http://teacherrevised.org/2010/06/30/movie-review-waiting-for-superman-or-just-another-clark-kent-playing-dress-up/
This movie has been a topic of discussion in our district. Although I haven't seen it, I honestly find its tenets to be so ludicrous as to be incomprehensible.
Yes, there are bad teachers. But, honestly, in my teaching career, I have encountered very few. (There are also bad doctors and lawyers, and if they don't break any laws, they are still practicing and making a living. ) My particular team of teachers is one of the most dedicated, professional and caring group of professionals I've ever encountered.
So, if teachers are so great, why do we need unions? I believe resentment for unions stems partly from the fact that more than 75% of teachers are women. Historically, teachers were young females, were horrifically underpaid, and were fired if they started a family. Older female teachers were "spinsters." Administrators were typically male. There is a cultural suspicion of powerful women who protect their interests.
Well. that was in the olden days, right? I have recently seen districts where the superintendents and principals were all male--and all of the teachers were young, blond, and mini-skirted. No joke. I even heard the principal jokingly refer to one of the old-timers as an "old face." (quotes his). But, sexism and implicit sexual manipulation or harassment aside, there are other instances where good teachers need the protection of unions. What if a teacher irritates an administrator? A paper trail can be created to justify the harassment and firing of that teacher. What if a new administrator with new ideas comes in and wants to purge the staff of stubborn veterans who may challenge his or her point of view and hire a cadre of malleable young recruits? Same situation. What if an administrator decides to indirectly harass a union rep by doing repetitive "walk-throughs" of that person's friends? I would say that for every "rubber room" candidate, there are far, far more competent teachers whose careers and livelihoods are being protected by unions.
It is easy for those who reap the benefits of a particular political action group's labors to say it is no longer necessary. It is like certain young women who think that sexual promiscuity alone equals woman's liberation. This discounts the fact that there were women who worked for our right to vote, our right for equal pay and our right for reproductive freedom. I equate unions with our right to fair working conditions.
It is so easy and convenient to bash teachers. What politician is going to bash families? (I wonder if homes where the lack of homework, reading, dinners or any limits whatsoever were highlighted in the "documentary?") But they wouldn't do that! That is the bulk of their voting constituency. Effective scapegoaters must choose a minority against which to pit a self-righteous majority.
Maybe the movie should have been called "A Convenient Scapegoat?"
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It is important to note that as I am typing, I am laughing. You have proved your opinion with solid facts, and I will say, as a new, young, and good teacher without the security of unions, I am going to support every word in your posting. I must say that I have not heard of this documentary, yet I have been harassed by individuals who believe that the teacher union is a pathetic joke. Funny, those are usually the individuals who really never valued education from the start. Seems like they are looking for the scapegoat too...why not blame teachers? After all, it is the easiest group to target for our "poor education system," never the parents or the students themselves! I think you have a more fitting title for the movie; let's send your idea to Oprah, maybe she can give us some air time to illuminate the truths behind the failing system.
ReplyDeleteI hear many students comment that their teacher's "never give them work;" I hear parents say, "teachers give my children too much work, and it gets in the way of their activities." Maybe the problem is that the wrong things are being prioritized on the home front. When did athletics come before academics? When did teachers "stop trying?"
I believe you have strength in your argument; today's thinking is aligned too closely with the idea that individuals are becoming less connected to the importance in education, yet I find that as I progress in my career, I delve deeper into finding ways to benefit the students who are not doing enough work. I believe responsibility must be taken where necessary, because I know I do my part. Why isn't the other side doing theirs? Scapegoats are easy to lean on, but they never take one far in life.
I just can't stomach it anymore. Just because I want decent working conditions and a fair salary does not preclude my dedication to my job. Who else but a dedicated teacher would have dragged herself out of bed yesterday with a fever to meet with a parent at 8:30 in the morning to create a behavior plan for her child, and then stay all day to celebrate the class's birthday party and goodbye party for my student teacher? And then stay until 8:00pm planning for next week's lessons? And I'm not the only one in my school who does this. Let those people spend just one day in my classroom, teaching my curriculum.
