The docudrama "I am A Promise" by filmakers Alan and Susan Raymond follows the journey of a complete school year at Stanton Elementary in inner-city Philedelphia. Mostly centered around its principal of the time, Deanna Burney, the film shows the instability of the lives of the people living in the district, and the struggles associated with attemptng to educate its disenfranchised youth. The children are forgotten about in society, forgotten about in their country, forgotten about in their state, forgotten about in their neighborhoods, and most, even forgotten about by their families. They have been left to fend for themselves, to figure out life, to survive. The school is the only place that some of these children ever see a positive adult role model, have a meal, or hear encouragement. Despite the problems the school faces, and the lack of faith in these students that most people in the school district have, Burney is still capable of creating a positive, loving, and highly structured environment in the school, that fosters learning and hope.
The film is put together very well, following several students closely, describing their home situations and the different problems/excitements they have during the school year. I appreciated how the filmmakers took the time to interview the parents/caretakers of the different children so we could understand what the children (and parents) go through on a daily basis. To know that the parents of these children are struggling to keep their families fed, usually working nights, or several jobs, gives some insight into why they might not always have the time to help their children with their reading skills before bedtime. The film also covers the everyday situations that occur in the inner-city school. One particular scene that stands out in my mind is when a young girl finds a used syringe on the playground and brings it to an adult. He has to explain to her what the syringe was used for and why she should never ever touch it if she is to see one again, but to come tell him. I appreciated moments like this in the film, because it felt so raw.
One moment in the film I appreciated significantly was when they documented the teachers and Principal Burney discussing the latest state test scores. The students did pretty terribly, and Burney was somewhat at a loss as to what to say to the teachers to help them improve the scores outside of, "we've got to figure this out." I was so grateful to see the teachers explaining that the students simply don't care about the test, and that many of the kids have so much on their plate, that it is phenomenal they can even run the school. It is so frustrating that with all the things these teachers are doing to help these students, they still have the stress of state testing on their shoulders.
The end was very realistic to me. Knowing that most of my students will not go on to graduate high school is a very difficult reality for me to think about. I spend time preparing lessons and talking to them about the importance of an education, but is it worth it? To see Deanna Burney in tears at the thought of her students hopeless futures after they leave her elementary school is a feeling that I can identify with. I applaud her for her dedication to this school, but it is not surprising to me that she left after only three years on the job. How can we expect a person to keep working so hard in such a difficult environment? I am passionate about helping my students from disadvantaged backgrounds, but it is difficult to imagine doing this for so long with no support. We must see equity in funding. If we see better equity in funding, we may also see better teacher quality in schools like the one featured in this film. If my own school had more money to sponsor extra-curricular activities, I believe the environment would improve significantly. The students would be happier because they could develop hobbies that would also help keep them out of trouble, they would have better behavior, attendance, and grades because they would want to be able to participate. If the students had motivation to behave better, and care about their academics, higher-quality teachers might stick around longer. I know that funding isn't everything, but it means a lot when it's so unequal.
This is a very depressing ending to this film, and really touches home with me. I said earlier that I wasn't sure how I felt when this film ended, because I don't want to allow myself to get sucked into this depression, to feel like there is no hope for my students. When I am surrounded by so much pain (from the lives of students) and apathy (from the teachers) it is difficult to remind myself that I am doing something positive. That my tiny little classroom does positively affect any lives, but if I don't keep that glimmer of hope, it may disappear in the lives of some of my students.
One moment in the film I appreciated significantly was when they documented the teachers and Principal Burney discussing the latest state test scores. The students did pretty terribly, and Burney was somewhat at a loss as to what to say to the teachers to help them improve the scores outside of, "we've got to figure this out." I was so grateful to see the teachers explaining that the students simply don't care about the test, and that many of the kids have so much on their plate, that it is phenomenal they can even run the school. It is so frustrating that with all the things these teachers are doing to help these students, they still have the stress of state testing on their shoulders.
The end was very realistic to me. Knowing that most of my students will not go on to graduate high school is a very difficult reality for me to think about. I spend time preparing lessons and talking to them about the importance of an education, but is it worth it? To see Deanna Burney in tears at the thought of her students hopeless futures after they leave her elementary school is a feeling that I can identify with. I applaud her for her dedication to this school, but it is not surprising to me that she left after only three years on the job. How can we expect a person to keep working so hard in such a difficult environment? I am passionate about helping my students from disadvantaged backgrounds, but it is difficult to imagine doing this for so long with no support. We must see equity in funding. If we see better equity in funding, we may also see better teacher quality in schools like the one featured in this film. If my own school had more money to sponsor extra-curricular activities, I believe the environment would improve significantly. The students would be happier because they could develop hobbies that would also help keep them out of trouble, they would have better behavior, attendance, and grades because they would want to be able to participate. If the students had motivation to behave better, and care about their academics, higher-quality teachers might stick around longer. I know that funding isn't everything, but it means a lot when it's so unequal.
This is a very depressing ending to this film, and really touches home with me. I said earlier that I wasn't sure how I felt when this film ended, because I don't want to allow myself to get sucked into this depression, to feel like there is no hope for my students. When I am surrounded by so much pain (from the lives of students) and apathy (from the teachers) it is difficult to remind myself that I am doing something positive. That my tiny little classroom does positively affect any lives, but if I don't keep that glimmer of hope, it may disappear in the lives of some of my students.
