Waiting for Superman....

Thanksgiving break is for family, eating, and lately watching movies. So the one I selected for my break was..." Waiting for Superman". Here are some of my thoughts , observations, and conclusions.

Ideas the movie commented on....

Wanting to believe in our schools and take a leap of faith.

The idea that a public school can work.

Reality set parents and students fear that they may have failing schools.

When there is a great public school there are not enough spaces.

Flat lines on Math and Reading scores show minimal growth for years.

What kind of feeling do you get when you walk in your child's school?

5th to 7th grade students fail they don't graduate.

Noticed a lot of talk about the negative aspect of the teachers unions.

I did not realize how much money goes to the Democratic party. An eye opener.

How sad to see children and parents put through the lottery for a chance at a good school.

It really hurt emotionally which I am sure what the film maker intended.

Glad to hear about the great teachers out there and not just the bad teachers.

Now the MAIN IDEA IF YOU WERE WATCHING CAREFULLY!!!!

The LARGER THE SCHOOL THE HIGHER PERCENTAGE OF STUDENTS WHO FAIL!!!

Let me repeat that LARGE SCHOOLS GRADUATE FEWER STUDENTS!!!!

Now why in the world are all the small rural schools closing due to finances (not because they are not teaching effectively) and merging to get larger numbers of students in one place? Iowa wake up there is enough money and technology and great teachers and innovative ideas to keep small schools open. Look at how much money society pays for students who do not graduate and ask yourself why we should not keep small schools open who do well with graduating students.

IT JUST DOES NOT MAKE SENSE!!!