Is Waiting for Superman a Big Business Ploy?

I’m not waiting for Superman. Waiting for Superman, Davis Guggenheim’s new educational film is presently receiving a media blitz. Guggenheim (the son of a documentary filmmaker) funded his film about the perils of the current educational system. In the film, Guggenheim, follows 5 students in their educational journey. According to the Waiting for Superman movie website, ”In spite of their rousing determination and grit, the shocking reality is that most of the film’s touching and funny cast of kids will be barred from a chance at what was once taken for granted: a great American education.” The film breaks up the educational problem into several sections of need: kids, teachers, administrators, unions, schools, states and the nation at large. Inevitably, these kids have one hope of receiving a good education, a lottery system to attend a better public school. The implication that a good education in America today can only take place through a lottery system for specialized schools is simply not true.

I appreciate the attention that the Guggenheim’s movie is giving to education reform, although I do not appreciate the big business media blitz to privatize education. Waiting for Superman is the metaphorical surfboard of big business stakeholders to privatize education for financial gains.

This powerful movement of policymakers superimposing structure to the educational system started back in the 1980s. Nicholas Lemann stated in a 1997 issue of Atlantic Monthly that in the 1980s “the idea of raising standards in public education emerged as a national cause.” In 1983 the National Council for Excellence in Education commissioned by the Reagan administration produced a report, A Nation at Risk. This report identified a national education crisis and recommended nationwide administration of standardized testing by states and the local educational systems. The use of the testing data was to better diagnose and evaluate student progress. “The view in the education world (was) that politicians never before tried to dictate specific teaching methods to this extent,”(Lemann, 1997).

With standardized testing came the creation of businesses to produce the books and products for the schools to utilize to accomplish their testing goals. Today, educational concerns are many. For over twenty-five years, big business has been riding on the backs of policymakers’ decisions in the field of education.

The standardized testing market is reportedly a $400 million to $700 million annual business that is largely controlled by three publishers (Harcourt Educational Measurement, CTB McGraw-Hill, and Riverside Publishing, a Houghton Mifflin company) and one scoring firm (NCS Pearson). A unified flow of substance and dollars runs directly from policymakers to textbook companies, leaving school districts with virtually no options. The few options available to districts for purchase and to teachers and students for use are dictated by the same policymakers and companies.

The great hope of America’s youth does not lie in privatizing the public school system, because that benefits the same big business conglomerates, not the students. Waiting for Superman and all of the attention it is receiving directly benefit the movement to privatize education.

In contrast, Race to Nowhere, a student-centered documentary, was made on a shoestring budget of $200,000 dollars. Director Vickie Abeles painted the picture of how today’s youth are struggling in the current system and how a collaborative effort of students, parents, teachers, administrators and community leaders is needed to problem-solve the needs of the today’s kids. The movement to privatize education does not directly benefit from such a collaborative approach.

The message of Race to Nowhere is not implying that a new private educational system is needed for kids to be healthy, happy and whole. The student-centered educational message of Race to Nowhere has been ignored by the media. An Internet search of Waiting for Superman yields 944,000 results, while a search of Race To Nowhere yields only 77,200 results. Why has Race to Nowhere gotten little to no attention from major media sources when compared to Waiting for Superman? It is simple; Waiting for Superman is a movie that has a villain and a quick fix provided big business, while Race to Nowhere calls for a collaborative movement of communities.

Big business will not make any money on students, parents, teachers, administrators and community leaders collaborating for a healthier happier educational system. A fear monger message of a poor kid in the Bronx that can not seem to receive an education unless a private system is created beats the path toward a money making venture.

I’m not waiting for Superman and neither is any kid in our country. What we are waiting for is a grassroots collaborative effort that really puts kids first instead of using them to fuel big business profits.

"The World is coming to an end in 2012 so why should I work hard?"

