No Pressure

This past Thursday I went to see the documentary film, "Waiting for Superman." I found this film to be extremely moving and powerful. As a future teacher I left the film feeling a lot of pressure, but I also felt a sense of hope. In short, this documentary film examines the failures of the American public education system by following the lives of five students who are negatively affected by this system. Each of the five students are extremely bright, smart, and have that thirst for knowledge that, as teachers, we can only hope our students will have. Unfortunately, they are currently in schools that are failing them - these schools are referred to as "drop-out factories" or "academic sinkholes" which in itself is a scary thought. Rather than celebrating and supporting these students' achievement the education system has decided their fate based on the neighborhood they live in, the school system they belong to, and the teachers that teach them. Because of poverty and the unfortunate circumstances that these students find themselves in, they are placed on tracks which dictate their future. This future usually involves teen pregnancy, drugs, jail, and/or death. I won't divulge any more because I want YOU to go see it.


I highly recommend this movie for everyone. As teachers we light the way for our students. We hold their future in our hands - no pressure.