Waiting for Superman is a 2010 documentary that focuses on the wrongs and solutions to the education system that has been instilled in America. The film features Geoffrey Canada and his importance is obvious but at the same time completely obscured. Michelle Rhee takes a front in this documentary as both the hero and the villain, in the sense that in order to fix what has been wronged she has to make choices and decisions that others view as unnecessary. The documentary itself focuses on the lives of those the education systems has wrong which include 5 children (Anthony, Daisy, Francisco, Bianca and Emily) who in some way, shape, or form have need the education system to save them and give them the kind of education that they need. We follow …show more content…
With more applicants than available spaces the law states that a public lottery must be held to decide the enrollment of students. All 5 children are placed in the lottery with chances of getting in ranging from 5% to less than 50%. With baited anticipation all 5 lotteries take place at the children’s school of choice. Out of the children only one got the space to get into their school of choice with Emily, the 8th grader from California, and Anthony being placed as the 5th on his school’s waiting list. That leaves 4 families, some who had come to acknowledge that this was their child’s last chance to a great education, with no hope for the future. This left 4 children with tears in their eyes with no hope as to how they were going to be saved from the systems they were placed into. The documentary shows a clip three months later that shows that Anthony had been bumped up his waiting list and had been accepted into the boarding …show more content…
The teachers who no longer care and spend most of their career eating the fruits that their tenure’s seem to bring. The politicians who hold out on doing what’s right in order to ensure their election for the next year. This is also about power, because a common theme in this documentary is poverty. All 5 of the children featured live in communities that lack the basic commodities. With run down schools that in most cases are over packed and under staffed it’s only a matter of when the children in its walls will fail instead of why. When Francisco’s mother brings him to school and is first met with a security desk it’s only a wonder why these communities prosper with crime. When the learning gap between children is determined on whether their rich or poor it’s only a matter of how didn’t our system fail. Another thing I want to bring into focus is the title of this documentary, which in a certain light is cynical. At the beginning Geoffrey mentions that the saddest day of his life was in 4th grade when his mother told him that superman didn’t exist. He cried because he realized that there was no one that could save us from the poverty we had all been born into. We all wait for superman because it seems that a task this great cannot be achieved by the likes of
Educational systems in America are impaired, and the very educators that are meant to teach are the one’s pulling it down. That is the apparent message that Davis Guggenheim attempts to convey in his documentary “Waiting for Superman”. He uses many strategies to get his message across. Some of these include cartoons, children, and those reformers that are attempting to pull the system out of the ditch that it has found its way into. He makes his point very well, and uses facts and figures correctly. He does leave out some of the opinions of the opposing views, but it does not take away from his point that the educational system in America is in need of repair.
Is this film about Superman or about a mysterious bearded man who protects people once in every decade of his lifetime? One problem that the film has lies within the first hour of the movie - in which the film, having up to that point not yet really established Superman as a hero. Opposed to the original Superman in which Superman would be fully developed within the first scene of the movie. In addition to his powers being fully developed, Superman would have already established his arch nemesis as well. This course of action took way to long, and while understanding that the director wanted a firm background of Clark Kent as well as Kal-El this action could have been more upfront. In Man of Steel Clark Kent should have transformed into Superman and shown the world who he really is and...
The seriousness is enough to make you lose faith in humanity for a second, but catch your attention and evoke deep and reflection thought into the truth that goes on in the part of society that is unknowingly ignored by the population because it gets constantly overshadowed by media and the government. More importantly, the film reminds us that progress will move forward only when those at the top of authority realize they need to relate with and answer to the people who want change, answer to the voices of people those broken, traumatized, who truly need
Davis Guggenheim, director of the controversial documentary Waiting for “Superman”, brings to light the flaws of the American education system, and more eagerly the practice of tenure. Guggenheim’s purpose is to inform of these flaws and instigate a reform. He creates a pitiful tone in order to denounce tenure and spread this opinion to the viewers of his documentary. These rhetorical appeals work to create a compelling argument on the issue of tenure.
