Reviews: What teachers are saying around the country
"Who has power? Who makes these decisions that affect our lives? Who benefits? Who is left out? These are the types of questions the students in this movie have learned to ask. This movie made it clear to me that this is one of the key elements of social justice: realizing that yes, we live in a democracy, but that the democracy was not set up to serve everyone in it. I am impressed with these teachers and how they have transformed passive students into critical questioners. This is my goal as a teacher." -Bill Bryant, Virginia
"Teaching for social justice would be incomplete if students were not taught to critique the society that they live in, a society that leaves power in the hands of a few at the expense of many. As the students in this movie read and saw parallels to their own life, their teachers encouraged them to ask, 'What kind society would I like to live in and how could I get there?' This questioning phase is vital because when students begin to ask questions, they are spurred on to action. This movie showed me that social justice does not just stop at reading and empathizing. The next step is asking 'Why?' and 'How?' and 'What can I do?'” -Melanie Acosta, New Jersey
"One student in the movie said, 'This class empowered me to question everything and not just accept what was written as truth.' Adolescence is a time when it becomes very easy and popular to go with the flow. Yet these students are learning to question the status quo and the hierarchies that they live with every day. This is an inspiration to teachers everywhere. Let’s start asking the hard questions until students learn to ask themselves." -Lori Brookman, Florida