Message Board

Again a movie with an agenda, and a it probably involves a FOR PROFIT education scheme that blames teachers because they belong to a professional association. Lets demonize teachers because they have an association to look out for them. Charters do more poorly on indicaters than public schools in Ohio, and charters don't pay their teachers well- a professional level salary.

I just saw the interview on C-Span which introduced me to a new documentary and a new talent with great Directorial promise.
An important subject told with a great deal of passion.
Congratulations and much success in all of your efforts. Go Girl.

Wow, what an awesome job, well done Madeine Sackler, to show how the US needs to allow parents to have option's in education. 1 of my daughter's went to a charter high school, the other started at public and then went to a private. I truely believe in CHOICE. America is built on Freedom of CHOICE, Our education system is failing us, if we don't hold all parties accountable, then we will fail.

Saw the C-Span interview and look forward to seeing the whole documentary. I have family members who have been public school teachers and union members. Having seen the clips in your film I now want to take another look at charter schools to see what role they can play.

As an educator I applaud the making of this film. It really is about the children and what is best for them. If a school is not performing, than they will be replaced. This union fight is ridiculous and charter schools have been proven to provide an excellent education which is what it is all about. Quit fighting like a bunch of babies. Congratulations on a wonderful film!

Will the documentary come to GA. I just looked @ Q&A on cspan. Excellent! This is a serious problem in inner city.

This film is simplistic and slanted. It's an advocacy documentary which never explains why the charter school it celebrates works better. It gave the head of the Success Academy a platform without balancing with responsible rebuttal. The opponents were all shown to be hysterical or without logic. Involved parents might self-select, leading to the school's success, but this isn't considered.

Why so few cities are viewing this film. I would love to see The Lottery Memphis,Tn. This is an important issue that plague many our urban cities.

Come to Dallas/Ft Worth/Denton TX please!

I also am a teacher in Texas (non-union) and work with the alternative education(disciplinary) school in my hometown. I work with students evryday with a wide variety of problems and family situations. I can state with absolute certainty that none of you have hit it square on the head. It is a problem with many causes that can not be singularly laid at the feet of the teachers, parents, students, unions, or society. Each remark I have read has asked me to blame someone else instead of asking me to look hard into what I personally do to increase educational success of my students and my children.

Most of my minority, low-income, many from a broken home situation, students do not see the advantages of education. Society acts to support this notion by celebrating life-situations that are unrealistic and are only fulfilled in the smallest of percentages of the population. TV programs and movies portray teachers and parents as uncool, incapable, uncaring and often diabolical. This makes classroom management increasingly difficult. It is certainly not cool to choose a teacher or school over your friends or socail life. I deal with fights, obscene language directed to the world and specifically at me, and an ever-present feeling of hatred that is expressed often in passive agressive ways. Many convince themselves that they are incabable of learning or have no need to learn because they know everything they need to know already. Some do not want to appear "smarter" than their parents or have heard so many reasons why they can not do something that they can't imagine anything they could do.
Teachers , at least the ones I work with, are frustrated with the "new thing" every year. We have trouble learning and adapting to the new curriculum in the two weeks they give you before school starts. They imply that teachers are less than professional and have to be hand held and every staff development is a lesson in how to not be the best we can be and use the talents and desires that made us want to be teachers in the first place. They no longer want the dynamic natural teacher they want a warm body in a cold seat.
Parents are some of the scariest individuals because they are protective and defensive and most do not belief that their child could be or have a problem. I know because I am a parent and I am scary when it comes to my children's education. This is a good and bad thing. Its like in medicine, your doctor is responsible for prescribing the right medicine in the right dose to correct a problem you really have. BUT the doctor can not make you take your medicine on time and in the right amount, or make you come to your follow up appointments, or have diagnosed you properly in the first place if you did not give a good medical history. The teachers have responsibility, the parents must be involved and advocate for the child , and as the child grows they must take on the responsibility of their own education. Society must embrace and honor the academics as well as the athletics, the teachers as professionals as well as the students as a professional learner.
I have withdrawn my children from unacceptable schools, and included enrichment material when schools stopped teaching multiplication tables and spelling, and handwriting. I have a Gifted son and a dyslexic daughter who has other learning issues. I have to demand and almost threaten to get the right education for my child. It is understandable that a parent who does not understand the fine print in the student handbooks or has a child that has not been identified and/or labled as a behavior problem unknowingly allows thier child to slip through the cracks.
I am not here to blame any one person or entity yet to say that if we all agree that something is not right then why continue to argue about the efficacy of the current system.As we take time to blame one another ;another generation is sucked into the abyss. By blaming we only put everyone's defences up because nobody wants to be the scapegoat.
My best advice is to put the collegial or post-secondary goal out there in every school, everywhere. Make it an expectation and assure no barriers for anyone who wants to learn. One of my students started crying one day after I had praised him for answering a tough question. I was taken aback and asked why. "You are the first person who has ever made me think or told me I am smart." My question to ALL of us is WHY was I the first in this high schooler's life?