The narrative structure of this person’s film is very characteristic and the organization is clear, but there is always a kind of passion running through. He wants to promote and suppresses his work very well. After reading it, he always feels that he is not only reading a paper, but also at the same time. I was listening to a passionate speech (I didn't say it was a battle essay, because I haven't seen his film that is too targeted and offensive).
In order to be able to figure out how he said something, so when I was moved to tears by the end of the film, I played it again and recorded all the narrative and analysis points that could be recorded in the film. They are all recorded and sorted out in accordance with the structure of the article in order to learn how he tells stories. There may be errors, omissions or deviations, you can leave a message to correct them.
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)
I recorded the quotes at the end of the movie and put them together with John Legend’s Shine, these words are really enough Sensational.
“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 take 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."
Looking back at the previous analysis, I still feel that some of the analysis is lacking, such as the improvement of the gap between the rich and the poor by education, but Davis is a good example of motivation to persuade, after all, this is not a dialectical proof. Documentary, its greater role is to make people believe in change, and don't give up. I think this is why I always feel that he is speaking rather than debating. But being able to do this is very powerful for me.
View more about Waiting for Superman reviews
