Perspectives on Waiting for the Superman: For and Against

This article presents the arguments for and against the perspectives presented in Waiting for the Superman, a film that highlights the issues in the education system. It also raises questions about the changing needs of industries and societies, the burnout of teachers, and the future of virtual classrooms. The Recovery and Reinvestment Act at the US Department of Education site is discussed, along with global and national educational trends.

1. Points in favor of the perspectives supported “Waiting for the Superman”
“Drop out factories” and “academic sinkholes” are certainly strangulating the future
budding talents. Films and web pages like "Waiting for the Superman" give us a few
messages that should be taken seriously.
 We should have a different glance at our education system. Not every kid can become
a scientist or a genius in his subject; however, he deserves a basic education to fix a
few things in his life and career.
 Countries like the USA has already set an example where they said:" Education is
the force of liberation." The social impact of education can help any country in
building up a better and crimeless society (Anthony).
2. Points AGAINST the perspective in Waiting for Superman
Waiting for the Superman fails in conceptualizing the changing weathers in the field of
education.
 It fails in answering any question related to the skills that can help a student in an
environment when STEM subjects are becoming redundant.
 It fails in explaining the future needs of the industries and societies and how
education can become the agent of the change.
3. The list of the question raised by both sites connected to Waiting for Superman

 Education systems across the world are not taking substantial steps to prevent the
burnout of the teachers. Not every teacher can be promoted to an administrative
job (Anthony, 7 Conclusions from the World’s Largest Teacher Burnout Survey).
 Right now, virtual classrooms are trying to match steps with real-world
classrooms. However, soon it will become a different picture when real-world
classrooms will become obsolete. What steps Educational policymakers are taking
in order to enforce this change management (Anthony, 5 Sad Truths Affecting
Your Teaching Job).
4. What areas of education are at the center of attention in the Recovery and
Reinvestment Act at the US Department of Education site?
 Education reforms with the help of a changed financial model of taxation.
 Creation of a self-sustainable model for the schools and institutions where they can invest
their earnings back in the process of school modernization.
 Adding affordability in the portfolio of higher education (Klein).
5. What global educational trend stood out to you most in visiting the websites?
The trend of “Hot Courses” or the “Online Courses” is catching up; most of these courses
address certain parts of the regular education system that needs an up gradation. This web
page also advocates the addition of critical analysis and the reflective analysis of the
subjects as a mandatory part of the curriculum.
6. What national educational trend stood out to you most in visiting the websites?

Dropout rates are increasing for two reasons. Many students think that education that
they are pursuing is redundant; it does not have all the answers that life is going to
demand from them. Students are not showing a keen interest in pursuing higher
education because they want to start earning in the early part of their life. A serious lack
of talent in the higher education pools is on the card.
7. What local/regional educational trend stood out to you most in visiting the websites?
Instead of just following the curriculum, many schools are now promoting the culture of
teaching independent skills. These skills are also known as “life enhancement skills
(LEE).
8. What does the phrase, "Start with the end in mind refers to?"
The phrase refers to the administration of certain educational policies with an intention to fulfill
certain goals. Terms like “market ready individuals” or “job ready workforce” submits the
meaning of “end” in this phrase.

Bibliography
Anthony, James. "13 Simple Solutions for Teachers Struggling with Workload." Not Waiting for
Superman (2018): https://notwaitingforsuperman.org/teacher-workload/.
—. "5 Sad Truths Affecting Your Teaching Job." Not Waiting for the Superman (2019):
https://notwaitingforsuperman.org/reasons-to-leave-teaching/.
—. "7 Conclusions from the World’s Largest Teacher Burnout Survey." Not Waiting For
Superman (2018): https://notwaitingforsuperman.org/teacher-burnout-statistics/.
Klein, Alyson. "Four Things to Watch For in the Trump School Safety Report." Education Week
(2018): http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/campaign-k-12/2018/12/commission-safety-
trump-four-things-preview.html.