ReplyDeletePS Lauren--thanks for the support. You also make good points and make them well!
ReplyDeleteI saw "Waiting for Superman" this past Friday, and although I took issue with the way that many of the arguments were presented and the validity of some of them, I think that every educator should see this film.
ReplyDeleteEducation has become a hot-topic in our culture, news-media, and politics right now and it seems like everyone is weighing in on the issue. Oprah did a highly-watched episode, in which she highlighted the film, and NBC set up a whole special learning plaza outside of their studios called "Education Nation" http://www.educationnation.com/ which presented the difficulties our country's educational system is facing and the urgency with which we must move forward and create change. Many people out there are going to see this film, and I think teachers should see it so that they understand the way that our education crisis has been presented by the film makers.
The statistics about the percentages of students who aren't meeting performance standards from the movie are staggering. However, you always have to take in information with a critical lens, since the documentary-maker has his own agenda, and we all know that statistics can be artfully presented in ways to help or hurt your argument. Either way, I now feel much more aware of the crisis we are facing, as a nation.
One of the biggest issues I had with the movie was that they were solely placing the blame on kids failing and dropping out of high school on the schools/teachers. There was no mention of the responsibilities of parents or family members to keep their kids going to school and not allowing them to drop out! Everything was blamed on the failing schools and ineffective teachers.
I think parental involvement in their children's lives is one of the most influential and important factors to determining if a child is going to be successful in school and graduate or not. The parents of each of the kids who were followed in the documentary were attempting to get their children into a charter school and out of their current failing public school. Charter schools were presented as some parent's only hope to give their kid a chance in life.
Now I'm sure there are plenty of ineffective teachers out there, but I haven't encountered any in my experience. Now I know I'm working in the suburbs, in an upper-middle class district that doesn't have many of the problems of the urban districts highlighted in the film. However, to connect to my previous point, I wonder if one of the reasons the kids who end up in charter schools end up doing better (and they don't ALL do better, btw), is because their parents are involved enough to try to GET them in a charter school. That first step speaks volumes about a parent's value of education, which you would think would end up being part of the family values and something that would become a part of their children through their education.
This was an extremely thought-provoking film and I'd highly recommend seeing it with other teachers and starting a dialogue.
Nicole, A thoughtful response. I do agree with your take that those children who end up in charter schools are winnowed by the simple fact that their parents try to find a better situation for them. I used to work in New York City--in a school where 98% of the children were eligible for free lunch and most did not hear English spoken at home. The school had three programs, The "gifted" program, the bi-lingual program, and everyone else. The children who were in first two programs were admitted pursuant to a parental request. The gifted program was comprised of mostly average-- with some truly gifted students. What they had in common was parents who cared enough to be sure that their homework was done and that they showed up at school each day. The same went for the bi-lingual program. The remaining children were, at best, the children of parents who did not know how to work the system and at worst were the victims of the most ruinous family circumstances imaginable. I had 22 boys and 10 girls in my class. Two children had parents in prison for homicide. Many were emotionally or learning disabled, but the families refused help for fear of the stigma of the "special ed" label. Of course, the newest, most inexperienced teachers (me-at the time) were given the most difficult classes. I was dedicated, smart and passionate--but I could not fix my kids.
ReplyDeleteThis is a tough situation. As a parent of two sons, 18 and 22, I was glad that there were honors and AP programs for my boys. (They deserved them, didn't they? They were smart and my husband and I were involved in their education.) I would by lying if I said I wasn't glad that they were hanging out with a "better type" of student in these programs. Yet, this stratification mirrors the situation that I described above. As a teacher, I want one thing, (a mixed ability classroom--with lots of positive role models) but as a parent, I want another. (To reduce my children's exposure to distractions and chaos.)
As a teacher, I want the freedom to run my classroom with integrity and discipline--yet I work in a system that is so cowed by potential litigation that the inmates are running the prison. Children are not held accountable. Parents are not held accountable. But teachers are held accountable.
The bottom line is I show up for work each day and dedicate myself to the success of all children in my class. Day after day. Year after year.