ED Thoughts: Education Views and Support

I’m a member of the Oregon Education Association, the National Education Association, and I’ll never cross a picket line unless my wife or daughter depended on it. So it was a major surprise to me that instead of being so angry and upset at Waiting for Superman I wanted to take a nap and not think about the problems in education (and there are) I felt something different.

I was moved. I was ready to head to my classroom and get some work done. Ok- I finally started the Facebook and Twitter for my class instead.

What? How does a “tenured” teacher, a class of human that the film spends a considerable amount of time essentially degrading, like that movie?

Dana Goldstein is right when she wrote:

Here’s what you don’t see: the four out of five charters that are no better, on average, than traditional neighborhood public schools (and are sometimes much worse); charter school teachers, like those at the Green Dot schools in Los Angeles, who are unionized and like it that way; and noncharter neighborhood public schools, like PS 83 in East Harlem and the George Hall Elementary School in Mobile, Alabama, that are nationally recognized for successfully educating poor children.

However, I don’t think that the film was trying to say that charters were the only way. Of course, their silence on successful public schools is important to note, but the big thing here was that in some places the schools are awful and kids and families have to *hope* that they get into a better school…

They shouldn’t have to.

But the film degrades tenure!

So what- this is true. It is hard to get rid of a bad teacher. Now I know that tenure has it’s place, but if someone isn’t trying, is degrading to students, doesn’t take direction, and isn’t getting it once they get warned? How can we defend that?

But the film portrays charters as the magic solution to the problems in education!

I didn’t really see that. I think that the filmmaker has a problem with tenure and unions, but the big point I believe the film was trying to make was that in neighborhoods where the schools are so bad that most kids don’t leave with skills and knowledge deemed necessary, then of course the students and parents are going to try to find an alternative.

But the film doesn’t recognize the good work that public schools do!

So what- wait, this is a good point. This isn’t a feel good movie about public education, but there are good things happening that could be adopted in many schools.

I know that this is a quick review and doesn’t get real deep into the issues of the film, but it’s my first reaction. So many pixels and ink have been spilled over this that there isn’t much I can add to the conversation beyond what one regular teacher thinks. However, feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments and we can discuss the film.