Watch This

My sister recommended a documentary called Waiting for Superman about the crisis of public education that Americans face. I finally watched it this evening, and oh my goodness. It's available on Netflix Instant, and I urge you to take the time to watch it.

Kids in foster care in the US face seemingly insurmountable obstacles because of the trauma they have experienced and the effect it has had (and continues to have) on their brain chemistry, emotional development, and social coping skills. The foster system adds to that trauma by moving kids at least once, and sometimes up to a dozen times in their childhoods. One of the most significant traumas of moving is switching schools. I switched schools several times in my early education, but never in the middle of the year, always with great parental support, and always into supposedly "excellent" public schools. It still caused significant gaps and lurches in my early education (most of which worked out over time). Foster kids, on the other hand, are often uprooted in the middle of a semester to a different school, sometimes several times a year. Even with the best schools, this would create major difficulties for the student. When you consider that the schools we're talking about are usually some of the worst schools in a given district, the battle these kids face just to make it through a school day isn't just uphill--it's perpendicular.

This documentary stunned me, frustrated me, and ultimately left me completely depressed about the challenges children face. But it's still 100% worth a viewing. Watch it; it will change the way you look at things.