Analysis Of Waiting For Superman

An important function of education is to prepare children with the academic skill that they need in order to function in society. However, the troubling aspect of the education in America is the fact that students’ performance in math and science does not match with other students in other countries. The filmmaker Davis Guggenheim spoke against public education and implied that charters schools are the hope for higher education. In the documentary “Waiting for Superman” released in 2010 the film demonstrated the dark side of public education in which parents and children expressed the desire for a better education system in search for guaranteed higher education. The film previewed a group of individuals in different geographical location in the United States who searched for a gateway entry to try to escape the public education system through a lottery. To examine the role education played in the film I will contrast three theoretical perspectives; the functionalist, conflict, and symbolic interactionism to comprehend the American education system.

Waiting for “Superman” is a documentary that focuses on five children-Anthony, Bianca, Emily, Francisco, and Daisy- who are looking for a better outcome for their education. The film is set up to follow different stories to explain how the school system works and the different ways that each school district functions. In detail, it unravels the struggle of the American school system and how the roles of charter schools has increased. It shows the five different charter schools that each child wants to attend while explaining how it would improve that child’s education. By following their stories, director Davis Guggenheim demonstrates how the American public school system is broken.

Educational systems in America are impaired, and the very educators that are meant to teach are the one’s pulling it down. That is the apparent message that Davis Guggenheim attempts to convey in his documentary “Waiting for Superman”. He uses many strategies to get his message across. Some of these include cartoons, children, and those reformers that are attempting to pull the system out of the ditch that it has found its way into. He makes his point very well, and uses facts and figures correctly. He does leave out some of the opinions of the opposing views, but it does not take away from his point that the educational system in America is in need of repair.

In Waiting for Superman, David Guggenheim’s documentary about America's school systems, he asks a multitude of very important questions that many people have been asking for a while now. Such as the question of if our teachers are essential to the well performance of a school, how can we, the everyday people, resolve poor performance within the school systems with an oftentimes uncritical view of teachers? In addition to that it raises the question on whether bad schools only exist in slums or other places as well. It also brings up the question can children excel in school if they are brought up in poverty.

All across the United States there are schools that are struggling financially and culturally due to different socio-economic challenges. Some of these challenges can not be avoided although many of them could be avoided. One of these problems that could be avoided is the act of institutionalized separation of rich and poor. If integration was more focused the school systems in certain parts of a city would not be understaffed and underfunded. In the documentary Waiting for Superman there were many different points made by the filmmaker that in the modern Education system people are believing that teachers are the only ones responsible for the success of their students. In the film states that people should not “wait for superman to come to the rescue; look in the mirror. We need to understand that it is not just the schools and teachers that are accountable for students performance”. This idea can be seen not only in the film but in Sheryll Cashin’s The Failures of Integration. A piece of literature that touches on modern education systems and the people in those organizations. Waiting for Superman argues that the public schools system in the United States is failing due to poor performing teachers in schools. When The Failures of Integration argues that race and socioeconomic impact is more important than the teachers in the failing schools.

All things considered, in Waiting for Superman, Davis Guggenheim executes an outstanding documentary achieving the message of the need for an immediate change in the school system by displaying facts supported by the sorrowful soundtrack and proper pace. Just like how there is “an app for everything”, the same could be applied to music. Guggenheim explored a topic that is genuinely upsetting, so an upbeat soundtrack would not get the message to the audience for the desperate need of change in the educational system. The pace puts everything together so the audience could fully apprehend the content with a leisurely pace or keep the audience interested with swift clips.

The documentary Waiting for “Superman”, directed by Davis Guggenheim, utilizes pathos to keep the viewers engaged which causes the film to be effective. Following five children through their struggle of being accepted into a charter school is a use of pathos. The director does this in a few different ways. Three of these are by interviewing the parents, interviewing the children, and having the narrator tell stories about the children. The movie’s main point seems to be that the director wants people to be aware of how difficult it is to get into charter schools, but also be aware of how much some kids need it.

2010 Mr. Davis Guggenheim—an American film director and producer wrote and directed Waiting for “Superman”, a documentary that deals with the American education system. Guggenheim argues that they are failing more each year in producing successful students. He finds where the faults are within the public educational system. He takes the time to show us some of the faces to those numbers to make his pubic realize they are more than just numbers dropping off the charts. He wishes to not only inform, but also to inspire others to act. This essay expresses how he portrays his arguments effectively; also identifying and analyzing the strategies that Guggenheim uses to organize and develop his ideas and determine who his intended audience is.

