Educating Peter

Geraldine Wurzburg's Oscar-winning "Educating Peter" focuses on a boy afflicted with Down's syndrome, and how he tries to overcome it in his school. Despite Peter's occasional outbursts, his teacher and classmates do what they can to help him. It's safe to say that while a lot of people see the Oscar-winning feature films, not enough people see the documentaries (and they're the important nominees). "Educating Peter" is an example of a documentary that everyone should see. It reminds us that despite our differences, deep down we're all human. Indeed, people with Down's will likely suffer a lot of bullying. Whatever can get done to raise awareness about this needs to get done. This documentary is a good starting place.

"Educating Peter" is an enlightening and informative look into the life of a child affected by Downs Syndrome.

It's fun to watch as Peter adapts to his new school and learns to interact with other children, and it seems as though they learn as much from him as he does from them. His zany misadventures with his classmates serve as moments of laughter because all of us wish, at times, we could be as care-free as Peter.

This Academy Award winning documentary should be seen by everyone; it is unforgettable and Peter will provide a topic of discussion for a long time to come.

I would be furious if my child's education was so disrupted.

Why is Peter's education more important than the rest of the class combined?

We would never tolerate any of the other children smacking another with their lunch box. Why does he get to do that?

If this system is like many others the students in that class will get to enjoy Peter's presence for many years.

How was it decided that the reduction in quality of their lives and their productivity is acceptable?

In an era of shrinking resources, the money spent to deal with this child detracts from what is available for the others.

Imagine how much any of the other kids could accomplish if they had a dedicated handler and this kind of support.

What everyone needs to remember is that there was so much more to his life than what was seen on film. The town this documentary takes place in is very small and he was the first of many students to try this new approach to education. With that being said, I know Peter. I was in fifth grade when this was filmed and i went to that school. Not only that, he lived in my neighborhood. To me and to the rest of the students at GLE, seeing peter overcome such obstacles was an everyday occurrence. I haven't seen the movie graduating peter, but i did see the actual ceremony. For the record, Peter ended up excelling so well that he actually graduated a year after I did.

The filmmakers of this movie did a great job in showing the amount of time and attention that is attributed to students who are mentally challenged and the real cost it is to the other children. I liked this movie because it is not sugar coated, as many are, in dealing with special needs children. Peter is allowed to hit and scream and act up. while the teacher has to stop what she is doing to calm him down. The injured child is supposed to learn something from this experience. I believe it is tolerance. I have worked in Special Education for many years and taken care of and loved some of these special kids. I had an aunt that passed away a short time ago at the age of 80, who had the mind of a 4 year old. She was one of the greatest people I have ever known. She would always say, "I'm as happy as I want to be". I believe, as many teachers do, that inclusion is non-productive for these children and children who are not special. The idea being that having these kids in the classroom is disruptive and frustrating. The documentary shows that in an unfiltered view. As if, you were sitting with them in the classroom. Whether you believe in inclusion or not, everyone should see this film. I have been promoting it for years. Even before it got it's Oscar. There is a huge difference between the physically challenged and the mentally challenged and the ones that are both. You can not create a classroom conducive to learning academics, when the lessons being learned are. that people are different and sometimes very difficult. Sharing the arts with them and free time could be better used for that purpose. I believe the film demonstrates all these points and more. I don't think that was their intention but, I do think it does open your eyes to what you would not see otherwise. But, you must see it to form your own opinions. If you have children in the public school system or not, whether you are a teacher or a parent, whether you have children disabled or not, you should see this documentary. I highly recommend it. This is my opinion.