New-School Hollywood
I have a cover story out in this week’s Time Magazine about the new film by the director of An Inconvenient Truth. This new movie, Waiting for “Superman,” which won the audience award for U.S. documentaries at Sundance earlier this year, tells the story of five kids trying to get into better schools—in DC, NY, LA and Silicon Valley. The filmmakers leverage all the tools of movie-making to tell a story that is as complex as it is powerful.
In the story, we use this film as an excuse to talk about where we are at this moment in the history of America’s long, tedious battle to fix its schools. Are we turning the corner at last? Almost everyone I asked said “yes,” but it was equally clear that the revolution has only just begun.
For decades, Hollywood has churned out movies about lone teachers saving poor kids (Think Stand and Deliver or, oh lord, Dangerous Minds). This year, we have not one but at least three films coming out about poor kids and their families trying to save themselves. (Another documentary, The Lottery, follows a similar trajectory as Superman, but takes place entirely in New York City.)
Meanwhile, journalism is also trying to save itself. So you can’t see my entire story online, unfortunately. Time has started putting large magazine stories behind a firewall, so you have to actually buy the magazine (!!) at the store, buy it on an iPad, wait until it goes online for free in a few weeks—or wait until you go to the doctor’s office in 6 months and read it in the waiting room. If you do see it, please let me know what you think.
jokefest said on September 14, 2010 at 10:57 pm
Amanda—Actually, what makes a school “great”—at least by the only metric that matters to Arne “I use to help my mom tutor poor black kids” Duncan and his ilk (aka standardized test scores)—is a student body made up primarily of students from affluent households.
Reading and parroting the latest press releases on education reform from The Gates Foundation and your other duties as an “education reporter” likely precluded you from considering other data that don’t fit the accepted narrative.
Perhaps the five or six people who check out your blog might be interested in seeing what standardized test scores really measure accurately: http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/08/27/sat-scores-and-family-income/
Also, please be assured that I will be waiting with bated breath to read your piece in six months. I am sure it is ground-breaking.
Michael Szakszon said on September 21, 2010 at 12:39 pm
Amanda,
I am a training coordinator in a small northern jail in Canada. Your work first came to light when my Deputy Superintendant of Operations mentioned you in a training session of new recruits. So I ordered your book and in the meantime…I looked you up on the internet. Along the way I watched Oprah yesterday ...yes I watch her! To my suprise Waiting for Superman was the topic.
I have not seen the movie yet….but I would like to comment about education, teachers and investing. I do not know the educational system in the States…..but it does sound bleak. I do know that education is power for all…. and not just children.
Many years ago, I was part of an experiment in the Catholic School System it was called the “Open Concept School”. The school was one large room and no interior walls to divide classrooms. The idea was children would learn not only from their immediate class and teacher but also from their surrounding environment. Problem was, I could not filter out the many distractions nor did I develop any study habits…..I later moved to a rural community and was taught in a more regimented school environment.
Needless to say I struggled for the rest of my school years…right thru highschool. I was one of those kids that just did not really fit in.
It was not until I returned to school after four years in the military and discovered College. College was a catalyst for me. It was an atmosphere where anyone could learn and therefore succeed. I remember vividly spending 1 hour with a psychology professor that changed my life. And no he did not give a couch and hour session for free! What he did was make an investment of his time with me. We talked about college and the process by which I studied. Needless to say, I had no idea that the way I studied limited my ability to grasp new theories or even retain them. So he spent a very short period of time illustrating the methods by which to study properly! I went from being a “C” student to never looking back and being an “A” student. That self fulfilling prophecy sure changed!
Since that time I have made similar investments into my client base whether it was folks with disabilities or fetal alcohol syndrome disorder/effects. Everyone has potential…..Now as a trainer in the field I remember those days of my youth and wonder why…I struggled and why none of my teachers never made that investment.
I come from a middle eastern european family and my father was a teacher. For some reason I was unable to grasp the concept of school until it was too late! I struggled with school every day…and this affected me in other areas of life…especially self confidence. I was ridiculed for my poor grades and often was on the outside looking in.
That one hour changed my life…and it made me think long and hard about my future career path. When I train recruits, I avoid biases, build relationships (professional) and believe in the process of change.
I want to be clear..it was no one’s fault however…..just like Oprah’s segment….We all want childeren to succeed in school. Perhaps an investment of time and effort could change the tide. As everyone that works within a Correctional Framework would admit…if we invest a dollar initially we save six later on. So as a “community: let us all invest and be proactive….for the sake of all the children…..
M
Amanda said on September 21, 2010 at 1:27 pm
Thank you for sharing this story, Michael. I still see these open-plan classrooms in some older schools… A classic example of good intentions implemented without regard for evidence…
Good luck with your own work teaching recruits in the correctional system, and please let me know what you think of the book if you get time.
—Amanda
Sam Paolucci said on October 04, 2010 at 9:23 pm
Amanda,
I taught for 28 years. Most of those years I worked in a low socio economic school. With a great deal of pride I can honestly say that I reached many of my elementary kids. When I arrived at school at 7 AM there would be one or two students waiting for me. We would go up to my room. It was filled with stuff. Interesting stuff. animal skulls, various bones, rocks, specimens in jars that I salvaged from the dumpster, hornets nests, and the list goes on and on.
