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Eye-Opening and Compelling. Movie Review: We the Parents (Documentary about the Parent Trigger Law)

Documentary Movie Review: We the Parents

Studio: Go For Broke Pictures

Director: James Takata

Release Date: Friday, August 16, 2013 (Limited Release)

Runtime: 62 minutes

Reviewer Rating: ★★★★★

 

SYNOPSIS

WE THE PARENTS follows the first group of parents who attempt to transform their failing school under California’s new “Parent Trigger” law. This is a story about courage, empowerment, and parents’ love and dreams for their children and their futures. It’s also about an unprecedented law that encourages people to organize and change the status quo, and the controversy that ensues when the historical balance of power is disrupted.

 

While many recent documentaries have highlighted the crisis of our education system, WE THE PARENTS examines a potential solution by following everyday parents in their extraordinary effort for their children. The idea of giving power to parents is an untested one, and the film follows every step of the significant controversy, drama, and legal battles that ensue when parents attempt to exercise their rights. As news spreads about the events in Compton, the film tracks the ripple effect of these parents’ efforts as the idea of a “Parent Trigger” spreads to other communities in California and across the country.

 

The feature debut film of James Takata, WE THE PARENTS tells a universal story of parents wanting a better future for their children. The film takes an inspiring and uncertain look at whether parents, the largest stakeholder group in the education system, can organize to create immediate and effective change.  For more on the film, go to http://wetheparentsfilm.com.

 

We The Parents – Trailer from James Takata on Vimeo.

 

We the Parents is an eye-opening and compelling documentary that profoundly brings to light some of the many issues going on in the educational systems not just in California, but nationwide. The Parent Trigger law movement has migrated across the country and hopefully, in the very near future, schools will change.

 

Parents went to Sacramento, CA to fight for the Parent Trigger law

As a parent living in southern California, I experienced firsthand the horrors of our educational system in the LA Unified School District when my daughter was attending high school. I’m thankful we only had to endure four years of schooling there rather than her entire childhood spent attending some of the schools in the area where we resided. Moving or ‘borrowing’ an address to get my daughter into a better school were my only options, so I thought. If I knew then that I could have invoked the kind of change these parents did, maybe I would have spoken up more. Still, I was a vocal parent. I attended meetings and made sure I knew who my daughter’s counselors, teachers, and administrators were at her school. I went to open houses to meet her teachers and get a glimpse inside the classrooms. This is the first step any parent should take in investing in their child’s education.

 

Seeing these parents go to bat for their kids made me proud. Even those who felt like their voices wouldn’t matter found within themselves the strength and courage to voice their pleas. Many parents, like Marlene, know that without an education, the struggle to make ends meet can be an uphill battle. Having dropped out of high school, she battles to keep things afloat for her kids and knows that without a proper education, her children will suffer the consequences she faced, even more so given the country’s current economic state.

 

McKinley school in Compton, CA

What propels this documentary is the onslaught of determination from the parents and volunteers at Parent Revolution trekking to Sacramento to meet with the state law makers to invoke change in their communities. While Compton, the inaugural leaping board for the Parent Trigger law, didn’t get the results they wanted due to technical issues with their petitions, they forged a path to help rewrite the rules so other communities and schools would learn from their mistakes and not repeat history. While there is a lot of controversy regarding the Parent Trigger law and the Parent Revolution Foundation, the message to fight for our children’s education is universal. Like one of the mothers, Shemika Murphy (to whom this film is dedicated in memoriam), said, “It’s not a black thing or Latino thing or white thing; it’s a child thing.” Do you need to change a school to a charter school? Not necessarily, but you should want to make a change to better your child’s education and if that means going the charter route, then why not try, right? I remember the days when you just went to school—not a magnet school or charter school or private school; just school. Private school doesn’t always equate to a better education. Likewise, attending public school doesn’t mean you can’t graduate with honors. There are pros and cons about all schools but this documentary sheds light on the many issues that needed to be addressed with failing schools.

 

Shemika Murphy’s daughter celebrating a small victory for McKinley school

Another important point in We the Parents revolves around the parents and students protesting for less testing and more learning. Why do districts test and test, and then retest but not teach? You cannot continue to test if you haven’t provided the education. Teachers are invaluable tools and I’m not diminishing their status, but we’ve neglected them over the years. I fondly remember my first, third, fifth, and sixth grade teachers because they taught me important lessons I’ll never forget. I remember many of my teachers from junior high but it was my high school economics teacher who made me realize that learning is the key to all success. Investing in our teachers and arming them with resources will undoubtedly help our children to be successful.

 

With so many late night talk show hosts asking pedestrians simple questions that seemingly go over their heads, or they reply with such muddled answers, you aren’t sure if they even understand what the question is. As an example, Jimmy Kimmel challenged people on the street to recite the Pledge of Allegiance and sadly, many could only recite the first line or spouted off the national anthem. Seriously? I graduated high school over 20 years ago but I remember the Pledge of Allegiance. I’m able to recite it by heart because at a young age, I was taught, by my teachers to respect our country. My mother was an immigrant from Korea. My father was a soldier in the United States Army. I was raised in the United States and I love my country. I am grateful for the free education that many other countries don’t have access to. How many of us could actually pass the test that is given to become a U.S. citizen? As a country, we have taken for granted our rights and freedoms. Educate yourself and feel proud. Hopefully, in the very near future, more of our children and their children will be able to recite the Pledge of Allegiance and know the difference between it and the national anthem. It’s not just up to parents to fight for better education; it should also be the administrators and law makers wanting to effect change. As parents, whether you speak English or not, you should be instilling the importance of education and literacy in your children. Many of the parents who spoke out in We the Parents were non-documented Hispanics who faced dire challenges when voicing their concerns in order to help their children achieve a better life. If a non-documented person is able to muster up the courage to stand up for their kids, why aren’t more parents who are legal speaking up? Hell, they’re not even whispering!

 

If you are a parent, grandparent, or guardian of some kind, We the Parents is a wonderful documentary that will inspire and motivate you. Let’s face it, education doesn’t stop when the bell rings at the end of the day. Reading with your kids and watching educational programs on television are all beneficial. I’m fortunate my daughter inherited my love of reading.

 

For listings to see this film in Los Angeles and New York, go to http://wetheparentsfilm.com/see-the-film/.
Photos © 2013 Go For Broke Pictures. All Rights Reserved.

 

 

 

Judy Manning

Dream chaser extraordinaire! Judy tends to be a tad sarcastic and kind of goofy! She is an avid admirer of all things supernatural, paranormal, celestial and mystical. She loves to read, write, and watches way too much TV. She enjoys many genres of film and music (and let's be honest, most music from the 80s). She also has a wicked sweet tooth. Cupcakes beware.

Judy Manning

Dream chaser extraordinaire! Judy tends to be a tad sarcastic and kind of goofy! She is an avid admirer of all things supernatural, paranormal, celestial and mystical. She loves to read, write, and watches way too much TV. She enjoys many genres of film and music (and let's be honest, most music from the 80s). She also has a wicked sweet tooth. Cupcakes beware.