What are YOU doing?

I spent some time this morning reading the reviews for Freedom Writers. This movie has the same feel as Dangerous Minds (1995) or Stand and Deliver (1988) or The Ron Clark Story (2006). So the story has been done. At almost $9 a ticket, I'll probably wait to see this one on video, because I know how it ends. That doesn't mean I don't think it's a worthwhile film.

What gets me going is those people who moan and groan about how "too many" of these films have been made and say, "Enough! We get it already!" To those I say, how many of you will pay to see one of the seemingly endless stream of cult films (Saw III comes to mind) that have come out recently? Or a Hollywood film glamorizing gang violence, such as the recently released Alpha Dog? I get it, too. I get that for some people out there, violent deaths, horror, gore, and chainsaws are entertaining. Good for you. I get that some of people enjoy watching a movie that makes the ghettos of Los Angeles a playground for a guy seeking revenge for his buddy's death by killing the killer. I get it. So what if a movie suggests that some struggling youth ARE surviving? Isn't that a good thing?

Further, it aggravates me to no end, those people who rail against our educational system without doing a thing to help it. Everyday I work with:

• 2 brothers who are legally homeless, whose mother works part time, whose father drinks and sits on the couch, and whose 5th grade sister often comes in late because she is watching the baby.
• A boy who is extremely bright, but suddenly failing for reasons we can't quite put our finger on, but are definitely serious.
• Several children whose fathers are spending a year in Iraq.
• A young man whose older brothers are in gangs at the middle school and high school and who doesn't want to follow their path, but sees alot of anger at home.
• A child who is testifying against his father in a sexual molestation case.
• At least 3 children who are in the middle of a custody battle between the parents.

You want to make their performance go up? You want to see an improvement in our edudactional system? Stop complaining and start fighting for these children. My low-income neighborhood school has lost over $100, 000 in funding over the last 3 years. We have gained, however, another "testing grade" so that students, in addition to taking district standardized tests every 15 weeks, now also take national standardized tests in THIRD, FOURTH and FIFTH grades. I work with a highly dedicated staff who arrive at work at 7:00 and are usually there till 5:00, 6;00, 0r 7:00 at night. Rather than focusing on test scores, we should focus on championing these children OUTSIDE of the school as well. Alot of them don't have parents who have the time to give these children what they deserve, due to finiancial situations. Or, sadly, are too wrapped up in their own lives to notice that they have children at all. So take these kids to the library, allow them earn money by doing small chores around the house or yard, take them to the skate parks, recommend books that they might like, compliment them, praise them, celebrate every small achievement. I guarantee you will see them improve both academically and otherwise.

And then, you critics of the education system, THEN you will see your almighty test scores improve.