the Seed school in Washington DC a boarding school, the odds of getting in are slim, Anthony wants his kids to have better than he has had.

In the summer of 2008 Rey proposed to give teachers a choice keep tenure and get a modest raise or give up tenure for real raises but it was found so threatening that it was not even allowed to be voted upon.

We’ve tried money laws and the latest reforms.

Bianca did not win the lottery.

Daisy was not accepted.

Francisco was not accepted.  

Anthony was not accepted.

Amanda did win the lottery at Summit School.

"Don’t give up so that kids will believe again that education is a way out."

Anthony receives a call from the charter boarding school, he was enrolled, and there was space for him!

This film made me feel like I took my own education for granted and still maybe do when there are so many out there that would give anything for the opportunities that I have had. Education really is a luck of the draw depending on where you live, your school, your parents, and your teachers and we need to do something to make sure that all children have the same opportunities.  

Chalk

                                                                            

Notes from Chalk, A Mockumentary

First day of school with Mr. Stroope’s History class, “Show up and be prepared.”

Coach Webb. 2^nd year of being a coach

“History is society, technology, culture…”

Mr. Lowery is teaching History for the first time, he had previously worked as a computer technician, I believe.

Mrs. Reddell’s first year of being assistant principle

Mr Stroope, “Don’t be their friend.”

This is a mockumentary of a school where the teachers act more like the students.

The teachers act out more than the students do.

Mr. Lowery goes to the library to find a book on classroom management because his class shows no respect for him.

There is a meeting where Mr. Stroope points out that Teachers are making long distance calls, borrowing paper, and petty cash “hey that’s gotta stop”

Mr. Stroope calls Wills parents… not!

Mr. Lowery imagines dancing with Mrs. Webb, he later admits to being divorced almost 2 years.

Lowery throws out a student after his cell phone goes off in class the third time in one week.

It seems to be getting to Mr. Lowery that no one is taking him seriously.

Stroope is picked as one of the 2 teachers for teacher of the year.

Lowery has a teacher parent conference with the mom of the student that was dismissed from his class; it takes place at the parent’s house. He has a glass of wine with the student’s mother and has to call a cab.

Mrs. Reddell is working long hours not seeing her husband and tired of hearing all the teachers complain about other teachers. She admits a lot of them are complaining about Coach Webb.

Mr. Stroope lost teacher of the year.

Mrs. Reddell misses being a teacher, she is not enjoying her position as A.P.

The spelling hornet is a spelling B where the teachers try to spell slang words that the kids use. After several of the students quiz Mr. Lowery he wins first place.

The kids get Mr. Lowery to “spit” (Rapp) something.

Mr. Lowery is not sure if he is coming back the next year, he is not sure that he likes teaching that much. “Being a teacher, it’s a gift. Maybe it’s something that you have to learn, but no one has taught me.”

I thought it was a funny spoof, but there are some teachers out there who might resemble certain characteristics of some of the teachers in the film. I especially liked Mr. Lowery’s line “Being a teacher, it’s a gift. Maybe it’s something that you have to learn, but no one has taught me.” I think that is a very true statement of some true life teachers. Some may never have had the gift in the first place. I think it takes a very special type of person to be a teacher, and not all of the skills required can be acquired through education.

Lewis Black and Mike Rose

          I would have to agree with Mike Rose’s number one resolution, “To have more young people get an engaging and challenging education.”  That is the goal but how do we get there from here? I certainly don’t have the answers but know that not enough of our time is spent asking the question. According to Lewis Black we are 24^th in Math and 21^st in Science and yet we find it necessary to spend half a billion dollars on the structure of one single school? How is this possible and who decided this was where the money would be best spent?     

          Lewis points out how skewed our focus has become with NBC devoting one week to the problems with education, and a year round program detailing incarceration. As with Mike Rose I have watched many quick fixes come and go but nothing is working. However, blaming our teachers for all of the struggles with our education system makes about as much sense as blaming our doctors for the countries problems with obesity.    

          I think that what needs to come first is keeping the student in school to begin with, which is why I think it is so important that we find a way to engage our students with a challenging educational experience.