After viewing the movie today, what are some of your initial reactions to what you heard/saw? What did you feel after watching the movie? What are some insights you received that you perhaps have never thought about before?
-Also, can you name some of the reasons other than education that the film identified as impacting the children at Stanton Elementary? There are many aspects of our life and many possible outcomes. Identify some of those from the film.
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We have been talking a lot about the inequalities of education and education systems in the United States, and even though this is a widely talked about subject, watching this movie and discussing the topic in class really makes a person think. I have always known there were some inequalities in school, as I was close to my cousins and they lived a town away that was a lot poorer than where I lived. Because of this I always heard about school closures because of unsafe buildings and being bussed further and further away because there wasn't enough money to keep schools open. Seeing this to a more extreme in I Am a Promise, is heart wrenching. It is so unequal to allot school funds by how much money your parents have. So many children are born into poverty, therefore have to live and learn in the same environments, which is never fair because they had no choice who their parents were.
ReplyDeleteSome of the other reasons could be hunger, since many of the kids only had the free breakfast and lunch as their only meals of the day, along with lack of attention from adults. Since over 90% of the children at the school have a single parent, most lack the attention they need, and therefore seek it in school by acting out. Along those lines, a lot of kids have ADD, ADHD, any other diseases that create learning disabilities and they act out more "because" of it. Many parents can't pay for their medication either, so sometimes children go without, which causes more problems. Also, the kids home environment, like Nadia, who just showed up at her neighbors and started living with him because her mother is addicted to drugs. Overall, there are many different disadvantages these children have automatically and the poor school system just perpetuates the cycles for them.
This film really made me think of the education system in the United States. I have never really thought about the inequality of education until this class. Seeing this school, and all they are trying to do to give their students the best education possible made me think a little harder and understand things a little better.
ReplyDeleteWe all do not have the same opportunities in life, but one thing that should be universal is education. This necessity is not being equally distributed to all. There is a hierarchy in the educational system. The tax money distributed to each district is not sufficient in solving anything. We need to really buckle down and find a way for all schools to thrive not just those in wealthier neighborhoods.
These kids live in environments that we could not imagine. Their school environment should be there for support and care. No kid should have to deal with this stuff.
I had never really realized the true inequalities in school until now. Watching this video made me feel like I lived worlds apart from the children I was seeing. I couldn't believe that things were this bad for them. For children who's lives are lacking love, attention and support, one would hope that they could have somewhere to turn (school) for consistency. But because of their social settings and the way the tax system works this really inhibits their educational abilities as well. I absolutely couldn't believe the inequalities and disadvantages in these children's lives.
ReplyDeleteThroughout the film it just seemed like the children were craving attention from adults. In so many scenes the children would willingly grab out for school officials, hold their hands, and glow when they received compliments from them. It seems like many children weren't getting the love and attention at home, so they did whatever it took to get it at school. I think that no matter children should be guaranteed a good education, that will enable them for the future.
After watching I Am A Promise, it made me realize how much better off I was in public schools compared to the ones featured in the movie. My high school was labeled, "the most dangerous school in oregon" for 2 or 3 years, and they were finally taken off the list this year. With that said, I don't think that was a fair rating for my high school because the schools in the movie seemed far more dangerous as drug paraphernalia and crime were much for persistent.
ReplyDeleteEven though there is free education in the United States, I don't really think it is free because some schools are receiving more funding than others, therefore having a better learning opportunity.
I believe some other reasons as to why the children at Stanton Elementary are at a disadvantage compared to other children at other Elementary schools because most of the children live in broken homes, being raised by a single parent. Often times these single parents are not well off themselves, as they might have been a school drop out student, involved with drugs and crime, or may work multiple jobs that does not allow time with the children.
I never really thought about how different public school systems were from each other until after watching "I Am A Promise". I also agree with Amy's statement that even though all public schools are technically free, some schools have much more funding than others. Public schools in higher class neighborhoods compared to public schools such as Stanton Elementary are vastly different.
ReplyDeleteI felt very bad for the young elementary children for living in a broken neighborhood and being surrounded by narcotics. I couldn't even imagine myself being in high school and being surrounded by that so I can't even imagine what it's like for young children.
It seems as though these children lack attention and affection from their parents or guardians, especially since in the beginning of the film they stated that 90% of these children come from single parents. This caused them to act out for attention and would even hold hands and hang out with teachers. I think that the neighborhood they are surrounded by, their home life, and coming from a single parent, it can be harder for them to aim high and do well in school to even go to college.
I think this is sad and that everyone should be able to have the same oppurtunities.
