Waiting for Superman is a documentary about the sad state of affairs in the public schools in the United States today. It shows the struggles of a handful of families in extreme urban areas as they try to make good education a priority. As an educator I knew this film would be interesting and emotional to me. I thought that I would recommend it to other teachers and anyone interested in documentaries. I have discovered the opposite. Any one who will be living in the US throughout the next 10 years, any one who is planning on raising children in the US within the next 50 years, and any one who cares a tiny bit about the shape of the US in the future needs to see this film.
Most people know that the education system in the US has been less then desireable for sometime now. Many polititians and reformers have said they are going to change this system, but so far each one has come up at a loss. But this problem is much more than most people know. Even I, as a member of this entity, did not fully grasp the horrors that many face when dealing with the education system and the horrors that will come in the future if changes are not made. This film shows the extremity of the problems in our education system and puts a face on it. (Lucky for them that face is a bunch of children that just want to learn and make their lives better).
This film is out on limited release, but it should be in a theater near you. Make the effort to check it out, because the message is very important. As a movie critic, it is also very well made. The directing is well done. The graphics used are perfect to illustrate the information and data shown. And the kids are cute.
I am slightly bias because of my profession, but I would recommend this film to everyone. Wait til Redbox has it if you want, but put it on your list of movies to see.
