"Stupid in America": Reflection on Film and Message

To successfully educate children within the American classroom, public school teachers should be very creative. According to the film "Stupid In America", there are several reasons for this.

One reason is that students in classrooms across America are often very disruptive. They don't respect their teachers. They talk nonsense, play games, and leave seats without permission. The film "Stupid in America" reveals that these behaviors are so routine that many schools will not allow outside observers into their school. The administrations are embarrassed because of the lack of control that teacher have toward students. Even those schools who allow outside observance often concentrate on the specialty or upward bound classes. But these unique classes does nothing for the overall school population. It focuses on the gifted few. The others are seem to be so unreachable and unpredictable that if observed their behavior might give the school a bad name.

Another reason for children not learning in American classrooms are those blaming bad teachers for the problems. Teachers don't care about teaching ; they have lost hope for the students. Only the paycheck keeps them motivated enough to keep teaching. The film stupid in American reveals the facts about strong teacher unions that have a strangle hold on the nation school system. These unions allow bad teachers to stay in special location and under contract even though they cannot perform up to teachers' standard. To substitute for education time, many of these teachers allow everything in the classrooms including playing dice, monopoly, or various others non educational games.

So why is the American school system suffering more than most other countries in educating the students? Well, One of the issues that teachers complain about is lack of money. Teachers and school administration claim that it is just not enough money to buy the necessary school material such as books and supplies to educate the students. Inaddition, school programs like music, art, and sports are eliminated from the school budget. This lack of money is blamed on government funding of private and religious schools that appear to be taking much needed money from the public school system. This might be true to a certain extent-that public school might not have the funds they once handled-but this very issue of not providing children with a good education gave birth to the private and religious school system. These new schools created a healthy competition. Nevertheless, the American School system must redefine itself and what it wants to do for American children, not matter what measures it needs to take or the phrase "Stupid in America" will continue to shadow over America's education system.