Like everybody else this movie opened my eyes to the fact that education is not "the great equalizer" that people make it out to be. It almost makes me sick to think that every day these kids had to walk through such a hazardous environment just to get to school. Some of the kids didn't know how to read or write but could still give you the 411 on the drug lingo. I mean you know something is wrong when a 8 year old knows what dope is and what corner they sell it on.
ReplyDeleteI knew that some inner city public schools were bad but I never realized that it was to this extent. Seeing the principal and all the good she did for the school made me think that the school was improving little by little but at the end of the film when she quit really pissed me off. A lot of those kids looked up to her. Although, I can only imagine what it would be like to go to work everyday and deal with kids with behavioral problems and moms and dads that beat their children. It would be hard job but those schools need principals like herself.
I am a Promise is a film that all students who complain about their schooling and childhoods should watch. The disadvantages these kids start out with before they even get to school everyday are heartbreaking. It was disappointing to see parents who made commitments to their children and then broke them. It happens everywhere but it was particulary devasting to these children where their parens decisions impacted their schooling and possibly the outcome of the rest of their lives. I agree with Nicole in the disappointment I felt when we learned the principal had moved on from that school. She expressed sadness when her fifth graders graduated, I expected her to continue her struggle for improving the lives of the children still enrolled in her classes. Her job would be difficult but I would imagine it would take a lot lesser of a person to walk away rather than tough it out for the kids. She saw the improvements she made around the school and in individual children's lives, I can't imagine wallking away from a work in progress.
ReplyDeleteafter I watched this movie, it made me realize the inequality that so many kids are dealing with. I knew that schools were under funded but i never realized the extreme atmosphere that so many of these schools were going through. This makes me thankful of the opportuities that I had growing up.
ReplyDeleteI think a hard part with the movie, is that while these teachers were trying there hardestit makes me wonder about some of the school that do not put the same effort in to the schooling system as the princple did. Also along with that I wonder about the correlation between the high school and middle kids to now. This story was inspirational and impactful.
I think that this film is a good way to put an end to the section of unequal childhood. By putting a demonstration of all the cause that can effect a childs upbringing cements the ideas of what the children are going through evey day. one of the major things is the fact that many of their parents are under paid poverty level. The children are around so many things that many people have not had to deal with. Like one of the ladies said in the movie the boy is so young yet has experienced so many things.
Before I watched the movie, I had always thought of the public school that I attended as poor. Our funding was cut because the people that lived around us (although they were all retired) didn't want to pay taxes to support our districts schools. We had pretty beat up books and our uniforms were definitely old, but after watching this moving, I can say nothing.
ReplyDeleteThese kids are dealing with things in school that I had never imagined. Even though I knew many schools were dealing with poverty, watching this video made it that much more realistic. The struggles that they faced day to day makes my life and the school I went to a breeze. But like Krystal said, I also think that the school district and some of the teachers could have put in more effort towards schooling than they did. I know that the principle strived her hardest to have each kid become successful, but I didn't see so much enthusiasm out of the teachers.
As for other things impacting the children at Stanton Elementary, I think the main problem is location and family life. The school was located in a heavy drug area, which is a safety hazard for many of the children, as well as a factor that could influence them to be out on the streets when they grow up as well. As for family life, I think that this was the one of the saddest parts of the movie. The mother who told her son that she was going to punch him in the face when they got home was absolutely horrifying. Not only that, but the father who said that he would be there for his son every day for an hour to help him during class (and didn't even come back), also posed sad aspects. Not having a supportive family life impacts growing children a lot, and can be a huge deciding factor for how they will act and what they will do when they grow up. I know that this movie opened up my eyes to the inequality that is still happening today, and hopefully will let others know of the true difficulties that children still have today in getting a good education.
I am a promise really showed me that the school systems in America are very unequal. I went to really fortunate schools where money wasn't as big as a problem but, there was always strict budgets and budget cuts. It's really upsetting to see that certain schools in Ameria have little to no money to help build childrens education. Some parts of the movie really stuck out to me, such as the principle was really interactive with the all the children at the school and did everything possible to help build the schools community. Although, there were some teachers who slacked off and did not help the children learn as they should have. Not having money should not affect the children's ability to read and write. The movie shows which teachers are very active and the ones who are not and shouldn't be teaching in such a high demand school. Another part of the film that is sad is the run down poverish area that the children live in. Their parents are very clearly not active in helping the children learn and parents have a huge impact on childrens learning. Many parents made their children walk alone to school before the school was even open and parents would make promises to help better their childs education, but the promise would be broken. It's not surprising that a lot of teens and pre-teens don't succeed in this environment because all odds are against them. If parents were more actively involved with their kids and all the teachers in the school put 100 percent effort into helping their students succeed, there would be a much higher success rate. These children want to learn yet, they don't have all the necessary aspects to help them succeed.
