Critical
Reflection: Waiting for Superman
EDPC 605 | Shulamith Elias
The
video, “Waiting for Superman” was a real eye-opener, incredibly poignant and
powerful. Having attended private school all my life, I was completely unaware
of the shocking educational deficit that far too many of our public school
children face. Watching hopeful children attend school lotteries was
particularly heart wrenching, and left me wondering - why is it that after so
many years of reform, does our educational system still seem to be morally
broke, and an overall failure?
I
feel that in order to understand why our schools are failing, we must first
attempt to understand why the reforms that were put in place to better our
schools are not meeting success. In the video, “Waiting for Superman” Michelle
Rhee was portrayed as a hero, and a bold crusader for children’s educational
rights. Upon further research, I realized that while Rhee definitely had
students’ best interests in mind, her modus operandi was highly questionable.
Rhee
promised schools thousands of dollars for increase in test scores. This was
based on the assumption that better tests scores equaled better education. Rhee
focused on scores exclusively, and, according to Breslow and Ravitch (2013) “never
once mentions literature or history or science or civics or foreign languages;
she doesn’t talk about curriculum or instruction. She never calls out a teacher
for poor instruction or a principal for a weak curriculum; she is interested
only in the bottom line, and that is the scores.”
Breslow
and Ravitch (2013) point out that the issue with this approach is manifold. For
instance, focusing solely on test results promotes cheating, involves narrowing
the curriculum, and wreaks havoc on the entire educational system. Perhaps most
telling, is that according to Merrow,
(2013) “six years after Michelle Rhee rode into town, the public schools
seem to be worse off by almost every conceivable measure.” Student scores have
slumped, the racial divide has grown, and schools across DC are rocked with
instability, as enrolment continues to plummet.
To
be fair, I was both horrified and amazed at the bureaucracy that Rhee faced at
every turn. It seemed as though there was this “blob” of conflicting red tape,
laws, contracts, unions, and rules, facing Rhee at every corner. And whether or
not I personally support Rhee’s agenda, I found the structure of the system to
be frightfully inept. Mostly, the
teachers’ unions were portrayed as uncaring organizations, who were seek to
defend the interests of adults, as opposed to being there for the sake of the
children.
However,
this point too, is subject to great debate. Phillips (2012) writes that while
teachers unions run the risk of providing a safety net for ineffective
teachers, they also “protect teachers - and, indirectly, students - from
misguided evaluation processes, policies that undermine teaching effectiveness,
second-rate working conditions, and attempts to control the curriculum by
groups who lack the expertise and often have an agenda.” So while I strongly
believe that we as teachers need to actively work to reform our unions, at the
same time, we must be cautious to introduce measures that can cause undue harm
to ourselves and out students.
It
was also interesting to note that according to Philips (2012) the primary
funder of Walden Media (the producers of Waiting for Superman) is Philip
Anschutz, “a multi-billionaire proponent of school choice and school
privatization.” And while Waiting for
Superman aroused tremendous emotion, keeping the producers and their biases in
mind, I now wonder how much of the film was actually based on factual evidence.
Factual
evidence of the film notwithstanding, based on my readings, and my view of the
film, I have come to realize that our school systems are in dire, undisputed
need of repair. How to do that, though, remains subject to debate. I recognize
that while I, as a student may not have the answers just yet, so long as the
discussion is “on the table” there is hope for all students out there. We as
teachers-to-be need to ensure that the debate remains open, fair, and
action-centered so that we can see to it that no child has to suffer through
the experiences portrayed in the video “Waiting for Superman”
In
closing, may I suggest that perhaps the solution to this all lies within each
one of us? Everyone agrees that student performance is directly related to the
teacher’s competence. If each of us
fellow classmates, as future teachers, commits to be the very best teachers we
can be, we can slowly introduce reform and change in the place where it all
starts – the classroom. Ultimately, while the Board of Ed, the government, or
the district may make the big decision, as teachers the hands-on impact is ours
to determine. It is up to us to make a
difference in our students’ lives. It is not enough to be capable – we
must be compassionate, empathetic, positive and inspiring as well. (Alburail,
2015). According to Cutler (2016) the
most transformational teachers are those that have a deep understanding of how
their role transcends far beyond any subject that they're teaching. “Such
teachers have the most lasting impact on their students long after graduation.”
That is a goal each of us must strive for.
Alburail, D. (2015) The Heart of Teaching: What it Means to
be a Great Teacher. Edutopia. Retrieved
from http:
http://www.edutopia.org/discussion/heart-teaching-what-it-means-be-great-teacher
Breslow, J. & Ravitch, D. (2013) How do You Measure Success in School Reform? Frontline. Retrieved from http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/article/how-do-you-measure-success-in-school-reform/
Cutler, D. (2016) How to Become and Remain a
Transformational Teacher. Edutopia. Retrieved
from http://www.edutopia.org/blog/become-and-remain-transformational-teacher-david-cutler
Merrow, J. (2013) A Story About Michelle Rhee That No One
will Print. Taking Note. Retrieved from http://takingnote.learningmatters.tv/?p=6490
Phillips, M. (2012) Won’t Back Down: An Engaging and
Misleading Film. Edutopia. Retrieved
from http://www.edutopia.org/blog/wont-back-down-engaging-misleading-mark-phillips