Granted that The Simpsons and the documentary Waiting for Superman differ in such ways that one is a cartoon and the other is based on real life documentary, both mediums deliver a clear message to its viewers in regards of America’s way to fix the students’ literacy. As it was pointed out that Washington, D.C. is our nation’s capital—not only that, but it is the epicenter of educational system as well. Suppose that solely in delivering a message to an audience, The Simpsons, swiftly and concisely delivered a message however it may have been—sarcastic humor; a satire. Though this may have been an adult cartoon with vulgarity, the direct efforts toward relieving the plight of our education system precisely covered various problems we have. Moreover, I agree with what issues America has in regards of our educational system because it has taken us decades to right the wrong. Despite the struggles and obstacles our nation is facing, no one is giving up in repairing of what seems to be concluded by others as beyond repair.

Waiting for Superman is a documentary that scrutinized public schools primarily located in inner-city areas. The documentary provided criticism towards educational reforms and the process of seeking alternative private or institutionalized education (i.e. charter schools). The film showcased the testimonies of five students and their desires to escape the failing public schools in the area.

Who is Superman? Many might recognize Superman as a hero of great prevail, with super powers that bend the laws of the universe. Truly, Superman is recognizably one of the strongest and well-known heroes in the DC Comics universe. Children view him as a role model, perhaps as a personal hero - one with astounding power and absolutely triumphant morals; one that always does good. If our perception of a “superhero” is a person that does good in any situation, then our definition of an actual Superman in our society can vary - depending on the judgment of a person. In Waiting for “Superman” - Davis Guggenheim’s thought-provoking documentary - the definition of Superman is compared to the saving grace for the public school system. The film

This week’s article is not as poetic as the title sets it out to be. This is not a story between a non-fictional man and his unlucky challenger. There is no such thing as a man that is super but there is the idea of an individual that possesses unique strength or skill that no one else has. Which brings us back to the article, “Man and Superman”. This article believes that some athletes simply have their skill in their DNA. We all know that there are some great athletes out there and it comes as no surprise that there are even more greater athletes just waiting to be born. However, the sad truth that most people fail to believe is that some athletes are simply better than others and this article might give some insight to that belief.

After watching, ‘Waiting on Superman’ I thought differently about the public school system. I knew that the system was broken and that it wasn’t working, but I didn’t completely understand the damage it was causing. I learned so much about the broken system after watching this film to the point it disturbed me. The depiction of public schools compared to my school experience was not the same. I went to a ‘STEM Magnet’ elementary school that prepared me for STEM job fields. However thinking back on it now, a lot of kids around me in school were from low income families, many had family problems and lived in a negative neighborhood. I also noticed that my elementary school had ‘good’ teachers, ones that went out of their way to help us thrive.

Most children grow up having dreams and wanting to succeed. So, what if someone told these children that they could not succeed, just because their parents’ income is low and where they live is not great? Unfortunately, this is not just a made up scenario. When pressed to meet national standards of success, some school systems fail; unfortunately, not only do they fail themselves, but they fail the students’ ability to succeed. For years, the problems that lead to a failing education system have been examined. Specifically, in the movie Waiting for Superman, the audience is presented with specific failing systems or “dropout factories” and how they affect the education of the students. The overall goal of Waiting for Superman is to raise awareness for the failing public school system in hopes that someone makes a difference. The movie analyzes and presents the problems behind the failing system by utilizing real families, factual evidence, and using the design elements of music and pacing.

I have not paid much attention to the schools that I have attended throughout my life. They only appeared to be edifices composed of brick and mortar that consumed up to eight hours each weekday. The schools that I went to from Cunningham in Joliet in my early childhood to MCHS in Minooka for high school, both schools were made to serve a similar function but statistically, the demographics that they served were completely different. There was a higher percentage of children eligible for financial aid services such as discounted or free lunches at Cunningham, hinting at the different economic status of most of the students in attendance. I also remember that there was only one set of classes that everyone was set to take: no advanced or honors courses. I was lucky enough to move out of that district and now go to a school that offers me opportunities that prepare me for a better career. Davis Guggenheim takes a stance that criticizes the structure of the educational system as it gives students with a higher economic background better chances to get a better job or even graduate. In his documentary Waiting for Superman Guggenheim uses sadness, suspense, and captivating animations to convey the message that there is a gap between the education that students in rich areas get vs poor areas and that it can be bridged.