“The world is coming to an end in 2012 so why should I work hard?http://www.sonypictures.com/movies/2012/ Well, that was quite a shocking statement to receive early in the morning. One of my female high school students made this statement in response to me inquiring about her plans after high school in June. It was a simple question; I did not expect an Armageddon prediction. At first, I had no idea what she was talking about. Then I took a step back. I often take a step back in the classroom setting as an educator of high school students. The middle class part of me that looks into the face of a “give me more generation” did not want to take a step back. The other part of me that is a patient teacher and caring soul instinctively knew this would be a chance to step closer to my student’s frank feelings and offer comfort when there was doubt. What a statement to make! It was obviously about fear of today, tomorrow and the hereafter.

I asked her to explain her point of view and she weaved a web of indecision and new aged fear as she spoke about the world ending, how much easier life would be as a male, and wanting the easy way out

At times like this, I want to weep. I want to weep for a generation that does not have anyone to talk to about life. I want to weep for young people who live in a culture of fear and the adrenaline rush of fear like it’s a new soft drink on the market. I want to weep for the lack of faith, adventure and fullness of just living life.

Instead of weeping, I smile and say, “It’s hard for all of us to grow up and be responsible”.
“I’m not talking about that”, she retorts.

“Actually you are talking about that”, I say gently.

“Making plans for the future, following through with the plans you make and learning to care for yourself is responsibility”, I said lightly because too much weight would cause her to disregard another you must listen statement.

This sunk in for a minute. I watched it saturate over her like a warm glass of milk easing down her throat.

“Fear of Tomorrow” was not included in today’s lesson plan. Change of game plan- so we discussed how she had the same opportunities as males and yes, in this world sometimes it is harder for women. Instead of squashing her fear, I symbolically held her thoughts as we worked them through one by one. After quite some discussion she implored, “If the world was coming to an end what would you do?”

“I would live my life”, I proclaimed. “I would not live in fear”. Her brown eyes bore through me like she was looking for the truth in my statement. I continued, “ I have lived for awhile now and the world was going to end in 1984, 1999 and then again in 2000. “So, 2012?” I shrugged,” I would live my life and enjoy myself.”

She thought for a minute. “You made it right?” her words filled the silence. I could not take this in at the time. It is rare that a teenager shares this kind of kudo with an adult. I am taken aback; she thinks I made it. She sees me as a success. This harden teenager that threatened to vandalize my car upon our first few meetings. This threat was a simplistic ploy to scare me away from getting to know her. This young women is the same fragile soul that told me, “I feel so bad I just want to live under the covers.” after a tragic shooting that left a friend dead. Hard expressions, frown lines and eyes of bewilderment often searched me for answers along with a “you don’t care”, “I don’t care” attitude of resentment for a life that hasn’t really started.

I see a sense of hope slowly build in her eyes. I knew my eyes lit up as
I said, “The world is your oyster. You can do anything you want. You can dream. You can travel. You can see other things. It is an exciting time of your life.”

Her faces seems like she is reasoning the possibility that she too can do it. Together we develop a plan to start walking toward her goals. To see if working in the field of veterinary services would suit her. With some persuasion, she’s planed to go to the pet store this week to ask for an application. If they are not hiring she is going to ask to volunteer so she can be around animals.

The bell rings and she stops at the door on her way out and looks at me.

“You are cool Ms. Johnson.” I smile. She has second thoughts, “I need a lot of guidance”, she admits. Your friend offered to go with you to the pet store I reminded her. She looked at her friend standing closed by and she asked for help. She asked for help.

I suppose that was the lesson for the day. Just ask for help..

Alice Highjacked Me: Children Stories with Adult Themes

Alice and Wonderland came out this pass weekend. Is this like another attempt to highjack the old story for a new more racy one? I, for one, felt like someone in charge had smoked dope when I saw the psychedelic colors and way out looks of our new groth-like Alice and crew. The Wallstreet Journal even had a few cents to say about the new Alice. Joe Morgenstern of the Wallstreet Journal wrote in the article, ‘Alice’: Half of a Wonderland, “It's more gothic than Victorian and slightly tinctured with danger..”.

