Discerning the Truth in Documentaries

Waiting For Superman is a documentary set to be released in select theaters on Friday. According to its website, the documentary explores the failures of American public education by following the lives of several students and their families. Waiting For Superman was directed and co-written by David Guggenheim. Guggenheim is best-known for directing the Oscar-winning film version of Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth. So far, Waiting For Superman has caught the attention of many Americans and the media. News outlets, talk-show hosts, movie critics, and celebrities hail the film as “eye-opening” and “a catalyst for real change” (see note #1). Oprah Winfrey devoted an episode of her talk-show to discussing the film with Guggenheim and strong supporter of the film and public education reform, Bill Gates. The episode also featured other people who are in the documentary.

One has probably heard the saying, “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” However, one should be discerning when considering seeing this documentary (or any other of its nature). It can be exciting to think that someone in Hollywood is finally drawing attention to the decaying condition of education in America. Unfortunately, the enthusiasm may be premature, but one can’t really be sure before viewing the film. However, there are some key questions to answer and thoughts to ponder before and while viewing it.

1. Worldview- Everyone has a worldview whether or not he or she is aware of it; it may be an atheistic worldview, a humanistic worldview, a biblical worldview, or even one of cultural relativism. It is important to understand that the worldviews of those involved in the film-making process will greatly influence the message of the documentary.

2. Educational Philosophy- The educational philosophies of the film-makers will be significant to the over-all message of the film. It’s important to have a deep understanding of one’s own educational philosophy before viewing a film of this nature. The movie-goers understanding of education can easily become convoluted if they are not firm in their beliefs or if their understanding of education is not clear. The educational philosophies of the film-makers will influence what they believe constitutes the failure of the education system. For example, according to movie critics and various reviews, Waiting For Superman places much of the blame on teacher unions and lack of funding. Depending on the viewer’s philosophies, he or she may disagree. Instead, the viewer may believe it’s an issue with the separation of church and state, teaching methodologies, or the educational philosophies of the Department of Education (at the federal, state, or local level). It’s important for an individual to know what he or she believes and why he or she believes it; it’s also important to view other theories or ideas through the looking-glass of one’s own beliefs.

3. Political Motivations- It’s important to consider the political motivations behind the film. Is the film gripping the attention of Americans because of its honest and truthful content? Rather, is it receiving hype because it pushes a hot topic for the upcoming elections? Does it further the political ambitions of a particular person or group? It’s very possible that a documentary may have no political angle; however, it’s still a factor to consider.

4. Results- What do the film-makers hope to see result from their film? What direction do they hope to steer America? It’s important to know the film-makers goals. Are their goals prominently centered on propagandizing education? Rather, do they earnestly care about the conditions of the American public education system and desire to see positive improvements?

Notes
1. Source for the Quotations

2. Waiting For Superman is said to discuss charter schools and their impact on the education. Keep in mind, many charter schools are considered “classical;” however, they do not provide a truly classical education. The Association of Classical and Christian Schools has published an excellent article, "It's Not Classical & Christian," addressing the differences between “classical” charter schools and true classical Christian schools, such as Glencoe Classical Academy. Copy and paste the following URL into your web browser to be redirected to the ACCS article: https://www.accsedu.org/It's_Not_Classical__Christian.ihtml?id=591621

Parental Involvement and Your Child's Education

Note: This week's Glencoe Classical Academy and Glencoe Learning Center blogs discuss the same topic and contain much of the same information. However, the list of suggestions for parental involvement is tailored according to the age groups of each school.

Parental involvement is instrumental in a child’s education. Research has shown that children and families greatly benefit when parents play an active role in the classroom, the school, and other activities related to the children’s education. While being an engaged parent may mean sacrificing time and energy, the importance of that engagement cannot be expressed enough and the benefits that can be reaped are often too numerous to list.

By volunteering in their child’s classroom and school, parents may benefit in ways such as the following:

1. The parents develop a closer relationship with the child’s teacher and the school’s administration, resulting in better communication among them.

2. The parents gain a better understanding of (and appreciation for) their child’s daily routine and the daily activities their children experience within the classroom.

3. The parents are better able to understand the expectations and standards the teacher and school have for the child.

4. The parents are able to experience first-hand their child’s response to his or her surroundings, teacher, and classmates.

Parental involvement can affect a child in many positive ways such as the following:

1. The child will develop a greater appreciation for his or her education and the efforts of the teacher and parents.

2. If the parents’ attitudes regarding the time they spend volunteering at the school are positive, the child may also develop a good attitude. Additionally, a child’s attitude is frequently exhibited in his or her behavior. The better the attitude, the better the behavior.

3. If the parents encourage students to uphold the classroom and school standards while volunteering, the child will be more apt to obey the classroom and school standards even when the parents aren’t present.

