Last week I saw the documentary “Waiting for Superman” directed by Davis Guggenheim. I really wanted to see this movie. /I wanted to learn more about the educational system in the USA, it’s the problems and lacks. Also, I have only spent time here in New York and I am very interested to see the other states because everybody is telling me “New York is New York and not USA”. I was thinking that almost everybody in the US goes to high school and maybe doesn’t have 10 % a high school degree.
But “Waiting for Superman” opened my eyes. I saw in the movie two boys and a girl who were hoping to get a place in these special schools. The girl wanted to become a doctor and help other people. Her whole life was dependent on a lottery.
By the end of the documentary, I tried not to cry but then I saw a lot of people had been craying. I saw their red noses and wet eyes.
And surprise surprise, the USA does not give everybody the same chance and choices. Now, I am wondering what is the role of the teacher? Could teachers be the supermen? I think teachers are the supermen/women and therefore we need sacrificing teachers to close this gap in the education system.
I think teachers do have huge responsibilities, but sometimes I think it would be nice if it weren't just the teachers doing all the leg work. Now I know it's a completely different environment and financial stability has a lot to do with it, but right now I'm teaching at a school where the parents are super-involved. They demand things; they're involved; they HELP. I know what my duties are as a teacher, but everyone else involved in educating the children knows they can't sit back and watch me work magic...because I can't. I think putting all the responsibility on teachers is setting everyone up for failure. However, I do understand that in desperate times an uneven load should and will be put on teachers. It's just not realistic that all teachers will live up to those expectations.
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