According to the LA Weekly’s, March 5-11th 2010 issue, Karina Longworth wrote an article, Alice in Chains Tim Burton in La-La Land. According to the article Disney formed a partnership with Hot Topic of all people. According to the Wall Street Journal, Disney is trying to capitalize on the “Twilight and New Moon” teenage girl thing. Do these people have any common sense and have they ever been in Hot Topic?! Apparently not!

In my opinion, Disney sold out. The thing about these kinds of movies that highjack young children stories for adult themes is that kids think the movie is for them. I did not see big warnings in the ads for inform parents. According to the article, Should Kids See ‘Alice in Wonderland’ on the Momlogicwebsite,”We're definitely not in Disneyland anymore.”
(http://open.salon.com/blog/momlogic/2010/03/08/should_kids_see_alice_in_wonderland)

Hollywood needs to stop playing around with children books and stories without big warnings on the front end. On the Momlogic website the reviewer wrote regarding her 10 year daughter, “My daughter started fidgeting -- and I grew restless -- as the film droned on in the middle, only to pick up during the climactic final battle.” How uncomfortable. It’s our job to protect our kids from this climate of graphic images and grown up ideas. My three children (now 21, 19 and 16) did not watch anything on television after 8pm when they were growing up. They watched very little to no television growing up. What TV they did watch, I viewed then videotaped them for the weekends. Later, my children expressed how they now appreciated not having television as an option and that it forced them to find other things to do for entertainment and enjoyment.

Today, media is bad enough, young people are constantly bombarded with images they are not prepared to process. According to the National Institute on Media and the Family “..61% of children’s television programs contain violence and only 4% have an anti-violence theme.” Just this week while watching the Oscars a commercial came on for an ABC television series called “V” (http://abc.go.com/watch/v/240273?CID=google_sem_1). Watch at your own risk. During the commercial slashing occurs to a man’s head! My family flinched at the sight of a character looking into a man skull! This is a decision someone in the media made for viewers to watch. It’s not the media’s job to protect our children. I think over the years the media has made that very clear. The job belongs to us, the community. Every citizen is obligated to help our future by keeping over sexed, mature themed and violent material from our children as long as we can. This gives good parenting an opportunity to lay the appropriate foundation so when the time is right our children can make the right decision

“UP” was a Downer

Oscar nominations are out! Two times this past year I was dumbfounded by a movie I thought would be entertaining. One of my movie bloopers got several Oscar nominations!

Am I so off the beaten path that I cannot see greatness? Or could it be our society is making adult themed movies in animation form. The movie “UP” was supposed to a delightful ride when I rented it a few weeks ago. What did I have to loose, it was animated, the commercials were so cute and it looked so fun? I knew I was going to have an evening of laughs. Thank God my children are older teens. What was the writer thinking? The movie was emotionally devastating and I hope no one took their children but I know people did.

This animation film had the themes of miscarriage, grief of losing a child, lost dreams, death of a spouse, assault and developers over taking neighborhoods.

What is it with adult themes in animated films? Do the big kids need a new playground? I don’t want to see it and neither do young children. I’m tired of being highjacked after I’m in a movie. This is a manipulative ploy to trick people into the theater to suck more money out the middle class pocketbooks. Writers, animators and advertisers let consumers know on the front end about the adult themes so we can make the decision.

By the nomination of Best Picture, I wonder what Hollywood is saying to young people and parents about the future of animation. Is it for the big kid that wants to work out their childhood issues instead of therapy? Is it now a free for all for Quentin Tarantino types?

Well, I’m not game and many other parents would not be either. I use to trust Hollywood when it came to children’s movies yet, the system has made it very clear by the Best Picture Nominations that bloody war dramas, child abusive, adult themed animation, scary aliens, evil humans and alienated businessman are what makes a good film.

HEY HOLLYWOOD, LEAVE THOSE KIDS ALONE!
(Pink Floyd, Another Brick in the Wall)