“Real Lesson of the Chicago Teachers Strike—Fire Them All and Start Over!”, an opinion piece written by Wayne Allyn Root, on Foxnews.com, argues that we need to quit supporting the use of government tax money to fund inefficient teachers and instead should hire replacements at one-third of the cost, but implement a pay based on performance policy. Root claims that Chicago teachers are among the highest paid, yet have the worst performance rates. By increasing their pay during this “Great Depression,” we are increasing the billion dollar debt in chicago’s education system. In order to uncover Root’s underlying purpose, the following articles will be used in contrast which also serve to further complicate Root’s argument. Horace Mann’s Report
In Sherman Alexie’s “Superman and Me”, the author discusses that with passion and motivation, one can succeed without talent. He was born an Indian with “irregular paychecks, hope, fear and government surplus food.” (Alexie 1) What allowed him to become more than an just an Indian was determined by the fervor of his “love [for] books.” (Alexie 1) He learns to read and understand “the purpose of a paragraph” (Alexie 1) and discerns everything into paragraphs. His refusal to “fail” (Alexie 2) led him to become a writer that goes to schools, teaching them something “beyond Indians.” (Alexie 3) Furthermore, he was faced with discrimination and overcomes it. The “sullen and already defeated Indian kids” (Alexie 3) is the effect of people without
Superman and Me is one among many stories of the stereotypes associated with the American Indian culture. In this essay, the author, Sherman Alexie, writes about his childhood beginnings, and the role education played in his life. Throughout the text, Alexie uses different writing methods to create imagery for the reader. In the end, Alexie leaves the reader with the understanding that getting an education affects more than the individual but the community as a whole.
To be Superman for a day, I feel would benefit me significantly. But not for the reasons you might think. Superman has morals, patience, and compassion.
The beginning of the documentary took me by surprise because I did not know what to expect. However, as I continued to observe I quickly realized the point of the movie and how it would apply to the Life Span and Life Course Theories. In the following paragraphs, I will explain in my opinion, which life stages are represented and how might the stages affect the children in the future.
The film, Waiting for Superman directed by Davis Guggenheim, investigates the public school system in the United States. Guggenheim uncovers the many ways in which education in America has declined. Rather than relying largely on statistics and expert opinions. Waiting for “Superman” tells the story of five children who enter a lottery to win a coveted place in a charter school. Four of them seek to escape the public schools; one was asked to leave a Catholic school because her mother couldn’t afford the tuition. Four of the children are black or Hispanic and live in gritty neighborhoods, while the one white child lives in a leafy suburb. By following them, Guggenheim is able to portray each students own individual struggles and triumphs within problem of the plagued academic settings where there are no easy solutions to the myriad issues that affect them. Guggenheim,
Superhero movies are so popular because of the way the superhero is portrayed in the movie. Media is so popular because there are so many users on different social media accounts. There are a bunch of causes and effects between the two. Also, there are a bunch of comparison and contrasts between the two.
To begin, I believe that children adore Superman because he is a hero. He protects the world that children live in and keep them safe from harm. Children embrace him because he fights villains and has awesome superpowers. Furthermore, children love Superman because they could potentially be just like him when they become adults. If one were to breakdown the word Superman into two words they would clearly see why people love this superhero. The word super means very large, powerful or pleasant and man means a human being or person that symbolizes the species without reference to sex. Children embrace Superman because it is possible for them to be powerful, heroic people regardless of their gender. Anyone who is kind could save someone from a
Batman and Superman are in a big arena. Superman throws a punch. Then Batman blocks the punch. Batman uppercuts him and Superman goes down. Do you think Batman should of won? Without a doubt, Batman is better than Superman.
Growing up I was surrounded by comic book entertainment and their many superheroes. There were Batman, Superman, the Flash, and many more which became role models to me as I grew older but as I grew older I noticed they were all male role models. Movies, television, toy lines they all featured male superheroes but what ever happened to the female heroine? Where are these female role models for little girls to look up to if they chose to have a superhero as a role model other than the male heroes? Why is it that the entertainment industry chooses to push for male superheroes and not the female heroines, perhaps they are stuck in their ways since the dawn of the comic book? Children should be given the chance to choose a role model that they
“School is the path, not the point” (Will Richardson). The documentary “Waiting for Superman” was directed by Davis Guggenheim, released on September 24, 2010. In this documentary they investigate the school system and how they uncover how education in America was being declined. Also, how charter schools have the exact amount of students that they can accept. The three most important understandings I gained from watching this documentary include how a lot of students start dropping out of high school and don’t graduate, also how tenure makes some teachers lazy, and how charter schools can’t accept every student.