"One of the saddest days of my life was when my mother told me Superman did not exist. I was like what do you mean he's not real? And she thought I was crying because it's like Santa Claus is not real and I was crying because there was no one coming with enough power to save us." This was the first of many quotes from the film that truly pulled at my heartstrings. As I watched the stories of five students and their families, I became infuriated by the injustice. I was naive in the sense that I was unaware of how much of struggle it is for many families to receive a decent education. These are good, motivated, smart kids who were simply born into unfortunate circumstances. Their parents (and grandparents) want what every parent wants for their children, and that is the best for them. I was inspired by the great measures these families took in order to properly educate their children. These five children were lucky to have families to continually fight for them, even when the school system had already failed them. But what about the children whose families do not go the extra mile, the families that accept that their child will become another product of a "drop-out factory?".
I believe every child has the ability to succeed if given the proper opportunities. I agree with the film's main objective that the charter school system offers a beacon of hope: public, neighborhood schools with caring, dynamic teachers and systems in place to make sure that nobody falls through the cracks. However, the problem that there aren't enough spots for all of the kids who want to go to is not a slight problem, but a tremendous problem that must be resolved. Although it cannot be resolved overnight, the solution can begin with us, the teachers that do care. .
I watched in suspense as these five smart, motivated kids sat in five different auditoriums around the country, their little fingers crossed for good luck, clutching the random number they've been given as if it holds the key to their freedom (which, of course, it does).