4. If a child sees his or her parents positively interacting with the teacher and administrators, he or she will likely treat those people with the same amount of respect that the parents do.

Below are some suggestions parents can consider when seeking ways to become more actively engaged in their child’s education.

1. Conversation between parents and children about the school-day allow parents to stay informed and show interest in their children’s education.

2. Parents can take an active role in the daily activities of the child’s class. If the child has take-home work and or other at-home projects, the parents can assist the child and help reinforce the concepts being taught at school. A daily homework routine allows parents and students to remain accountable and informed.

3. Volunteer time in the classroom. Parents can volunteer to help with a particular area of interest such as reading or crafts.

4. Parents can volunteer to help during lunch and playground time or even naptime.

5. Teachers spend a great deal of time creating lesson plans, making copies, and organizing the paperwork; parents can help lighten this load by volunteering to copy and organize worksheets and assignments.

6. In an effort to keep the children healthy, toys and books are continually being sanitized and cleaned. This can be time-consuming and is often difficult for teachers to do while tending to the students. Parents could be a tremendous help by volunteering to help in this area.

7. Special events and musical performances are a great undertaking in planning, practice, and execution, but they provide yet another opportunity for parents to be involved.

8. Volunteers could be helpful in the school office by answering the telephone, making copies, filing paperwork, or in a number of other ways.

Any parent interested in volunteering at Glencoe Learning Center is encouraged to contact his or her child’s teacher or the school administration.

Encouraging Your Child to Love Reading

Literacy is one of the fundamental building blocks of a child’s education. As a child progresses in his or her academic studies, the necessity for a high-level of literacy becomes increasingly important. Also, literacy fosters imagination and creativity which will prove beneficial for children. When a child is continually exposed to reading, books, and literature, he or she develops a love for it, and in turn, a love for learning. Because of these things, Glencoe Learning Center begins teaching the foundations for reading at an early age by using A Beka Book curriculum. At the young age of one year, our students are learning the alphabet— the most basic step in the process of becoming literate. From this point on, students in each class are learning letter recognition, letter sounds, blend sounds, and they are gaining phonetic awareness, eventually allowing them to read fluently and effectively. At Glencoe Learning Center, the teachers use phonics as the foundation for teaching children to read. You will find a list of the six steps A Beka Book uses when teaching phonics and promoting literacy.

Phonics 6 Easy Steps to Reading
1. Learn to recognize the short vowels and their sounds.
2. Learn to recognize the consonants and their sounds.
3. Learn to blend.
4. Learn to sound one-vowel words.
5. Learn the sounds of the long vowels. Learn to sound two-vowel words.
6. Learn the special phonics sounds.
To see more, download Phonics: Six Easy Steps to Reading

While there are many ways to encourage children to read, the best way is for parent involvement in the learning process. Be creative and find ways that work for encouraging your child to read. Below are several things parents can do to encourage a love of reading in their children.

1. Lead by example- Young children are imitators. They love to do “grown-up” things. If your child sees you reading, it’s likely that he or she will want to pull out a book and read, especially if they see you reading often and, most importantly, enjoying reading.

2. Read with your child- Children love to hear great stories read to them. Also, at least two great things can come from reading aloud with your child: a) you get to spend more quality time together and b) your child is encouraged to read. Even older children love great stories and children are never too old to be read to (Yes, even teenagers). Chapter books are a good choice because you can read a chapter or two each day and it will keep the child coming back for more.

3. Involve other family and friends- Get other people in on the fun. If your child is staying the night with his or her grandparents, send some books for them to enjoy together. If your child has older siblings who can read, have the older child read to the younger child. This encourages both reading and bonding.

4. Incorporate other fun things- If you read The Very Hungry Caterpillar to your child, take him or her on a nature walk to search for caterpillars. If you read Stone Soup, let your child help make soup for dinner one night. Also, many books are recreated as movies. Before allowing your child to watch one of these recreations, encourage him or her to read the book. If your child can’t read on his or her own, read it aloud with him or her. Once you’ve finished the book, schedule a family movie night to enjoy the movie together.

5. Library visits- Take your child to the library often. Allow him or her to get a library card and check out books as much as possible.

6. Reading zone- Create a special space for the child to sit and look at books or sit and read together. Even a corner with a bean bag and a bookcase will work. Incorporate the child in choosing the spot and setting it up.

7. Dramatic play- Children love to act things out and mimic things they hear and see. Let your child create a play or skit based from a book and perform it for your family. Allow the child to be creative and draw pictures or dress–up like the characters.

8. Reading in the car- If your child is able to read, leave a few books in the car for him or her to read. Rather than listening to music, let your child read aloud to you as you travel to school, to church, or even to the grocery store.

Feel free to tell us the ways that you encourage your children to read by posting a comment.