When I heard about the film, “Waiting for Superman” being made by the same fellow who made “An Inconvenient Truth – I figured that this guy would also have something to say about education, after all, some of the information in “An Inconvenient Truth” – was profoundly accurate.
Sadly, Davis Guggenheim doesn’t know a whole lot about education and certainly, has never read my treatise on the charismatic figure and charter schools (See: somewhere in my stuff!).
I have to tell my readers right-up-front that I haven’t seen the film “Waiting for Superman,” but I did see Davis Guggenheim on The Stephen Colbert Report the other night. Davis did not impress me at all – though Stephen Colbert’s razor sharp wit continues to impress. What I did glean from Colbert’s interview of Guggenheim – was that Charter Schools should provide the answer to America’s failing public schools. Oh my.
Not only does Guggenheim seem oblivious to the longevity of a successful charter school, but he has no clue about the concept of the Charismatic Figure (ala Max Weber). Not every charter school can boast success (many-of-them seem to be mere embezzlement platforms). Some charter schools look good for 2-to-3 years, and then, with the departure of their charismatic leader (who usually can’t last much past the third year [job burnout you know]) – their 4th year is usually one of irrecoverable decline. Ironically, there are still many public schools that do an excellent job of educating American youth. Go figure!? Actually, I wouldn’t mind seeing the-whole-of-the-U.S. going Charter!! We might make significant progress in the race, in-the-race…what exactly are we racing for these days?! I’ve lost track amidst wars; unemployment; and, the failing dollar…
Who exactly are we trying to fool?! The high school diploma and a college degree are no longer tickets to meaningful work and/or the American Dream. The mounting unemployment and outsourcing of American jobs cast a woeful landscape for America’s economic future. Even my Mother is admitting that America is now a Second World country – and she’s even afraid of US slipping into The Third World! I’m thinking that America’s youth understands this dynamic at some level (and hence the dropout rates and unpaid student loans). But our educational leaders? Hell! They’re still stuck in some romanticized vision of the Golden Years of education in some little, red schoolhouse. The American public is still a lemming – following the Other off-the-cliff of ignorance.
I realized (living so close to Hollyweird) that most contemporary students simply want to be entertained – and, if they pick up some knowledge on-the-way, that’s an added bonus! But if I’m supposed to be an entertainer – then I’d certainly like to be paid Tom Cruise-styled wages – because I DO work as hard as he does (if not harder).
Elsewhere in my meanderings – I’ve pretty much outlined what the problems inherent in American education are. But for-a-hot-second, it sounded like ol’ Davis G. might have thought of something I hadn’t. Alas, he hasn’t: he comes off as myopic and provincial as any other undereducated Yank. But, like the other Big Boyz – he gets to laugh all-the-way-to-the-bank!
The only solace I have when I look at the greedy capitalists all around me is: when the dollar is-finally-laid-to-rest – they’re gonna lose ahellova more than I will! And so these Supermen will plunge to earth from a much higher height than myself – and I might just survive the fall…