ReplyDeleteThe movie made me think about the real world. It seems like where I grew up everyone thought it was not a good school or our school was poor and crappy, but compared to the opprotunities that these children had it makes the school I went to like a dream come true. Even the attitude of the students just was so amazing. Most of the kids in that school just didnt care and they were not willing or able to learn. Rates of behavioral problems were insane. The fact that almost 90% of the students come from single parent homes has alot to do with it.
ReplyDeleteSomething I had never thought of before that I found interesting was the fact that they had an all boys classroom with a male teacher. I really think in that situation it did good. If most students come from a single parent home it was most likely the case that they didnt have a father figure present in their lives. The teacher was so much like a father to the kids that it gave them a new encouragement. The kids were willing to learn and break down the barriers they faced in the previous years. I really liked how the principal was so encouraging because often those students were not recognized at all by their parents.
My first reactions to watching the movie was that I wasn't that suprised. I realize that there are these kind of places in America and that children do have to live like that and go to school like that. After watching the movie, it brought me back to the elementary school I attended in that I knew a lot of people that had situations similar to those in the movie and also i experienced some of those situations.
ReplyDeleteOne thing that stuck out to me that was different from education was the idea of kids showing up early to school and the school meals being the only meals of their day. I noticed in my days in elementary and middle school that kids would be at school really early, some way before teachers. I also knew some people that couldnt wait to eat breakfast and lunch and sometimes needed help paying for those meals.
After watching the movie I wasn't too surprised that there are places like this in America. I know that there are poor areas in America and the people that live in them are just trying to survive. It's sad that this goes on to effect schools and the learning that takes place within them. These schools need money to repair their facilities, but they don't have the money. We can't expect students to succeed when the buildings they're supposed to be learning in are falling down around them.
ReplyDeleteWatching the movie I am a Promise, gave me a realization on the education system we have here across America. I never really thought there was such an “inequality of education,” until watching this film; as kids are being educated in an unstable environment. No kids should be living in these dangerous neighborhoods with: drug dealers, needles, violence, and etc. They should be given an equal opportunity within the education system, as every child should across America; and its unfortunate that the government isn’t taking control and focusing on our education system and spending our tax money on buildings. Although, its unfortunate that these kids aren’t receiving the same education its amazing that some of these kids have hope for their future.
ReplyDeleteIt's crazy how unequal public schools are. I think about how lucky I was to go somewhere that could afford textbooks and nice facilities. The film opened my eyes to some of the life situations that children must go through before and after school. It was sad to see the little boy sitting outside the school at 630am because his aunt told him to go to school. Also, many of the kids were exposed to drugs because their parents did so. At 6-7 years old i was completely obvious to that while these children talked about drugs and alcohol.
ReplyDeleteThe film brought out many reasons why the children were not exceeding outside of the school. For instance, the two meals a day that the kids get may be the only good they get all day. Starving is not going to help these children in succeeding. Also, being exposed to drugs and unsafe neighborhoods, my make them feel unsafe coming and going which could lead to them not attending school at all. There is so many things that these children were and exposed to that affected their education.
I was really intrigued by this movie. Some of the things that caught my eye were how well the principal worked with the kids, how the kids really needed the attention of the teachers, and the amount of police activity around the school. The principal knew that the children needed the attention and to be told good job all the time. That's also something I noticed, the teachers or administrators were constantly telling the children how well they were doing and that they were smart. I never experienced anything quite like that. Also it amazed me the amount of police activity around the school. It doesn't seem fair that that school has to go through scares of kidnaps and rapes daily where other schools never have that cross their minds.
ReplyDeleteThe thing that struck me about this movie is the fact that even though someone (the principal) really wanted to make a difference in these children's situation, she couldn't handle more than a couple of years in this environment. In the place that she wanted to make changes for the better, she got burned out so quickly. If the principal cannot last more than a few years, how are the children expected to get any kind of education there? They have to spend six years there, attempting to attain a base education before they move on to middle school, which may or may not be a better environment.
ReplyDeleteI think a factor besides educational quality that affects these children is the fact that their parents probably grew up in that same neighborhood and most likely did not receive a quality education themselves. It's a bit of a self-fulfilling prophecy. This is not to say that all parents don't want better for their children, but by the time they have grown up in that area, been through the school system, had a child, and are still stuck in those circumstances, they know that hope for their children rising above it is slim. So, if their parents have little confidence in them, the children have less of a chance to be genuinely successful.