New York... Teachers protest 'Waiting for Superman'
Teachers in red capes descended on the Lincoln Square Cinemas on the Upper West Side of Manhattan to protest the corporate-sponsored propaganda film "Waiting for Superman" on Friday, September 24, 2010. They chanted a “Real Reform Anthem” (see below). Others picketed the film opening and handed out literature to theater-goers and passers-by.
New York public school teachers picketed the showing of "Waiting for Superman" on Friday, September 24, in Upper Manhattan. Teachers are charging that the film is union busting, teacher bashing charter school propaganda, part of corporate America's attack on union's and democratic public schools. Substance photo by John Lawhead.The theme of the street theatre was real reform for public education versus teacher-bashing, top-down misrule and privatization. Teachers held placards that enumerated basic improvements needed for public schools — reforms that self-proclaimed reformers like [U.S. Secretary of Education] Arne Duncan and [New York Schools Chancellor] Joel Klein have been avoiding.
The protest involved more than a hundred participants, most of them New York public school teacher. The street performers were activists mainly drawn from GEM (Grassroots Education Movement), NYCoRE and the ISO (International Socialist Organization). There was also a contingent from Class Struggle Education Workers, who are affiliated with the Internationalist Group.
Teachers protesting "Waiting for Superman" promoted some of the ways that real reform could come to America's public schools, which have been starved for resources for decades as the attacks on public schools, teachers, and unions have increased. Substance photo by John Lawhead.The protest was part of a growing national movement among public school teachers and public school supporters to expose the movie as corporate propaganda, aimed at undermining public school teachers, teacher unions, and democratic public education on behalf of charter schools.
On Friday the Sacramento Bee reported that the Broad Foundation was contributing $500,000 to support a publicity campaign connected with the film.
http://www.sacbee.com/2010/09/24/3052921/documentary-films-ratchet-up-pressure.html
Other major corporate groups that have been promoting the charter school attack on public education include the Walton Family Funds (Wal-Mart), the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and numerous foundations that provide millions of dollars to education research and activities. Under "Race To The Top" U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan has been promoting charter schools at the expense of public schools.
The debate has heated up across the USA, as TV's Oprah Winfrey promoted charter schools with a donation of $1 million to the controversial LEARN charter school in Chicago and then excluded a California teacher who had flown to Chicago for the show (at the show's request) when it was learned that the teacher was a defender of public education.
Teachers in other cities, including Chicago, were reportedly preparing protests against the film.
There were three men present at the theatre om New York wearing “Done Waiting” T-shirts and handing out flyers. They refused to share their flyers with the “real reform” activists and it was not clear if they were part of the Broad-sponsored campaign.
GEM activists are working on a feature-length response to Superman. A trailer can be viewed at
http://www.waitingforsupermantruth.org/
Real Reform Anthem
May, I have your attention please?
May, I have your attention please?
Will the real reformers please stand up?
I repeat, will the real reformers please stand up?
We might have a problem here…
These deformers don’t gotta real plan in their pack, but we do
We reject their agenda, and you should too!
You think they have ideas for real reform?
Half them been looking for ways to make cash since they were born.
“But guys, what if its not lies, wouldn’t it be great?”
Why, so these guys can sell their charter plate?
Mess with our kids’ future fate?
Naw, Superman is here and not too late.
Klein, Rhee and Duncan better switch us jobs,
So we can put an end to those hedge fund hogs.
They put teachers on blast in the newspaper?
“ all you need is quality teachers…. deerrrr!”
We will expose their agenda and open your eyes
And show the world their drive to privatize… ahhhhhhh
sick of the law and pr groups all you do harm kids
So we have been sent here to expose you,
And there’s a million reformers just like us,
Who teach like us, who have kids like us,
who care like us, real reformers for just’us’
just trust us, parents and teachers unite like us…
Cause we the real reformers, yes the real reformers
All you other deformers are just speculating
So won’t the real reformers please stand up,
Please stand up, please stand up? (reapeat 2x)
By: John Lawhead
New York... Teachers protest 'Waiting for Superman'
Some Chicago folks may not be familiar with NYC acronyms. Here are links for the groups involved in Friday's protest.
GEM (Grassroots Education Movement)
http://grassrootseducationmovement.blogspot.com/
NYCoRE (New York Collective of Radical Educators)
http://www.nycore.org/
CAPE (Concerned Advocate for Public Education)
http://capeducation.blogspot.com/
ICE (Independent Community of Educators)
http://iceuftblog.blogspot.com/
ISO (International Socialist Organization)
http://www.nycsocialist.org/