The point here is that I had created an atmosphere for learning. It was a fun place to be. Kids from other rooms would often stop by during lunch hour when they couldn’t go outside.
In your time magazine piece on page 38 where you mentioned the union’s attitude about working against the interest of children, you should have included school administraters and school boards.
Whenever heard the platitude, “Children are our most important product,” It would make me laugh. I would often counter with, Education is not about children, it is about keeping adults employed.
In communities allover America education is the largest consumer of our tax dollars. It takes a lot of people to run a school district.
When I first started teaching I was not a good teacher. College education courses did not prepare me for the huge differences that I found in my students. Home life ranged from fair to good to unbelievable. Many of the kids came from divorced homes. Kids that entered my room at the begining of the year had self esteem that was practically non-existant. Talk about miracles, I saw the changes that I was privleged to be a part of. I worked on self esteem every day. It’s the most important thing that a child brings into the room. And it was so easy to do.
Let me say one more thing. If a person really loves teaching like I did then remember one thing. It’s not an 8:00 to 3:00 job.
Thanks for letting me vent.
Sam
Michael Szakszon said on October 04, 2010 at 9:52 pm
In the late 1800’s and early 1900’s a plan was hatched by the Federal Canadian Government of the day. Assimilate the native indians of Canada (now called First Nations People). “To take the indian out of the indian” as it was called.
The government did this in cooperation with the Catholic and Anglician chruches. Residential schools were funded by the government and ran by the chruches. Essentially, children were plucked out of the homes as early as 4 years of age. They were taken from their parents, communities and families and housed in these Residential Schools were they taught the ways of the “white cultured society”.
During those times many of the children died from disease, malnutrition etc. Many of these children were abused on all levels. Exposed to very difficult housing conditions, devoid of any type of nuturing, in a very punitive living environment. Brothers and sisters were separated and were not allowed to speak to each other in these schools. There are many accounts of how these children were robbed of their innocence, culture, and childhood. When these children returned to their families…it was more hurt and humilitation. Because they had been assimliated they did not fit into their former First Nation culture. Nor did they fit into the white society because they were First Nation.
Many of these First Nation People committed sucuide as they could not live with the shame of abuse. Many developed substance abuse problems. For those that decided to have their own families, anguish soon followed. For those that abused alcohol, their babies had Fetal Alcohol Syndrome or Effects (FAS/FAE). They had no requisite skills to parent and often these children were left unattended or were taken into to care.
The aftermath of Residential Schools are long lasting….for generations. The First Nation Peoples of Canada have dealt with many struggles in their lives but none worst than the impact of Residential Schools.
I worked with second and third generation First Nation Peoples as I alluded to in an earlier submission. Canadians often try and distinguish ourselves from other countries by stating that we are different from other nations. And yet to the uninformed…this part of our history is often ignored by mainstream society. A truly sad and lasting insult to original Canadians….
Greg Francis said on October 06, 2010 at 5:27 pm
Read the article and loved it. You did a great job of framing this historic moment, where the country is about to determine whether we have the will to use all the new data we have from NCLB and state tests, along with lessons from other countries that have lapsed us in PreK-12 education, to push bold policy and implementation changes ... or whether the actors who benefit the most from the status quo will convince the public that we can be complacent. This film gives great momentum to the need to change, hard though it may be, and that’s why I’m excited. It’s a bright day in our country’s preK-12 improvement efforts, and you captured that day very well in this piece - thanks for that!
Michael Szakszon said on October 14, 2010 at 10:57 am
Amanda,
I read your book….in two night shifts.
I enjoyed it immensely. I want to recommend it to new recruits as well as family, friends and neighbours.
You have opened a door to an empowered public….one that is informed and prepared. It just goes to show…when we live in silos it prevents information getting to the “people on the ground”.
Nice job..a good read and an even better blueprint for survival.
Amanda said on October 14, 2010 at 12:50 pm
Sam: You are right. I absolutely should have included school administrators and school boards in the list of institutions that have—inadvertently or not—worked against the interests of children for decades. It’s not just unions. What’s amazing is how little outrage there is over this upside-down system…
It sounds like you were an amazing teacher. Your school and your community were (and are) lucky to have you. And I thank you for speaking out and calling it like it is. If more people had the courage to do just that, then maybe there would be more outrage. Thanks for writing.
Amanda
Amanda said on October 14, 2010 at 12:55 pm
Hi Greg,
Thank you for the kind words. I am glad you liked the story. I really, really hope it is a bright day for the future of our schools.
Sometimes I think it is; then there are the times when I read the hate mail that people send me when I dare write stories like this…and I wonder if we will ever be able to leave the dark ages…
Then the next day I read posts like yours and I think maybe a new day is coming. So thanks.
Amanda
Inside Your RV said on February 04, 2012 at 2:34 am
. I am glad you liked the story. I really, really hope it is a bright day for the future of our schools.
Inside Your RV