My wife and I went to see the newly released movie, ‘Won’t Back Down,’ starring Maggie
Gyllenhaal and Viola Davis. The film
centered on the ParentTrigger Law which was passed in California and other states in 2010. The law allows parents to enforce
administrative overhaul and overrule administrators in under-performing public
schools if petitioned. If successful,
petitions allow parents to direct changes which could lead to dismissal of
staff and the potential conversion of a school to a charter school.
Keeping in mind that Hollywood does have a tendency to glamorize most
issues, I found the film to be slightly watered down in regards to the
children. They were used as accessories
to the story. The entire film centered
on the fight between two strong willed women and a stubborn self-serving union
man along with his trusty sidekick, a burned out woman who was torn between
being right and doing the right thing.
The film showed teachers caring more about their seniority and benefits
than caring about educating the children. It showed the teachers union as a bunch of
jerks with the leader of the union stating kids weren’t important because they
didn’t pay union dues. One of the
slimiest moments of the film was when the character played by Holly Hunter
attempted to bribe one of the mothers.
Overall I believe this is a movie worth seeing so that the focus on
quality….no make that….superior education remains as one of the foremost
benefits we can provide our children.
Sometimes I wonder if the struggles of the past have been completely
forgotten. Does anyone remember Brown vs. Boardof Education? How about James Meredith? In
North America—the land of the brave and free, there are adults that simply
can’t read. When an adult can’t read, is
it lost on folks that they couldn’t do so as a child?
Education is not a game played for victory by school unions, teachers
or well meaning parents as the movie depicted. It is about the children! And they certainly deserve better than they
are getting from a lackluster school system or ridiculous measures that moves a
child along because they were taught to the test (No child left behind Act).
Won’t back down should be a mantra cited by every one of us and we
should add to that, ‘won’t turn our backs on our children.’ When kids must go through a metal detector to
enter schools and are not able to enter a school library due to cutbacks there
is indeed a serious problem. How can
kids have a future if adults are taking away their present? For our kids sake…don’t back down!
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