Waiting for Superman

A few notes I took from the film:

• Americans are #1 in confidence; last in math scores of 8 major countries
• 1 in 57 nurses/doctors are fired; 1 in 2500 teachers are fired
• DC has the lowest math/english proficiency scores in the nation
• The high kids have good programs, the middle kids usually get ignored
• Most freshman in CSU are not ready for their freshman year or a 4 year university 
• 50 years ago, students graduating high school were not all going to college...the schools now still do that and the world has moved passed that
• In 2010 the high tech world could not find enough employees with the unemployment rate at 10%
• In one neighborhood in Harlem, kids knew more people who had gone to jail than to college
• A lot of things in education is too much about the adults, and not enough about the children
• You can't have a great school without great teachers
• When you see a great teacher, you are seeing a work of art
• Michelle Rhee-doesn't agree with tenure; teachers are getting it too easily
• Prisons spend $33,000 per year on one inmate, and 68% of inmates are high school dropouts; Private schools cost roughly $8000 per year, which is only $32,000.  
• Private schools have to do drawings b/c so many students want in
• 2 out of the 5 kids in this documentary made the drawings for their chosen schools; 1 of which is going to a boarding school in Harlem
  
• "There are so many different parents out there, and they all want different things for their children..." quote by one of the parents 
• We have the tools to make a change, and there are people out there doing it...do we have the fortitude to make the difficult decisions?
• Education is not a way out

This movie is a real eye-opener.  It's sad that our country has so many students that are struggling, and it's even sadder that we have teachers-who are professionals- who don't care about the future of their students.  It makes me want to get back into teacher ASAP.  Just for everyone who doesn't know, I've been trying to get certified in AZ since April, and with my fingerprint clearance card, transferring my UT license to AZ, and submitting my subbing application, it has been quite a ride.  Once I get cleared to sub, I will do that until I can find a job as a permanent teacher.