等待超人

在没有看这个记录片前，我对美国的教育一直持以一种积极的态度： 全面培养孩子的各种能力， 而且也不逼迫孩子学习。但是看完waiting for superman， 我才发现美国的教育问题其实似乎逼中国还严重些许。当然，在中国不同地区也有不同程度的教育问题和入学紧张度。 但至少我的童年到高中在中国入学和学习还是没有像影片中的四个孩子这么困难以及揪心。
buanca这个小女孩因为妈妈是单亲母亲，家里又贫穷，她连自己的ceremony都不能去参加，这个在她人生中已经算一件很重要的事情。 对她和她母亲是多么大的打击。
更大的感触来源于影片中那些charter, seed, KIpp这些既不同于公立学校，也不同于私立学校的“好学校”的招生方式：抽签。

看着bianaca, emily dasily anthony在等待抽签的表情和他们父母，哥哥姐姐的神情，我真的觉得这种方式很不公平！ 人们都说中国的高考不公平， 但是相比这种抽签，高考至少我们是用实力和分数-尽管有人在其中失败或成功-去赢得应得的结果，这种抽签根本就是无稽之谈。

谈到这里必须讲讲为什么会有这些特殊学校的出现。因为公立的学校中，学校无法随意开除老师，因为contract。。。。在美国，每26个医生中会有一个丢失自己执照，每67个律师会有1个丢失自己执照，但是教师，却是每2500个中有一个会丢失自己的执照。在ILLINORS state， 在867个学校中有61个学校试图开除不合格的老师，但是最终成功的只有28个。而无法开除这个“坏老师“的学校们就会有”the dance of lemons" 也就是说这些学校会在每年的学期末换老师，把这些老给其他学校。

整部片子的色彩以深色为主，给人心情沉重之感。
片尾的LYRIC和闪动的文字更加给人以深思。

1. 教育公平。
教育资源的差异总是客观存在的，因此无论哪个国家，教育公平都是一个问题。
中国解决教育资源分配的方式是，分数和钱。美国解决教育资源分配的方式是，运气和钱。哪种方式更公平？我不知道。对于没有得到好的教育资源的人来说，他们确实就是丧失了机遇了。

2. 学什么？
电影中一直侧重的，也是孩子们对于大学的憧憬，以及美国学生的POOR PERFORMANCE in academic, 特别是数学和阅读。 学校是学习知识的地方，这种第一反应，无论在哪种文化中，都根深蒂固。哪怕加德纳的多元智能理论已经提出来好像将近20年了？
但是有的时候好的成绩好像其实是附属品。 孩子们先享受学习，有了“never give up”的信念，合作的气氛，有自信，有好的身体。。。然后自然而然的有好成绩。这些FOUNDATION，看上去都跟好成绩没有关系。所以，你觉得，孩子应该先学什么呢？

标准化测试在我看来，一个不合理的地方在于它其实有可能不符合学生学习的规律。假设中学生的知识架构是一点点搭起来的， 要是有个地方没有搭好了，之后的发展肯定不好。但事实上有可能学习的开窍时间有差异。有人5岁学会阅读，有的14岁才学会阅读。测试可以作为反馈的参考依据，可以作为数据，但其实不适合拿来做评判依据，尤其是早年的。成长是个过程，wakening 需要时间，为什么不能多给点时间给孩子？片中有个学校说，我们不TRACK学生的成绩，我们相信每个孩子都有权利得到高水平的教育。说不定这正是他们成功的一大原因。

3.怎么教？
另一方面来说，不管是哪种教育理论，华德福也好，蒙台梭利也好，瑞吉欧也好，落实到最后还是跟老师的实践有关。好的老师，有好的品格，有教学的热情，有教学的技巧，有知识储备。缺一不可。
片中有镜头是说美国老资历的老师不思进取，放任学生在课堂上捣乱，也不教学，还不能被解雇，这个的确很SHOCK.如果有这样的老师在，哪种教育理论都没用。
从这个点上来说，行政的力量还是能有点效用的。 DC特区的教育特别行政官， RHEE 女士给学校老师带来了危机感。 刚查了下新闻，她的改革还在继续：http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/24/education/24teachers.html?_r=1。无论是RHEE女士还是老师，都不容易。而从为了孩子的未来来说，这些努力又都是必要的。

这个世界如果有SUPERMAN的话，最有可能的是你自己。是学生，是对教育充满热情的老师，是对教育改革很有想法的那些LEADER。 我不喜欢WAITING这个词, why not use "Being"?

