Anyone who has ever voted Democratic in the state of New Jersey should be made to watch a particular scene on a documentary film about the state's education cartel. The scene is about a lottery drawing for places in one of New Jersey's charter schools. The audience is shown faces of children whose names have been drawn and their parents, and faces of children who were not so fortunate. Although both are crying, there is a stark contrast to their expressions. Those who were chosen were crying tears of joy and those who were not...well, you would have to see it to fully appreciate the point.
The scene was criticized by New York Times movie critic Jeannette Catsoulis as something that resulted from "emotional coercion," as if the director had found an exceptionally gifted young actor who could cry on his signal instead of just being at the right place at the right time. The critic goes on to say that the movie was "a bludgeoning rant against a single state."
I like to think that it would be unlikely for anyone without any personal or political stake in the cartel's control over the education system to watch that particular scene without being moved. Although it is not something new for both students and teachers to fall victim to a system that does not allow teaching and learning to take place in many schools, the way the director presents his points seem like nobody has yet to act on the activities of the cartel. The sad fact is that these activities contribute to the increasing cases of students leaving school unprepared to work in the real world.
Since the movie came out, people have finally started making efforts to keep themselves informed about how more funding for public schools has helped in buttressing their failures. Shortly after publishing Jeannette Catsoulis' review on the documentary, New York Times reported that a record number of residents of New Jersey rejected 58% of the budgets during the school-budget elections. They resented the teachers' unions for not concurring to concessions and were angry about higher property taxes to compensate for lessened state aid. The residents have finally started stripping their apathy towards the corrupt system.
It seems that education budgets are not revered anymore in New Jersey. And because of that, Governor Christopher J. Christie was able to take on the teachers' unions. Although it is regrettable that his efforts on fighting the cartel might seem halfhearted compared to his undiscriminating approach to the waste and greed he is undertaking.
One other thing worth noting is how the movie establishes the director's credentials in undertaking such an issue as the cartel at the beginning of the film. It is introduced in the film that the director is a local TV reporter in New Jersey. Belonging to the media profession, his reliability stems from the fact that he sees things as they are.
The director of the documentary film also takes the flurry of statistics concerning government funds on education and comparisons on outcomes of New Jersey education with other states, and makes them as comprehensive as possible to the audience without compromising any of the facts.
The documentary film about the educational cartel has the teachers' union becoming intimidated now. It is evidenced by the fact that they have resorted to lashing out against New Jersey's Governor. Hopefully this movie will bring out the TV reporter in everyone: able to see things as they are, and act about it.
The scene was criticized by New York Times movie critic Jeannette Catsoulis as something that resulted from "emotional coercion," as if the director had found an exceptionally gifted young actor who could cry on his signal instead of just being at the right place at the right time. The critic goes on to say that the movie was "a bludgeoning rant against a single state."
I like to think that it would be unlikely for anyone without any personal or political stake in the cartel's control over the education system to watch that particular scene without being moved. Although it is not something new for both students and teachers to fall victim to a system that does not allow teaching and learning to take place in many schools, the way the director presents his points seem like nobody has yet to act on the activities of the cartel. The sad fact is that these activities contribute to the increasing cases of students leaving school unprepared to work in the real world.
Since the movie came out, people have finally started making efforts to keep themselves informed about how more funding for public schools has helped in buttressing their failures. Shortly after publishing Jeannette Catsoulis' review on the documentary, New York Times reported that a record number of residents of New Jersey rejected 58% of the budgets during the school-budget elections. They resented the teachers' unions for not concurring to concessions and were angry about higher property taxes to compensate for lessened state aid. The residents have finally started stripping their apathy towards the corrupt system.
It seems that education budgets are not revered anymore in New Jersey. And because of that, Governor Christopher J. Christie was able to take on the teachers' unions. Although it is regrettable that his efforts on fighting the cartel might seem halfhearted compared to his undiscriminating approach to the waste and greed he is undertaking.
One other thing worth noting is how the movie establishes the director's credentials in undertaking such an issue as the cartel at the beginning of the film. It is introduced in the film that the director is a local TV reporter in New Jersey. Belonging to the media profession, his reliability stems from the fact that he sees things as they are.
The director of the documentary film also takes the flurry of statistics concerning government funds on education and comparisons on outcomes of New Jersey education with other states, and makes them as comprehensive as possible to the audience without compromising any of the facts.
The documentary film about the educational cartel has the teachers' union becoming intimidated now. It is evidenced by the fact that they have resorted to lashing out against New Jersey's Governor. Hopefully this movie will bring out the TV reporter in everyone: able to see things as they are, and act about it.
