STOP "Waiting for Superman".....YOU ARE Superman!!!!!! (or Superwoman)

I JUST saw this movie today and my mind is racing all over the place!!!!!  EVERY teacher and parent that reads this MUST go and get this movie!!!!!  

I have been on the both sides of this coin.  First, I am a parent and have tried for three consecutive years to get my middle school son into a theme middle school in which its attendees were chosen through the lottery system.  He did NOT get in to this school either of the three years.  We were that family sitting at the end of the lottery with a disappointed son, upset, not knowing what we were going to do.  He is a very smart young man and we did what we needed to do to get him to attend a school where he is involved in the magnet program.  While watching the movie, my heart broke and tears streamed down my face because I knew, firsthand, what the families in  the movie were going through.  All because they simply wanted better for their kids....

As an educator, I totally understand the lottery process but it can't help but to make me think.  If ALL schools were operating at a level of excellence, we wouldn't need theme schools and magnet programs, etc.  If ALL schools were operating at a level of excellence, we wouldn't have to have lotteries for enrollment into our "good" schools.  Parents wouldn't have to consider moving (I am guilty of this as we speak!!!!) to ensure that their kids would go to a "good" public school because ALL public schools would be "good" schools.

I have heard over my years as an educator that parents blame the schools and schools blame the parents for the lack of motivation on the students part.  The students want things handed to them.  It's an entitled generation of kids....blah blah blah.  While I personally may agree with some of these things I also understand that as a human being we must STOP placing the blame on each other and simply hold each other to higher standards and levels of accountability.  Here's the solution!!!!!

• Parents-DEMAND better schools for your students WHILE holding your students accountable.  It starts at home.  Demand excellence from your children in ALL aspects of their lives.
• Administrators-DON'T hire mediocre teachers!  Only hire the types of teachers that you would want to teach your own children!
• Teachers-Set HIGH expectations for your students and don't let any of them fail!  DEMAND excellence from ALL of them...not just your favorite students or the ones that you feel can do it....ALL OF THEM!!!

We all want better for our kids and teachers all want better for their students.  Personally, I don't know of a teacher that says, "______ just isn't smart enough...he can't do it."  I'm not dumb, I know there are teachers out there like this and you know what should happen to them???  Michelle Rhee was right on target with her practice.  I KNOW that I am a GREAT teacher.  I know a plethora of GREAT teachers and I don't think that they, nor myself would have had a problem giving up tenure (not that we have it) to risk being paid for what we do because I KNOW that we are all GREAT teachers.  Not only do we teach, we educate....I'm not saying any of this to toot my own horn, or brag, BUT I care about my students as if they were my own.  I want them ALL to succeed.  I KNOW that they can do whatever they set their minds to AND I am willing the help them get there!  

We ALL need to STOP waiting for Superman!  He's NOT coming....Instead, we need to KNOW that WE are Superman/Superwoman!  We hold the power.  If we all demand great things, the end result can be NOTHING short of greatness!!!!!  When are YOU going to step up and do something????  What are you going to do????  When does it begin???  The time is NOW and YOU are the person to get it done!  We have to stop looking around and saying that "someone" needs to do something about the problem....YOU are that someone...I am that someone!  

~Okay....I'm off of my rant and rave....for now, anyway!