PS:1.这个电影是我们学院租下了一个剧场，特意组织的私映。整个剧场差不多都满了，来了大半的学生和教授，还有一些校友。这些人suppose 都是真的关心教育关心孩子的，也是教育改革的希望。
2. 教育是个很复杂的命题。还有家长，有社区，有文化什么的区别，尤其是美国这种地方。这部片子够煽情，但是深度有些不够。
3. 我其实很好奇，那失败的4/5的CHARTER SCHOOL，都是为什么？

五年级阅读A，七年级就变成D。Oliver高中是匹兹堡地区的辍学高中之一，1200个学生只有三四百个可以毕业。

七年级最多三成左右学生数学和阅读及格。辍学严重。 老师水准，差的智能教50%，而好老师可以教150%。 但得到tenure资格的教师，就不能被解雇。

在29个国家里，排名23。数学最差，但信心排名第一。


五分之一公立学校比较好，家长很远地排队申请学校。792：40. 高中分班与不分班。不分班的SUMMIT 预科，96个毕业，都可以进大学。500人申请，100个名额。


放弃终身教职，工资翻倍。

Davis Guggenheim。留意到他是因为他给Obama 2012竞选拍摄的宣传性纪录片，以及他的姓氏。

这个人的片子叙事结构很有特点，条理是清晰的，但也总会有一种激情贯穿，欲扬先抑做的非常好，看完之后总是觉得不仅是在看一篇论文，但同时也是在听一个充满激情的演讲（没有说是战斗檄文，因为我还没看到他太过于有针对性和带有攻击性观点的片子）。

为了能弄清楚他到底是怎么去讲一件事情的，所以在被片子结尾感动到热泪盈眶的时候，我又重新播放了一遍，并且把片子里所有的能记录下来的叙事点和分析点都记录下来，按照文章结构形式整理出来，以便学习他讲故事的方式。可能会有错漏或偏差，可以留言指正之。

Education Narration (daily life of families and normal thinking of kids)
• Statement Narration:
o Kid’s response to math question (Narrative)
o School day morning (Narrative)
o Choice between public school and private school (Narrative)
o Lottery for a school(Narrative)
• Student Sample Interview – dreams and school performance (from low-income families)
• Get in a good school, because bad school ruins kids (Point of view: importance to grab a seat in good school, and it worth to struggle )


