Community
What issues in the film are relevant to what is happening in your community? In your schools?
The widely acclaimed 2010 feature film ‘waiting for superman’ raises pertinent issues which are relevant to the current happenings in school. To begin with the tenure of teachers which is featured in the film applies also to my school and the impact of such tenure is that teachers cannot be fired despite the fact that some underperform or under deliver on their mandates. The film also addresses the attempt of the American education system to admonish poor performing teachers. Such an attempt is a replica to what happens in my own community where the relevant state bodies often try to keep the educators in check.
What are some of the barriers for ensuring that all children in your community receive a high quality education?
Various factors contribute to the lack of attainment of quality education in my community. Among these are the high cost of education, the presence of untrained teachers or their absence all together, the lack of classrooms, the lack of learning materials, excluding children with disabilities from schools, having the ‘wrong’ gender as girls continue to be discriminated, long distances from schools, living in unfavorable neighborhoods and the lack of proper nutrition all contribute to the hindrance of high quality education.
What are some examples of contributions towards improving education in your community?
What do you believe should be our priority when it comes to improving education in our community/state? Who is responsible for making that happen?
Personally, I believe that the primary priority in improving education in our state should involve the strengthening of the regulatory systems that monitor teachers and students alike in ensuring quality education. The responsible person in making sure this happens thus involves the relevant departments in the education sector as well as the cooperation of the students.
What role does the community play in supporting our public education system?
The role of the community in supporting our public education system is invaluable. By sending students to the public schools and openly declaring confidence in the public schooling system, the community can best support the public education system.
The film
What did you learn from watching the film that you didn’t know before?
The film offers a statistical analysis of primary and secondary educational institutions including states schools, charter schools and private schools. From this analysis, I learned that charter schools have a more experimental approach in their education and that families are always seeking ways of getting students into these schools. This is quite different from the state of affairs in state schools.
What questions would you ask the film makers?
I would ask the film makers to elaborate further on their claims that tenure for public school teachers affects performance in the public education system. A more detailed study is needed to ascertain such claims based on the gravity of such claims. Additionally, I would put the film makers to task to explain the correlation between teacher’s wages and the performance of public school systems. This is because the film merely posits that the ailing education system affects student’s performance without addressing plausible causes to this observation.
Several major stories are presented in the film: the history of the public education in America and the stories of individual children and families striving for the best possible education. Which story or stories touched you the most?
The story of individual children and families driving for the best possible education is most outstanding to me. This is because education sis the basic need of life based on the WHO yet it has evolved in the United States system to become out of reach for the average American due to varied reasons as portrayed in the film. Consequentially, such a story is clearly a pointer of an ailing education system.
Action
Support and changes for teachers
Collaboration for better outcomes for the young
Collaboration is necessary if better educational outcomes are to be achieved. Collaboration in this regard entails partnering with relevant stakeholders in the education sector to cut down on costs and improve learning. By partnering and fostering good relations with parents, teachers, administrators and the community, the education outcomes of young people can be attained.
Role of parents and parental involvement in public education
The role of parents is to make sure that students access public education and ensure appropriate checks and balances are I place to guarantee the quality of offered education in these schools. Parents can get involved in schools and hence improve public education in various ways. These includes getting involvement decision making, volunteering in the schools projects and partnering with the community.
Steps and strategies for retention of teachers
