Daily Archive

I’m going to begin writing and producing a documentary; my first one in fact. It will be about one of the most important issues in any country.  It will be about EDUCATION.  And I know it sounds a tad bit arrogant to say that, since I’m a teacher and all.  It’s kind of like saying English, or the teaching of languages, is the most important subject since it’s the subject I teach, but this is different. If you look at any society and the way its people are, you can trace it back to the way in which they became educated. How we behave, how we come to view ourselves, the people we interact with, the facts and information we gain about the world, and what we’re able to do, or not do, all comes back to our education. To our parents’ educations. To their parents’.  And, of course, to our teachers’ educations.

So here’s the rub: I want…no I will…and I’m going to create a documentary about the different educational systems around the world. The objective is simple: I’m going to compare and contrast the way different countries on different continents educate their children and then explain how this impacts their society.

For example, in the U.S. there is an insane amount of emphasis placed on testing and accountability; not so much on creativity and analytical thinking. This, in turn, does impact the society. You create people who don’t question things as freely; people who feel as though they’re constantly being “watched over” by someone; people who, at the end of the day, comply to your demands. Sit in your seat and work, or I’ll fail you. Sit in your cubicle and work, or I’ll fire you. The teacher is in charge, do what he says. The boss is in charge, do what she says. “BUY THIS PRODUCT IF YOU WANT TO BE BEAUTIFUL,” the ads say as the children obey without question or criticism.

This is far different than the philosophy of Thailand where emphasis is placed on self-discovery. The teacher is merely a guide, and the students are encouraged to find things out on their own. They stress the ability to come up with answers on their own, think for themselves, and to see the inter-connectedness of all things. Once again though, the teacher is merely a facilitator and a guide. Imagine what this does to a population of people who truly learn in this environment. It would be much more difficult to send these people to Iraq, or make them buy a plasma screen TV, or force them to sit at a desk ALL DAY and punch numbers or make telemarketing calls.

But words are one thing, images are another. Through the documentary, I would be able to SHOW these education systems along with the societies and people in which they’ve created.

Now…all I need is funding. Anyone out there have a few thousand dollars lying around? If you do, call me.