Reality and Analysis to system, school and teachers, from perspectives of nation, family and individual kid
• Education Reality (Nation)
o Education system – the education expense comparison
o Education system – Efforts from government
o Status of students’ performance (by national test to all students) under current system
• Education Reality (School)
o How the school environment influences the student individuals
• Education Reality (Family)
o What else factors have influenced the individual education level? (Question)
        Family environment (subjective) – parents did not receive well education (from sample). (Narrative)
        Family environment (objective) – parents all wish their kids to get well education (from sample). (Narrative)
• Realities Narration of Basic Education: Public Schools (Narrative)
o Most public schools assigned by bills are “dropout factories”.
o Result – Kids are forced to get in these bad schools thought they hoping for good educations like their families. (Indication: not fair)
o Person who brings change – Michelle Ree
• Realities Analysis of Basic Education: Public Schools
o Causes of realities of public schools – local regulations and resources assignment plan have refrain the school management and teacher’s mind from what it is supposed to be like simply accept the support from states then make school simply as a good place for kids to get good education.
o Reaction to reality
        Kids: Why kids hate schools? (Indication: Bad teachers.)
        Parents: Why should my kids suffer from a bad education? (Indication: Unfairness brought by education systems)
• Teachers and the reality of schools:
o What good teachers mean to education? What differs good teachers from bad teachers?
o Supposed solution: Why can’t we get rid of bad teachers? (Question)
o Solution obstacle:
        Tenure employment for teachers, even for the bads
        Rewards for teachers are all fixed for every teacher, no matter good ones or bad ones
        Teacher union are overprotecting and even have more rights to get involve in politics
• Admit the devotion by good teachers, and pointing to the regulation of teacher union
• How schools acting under current situation towards teachers?
o Lemon Dance – throw the garbage to other schools – result: several public school will have more bad teachers and make those school worse
o Rubber Room – isolate all the bad teachers, paying them for nothing but waiting for reassignment – result: cost loads of money 100 million dollars/year for NY
• Change to this situation:
o A new solution – Charter schools: public school + public money + independent running
o Reform to the public schools – MR has shut down bad public schools
        Teachers lose their jobs
        Bring a more furious competition to get in a good school
• Performance comparison between public school, private school and charter school : Charter school is the seemingly best choice for those low-income family but still wants to strive for good educations
• Public school development narration (Reality): What makes public school become a failure like this? Public schools are good till 70s, and have made top people in various fields
• Public school development analysis (Cause): the education system is falling behind. Education in old days is not aiming to get everyone in to university, but as the global economy developing and talent needs, everyone has to get into university to survive.
• Answer to the Cause:
o Some charter schools does not track students give students equal opportunity to compete for university education.
• Employment and education status narration (Reality): The future of country economy comes from innovations.
• Employment and education status analysis (Cause): Education on Math and Science and Technology is important.
• Answer to the Cause:
o School has different focus on nurturing kids’ interests, and there are charter schools focusing on education of math and science.
• People’s living standard in US narration (Reality): Poor and rich seem to be set.
• People’s living standard in US analysis with instance of “sound speed of flights” (Cause): the only way to get out from poor is to get well education.
• Person to answer the call:
o Ambitious educators establish the “baby college” program, and have proved that charter school works for changes in providing good education to low-income families.

Changes
• New hope arises, and kids are desperately hoping to get in those good schools.
• MR is making some positive changes:
o Good performance from survived public schools
o Better staff resources assignment: reassign the good staffs from bad schools.
o Reform on tenure that can also satisfy teacher union: the teacher accept renewed contract with standard of performance review will get double income
• US are making change on education system, and good school can’t go with good teachers.
• Reality with hope: School lottery (echoing the beginning of the film) and lottery result (indication: still have way to go, but change is coming)

我记录了电影结尾的quotes，跟John Legend的Shine放在一起，这些文字真的是足够煽情。

“We need good proves… leading people to say yes, we can do this” – Bill Gates
“We need to know… if there is fortitude to lead them from the situation (even that comes with big sacrifice) …” – Michelle Ree
Don’t give up.
“Our system is broken, and it feels impossible to fix. But we can’t wait.
Great school comes from great people.
In every city, people are doing it everyday, people like you.
There are steps you can takes to create great schools.
We know what works to create your schools, to create any school, to create every school: quality teachers, more classroom time, world class standards, high expectations, real accountability.
The problem is complex, but steps are simple.
It starts with teachers becoming the very best teachers, leaders removing the barriers to change, neighbors committed to their school.
Great school won’t come from winning the lottery.
They won’t come from superman.
They will come from you.”

回头再去看前面分析，其实还是觉得有一些分析是欠缺的，譬如教育对于贫富差距的改善等，但是Davis很好的用激励的事例去说服，毕竟这并不是一部要如何辩证证明的纪录片，它更大的作用是让人们去相信改变，并且不要放弃。我想这也是为什么我总能觉得他是在演讲而不是在辩论的原因。但能做到这样，对我来说也是非常厉害的了。