I just finished watching The Freedom Writers. It's based on a true story and features Hilary Swank as an eager, enthusiastic teacher who tackles an inner city class composed of rival gang members, and finds a way to show them they have value and a contribution to make to the world, to make them want to learn, and want to be successful despite their various horrible life situations. I have always had respect for inner-city teachers. They have the most difficult jobs imaginable under the worst circumstances, and with the least resources, and I know I've ranted about the dreadful public education system in this country and how the jaded and cynical teachers' unions exist to preserve teachers' jobs and indoctrinate the students in liberalism. It's infuriating to watch in this movie, the depiction of teachers stifling classroom innovation and creativity because it doesn't fit the approved teaching model. Let me tell you, this movie nails the career, education bureaucrats like none I've seen.
This is definitely a movie worth seeing. It gives you hope that a good teacher, even with limited resources, can overcome the lumbering education bureaucracy.
I give it 4.5 rants out of 5.0 just because there were no explosions or car chases.
1 comment:
Ed, you can't paint all teachers with the same broad brush. They have a thankless, low-paying job to do and they make do with what little resources they are given. The problem is politicians are reluctant to spend money on something that yeilds returns decades later, when they can build a bridge to nowhere in Alaska and get instant credit for it in that election year. At election time, you can't point to education and say "look what I did for you". The return-on-investment is years away.
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