Lisa Petrides: 'Superman' Puts Spotlight on Education

On opening night I got to see the new documentary by Davis Guggenheim, "Waiting for 'Superman'," a film that is bringing cognitive dissonance to educators across the country. Before that, I had read a dozen or so well-written blogs that had described in detail the movie's "anti-teacher, union-bashing and pro-charter school stance" purportedly portrayed in the film, some by those who had seen early previews of the movie (and by several who had not). Therefore, I found myself more than a bit surprised when I walked out after seeing the movie -- amidst a teacher protest that was taking place outside of the theater -- feeling what I can only describe as relief. I felt relief because the film had rather skillfully named the proverbial elephant(s) in the room, raising issues that many educators find extraordinarily uncomfortable to talk about. And I thought, is there room for a new dialogue now that these problems had been expressed so publicly?