Howell Library to Showcase Educational Documentary

On Wednesday evening, the Howell Township Public Library will be holding a very special event, looking at today’s public education system through the viewing of last year’s powerful documentary, “Waiting for Superman.”

This event, which will take place from 6:30 to 8:45 p.m., will consist of a watching of the movie, as well as a discussion following the film with Connie Schmidt-Kirman, an educator and director of the Kumon Learning Center in Howell. 

“Waiting for Superman,” is a look into today’s public school system and the problems that surround it. The movie consists of several intertwining stories from children all over the nation, specifically looking at five different children: Anthony, Francisco, Bianca, Daisy and Emily.

This film is directed by Davis Guggenheim. Throughout the documentary, Guggenheim interviews children, family members, teachers and school administration to get their takes on why the public education system in this school is failing at such a high rate.

One perspective Guggenheim addresses is the number of charter schools and how many students get accepted to each school. For many students, public schools are not helpful, and many families see charter schools as their only option for children to succeed. He shows this off with a piece in the movie looking at the lottery system that many charter schools use to accept new students.

Another interesting point the movie makes is about the idea of teacher tenure. For many schools, after three years, teachers receive tenure, and their jobs become pretty safe. This movie actually shows some classrooms where teachers who have received tenure just sit at their desks and do not talk to the students, and nothing can really be done about this since their jobs are “untouchable.”

To alleviate this issue, one woman who was put in charge of the education system in Washington D.C. brought forth an idea to all teachers. Tenure would be done away with, and at the end of each year, teachers would have the opportunity to make double their salary based on reviews from administration. Those teachers unanimously voted down the idea and kept their tenure with a lower pay.

Following the showing of the film, which is Rated PG and lasts for 102 minutes, there will be a light dinner served, courtesy of the Education Foundation of the Howell Chamber of Commerce. Registration for this event is required, and to do so please call the library at 732-938-2300.

The Howell Township Public Library is located at 318 Old Tavern Road in Howell.