Graduating Peter

A previous reviewer had stated that although he enjoyed the film, he expects it for others to be either downright heartbreaking or downright dull. For me it was the former. In my schooling the Special Education Program was much different than the outright ridiculous expectations Peter's mother had in mind for him. Special Education students had a special program uniquely created for them where they spent time together with each other learning and creatively enjoying and expressing themselves at their own pace with less than half the rules and bad attitudes Peter was subjected to by his "aides." They would make simple creative projects and bake cookies and sell them by visiting different classrooms and then donating their entire proceeds to charitable causes. The smiles on their faces when students came up to them and thanking them for their service and purchasing their delicious cookies and beautiful cards were priceless. They weren't yelled at or told to sit still or else be sent to a special punishment room or be subject to the wrath of social rejection - all of which Peter had to undergo by his parents' desires of making him as functional as possible in modern day society. People like Peter exist to teach us exactly what is wrong with our modern day society, not the other way around. By constantly pushing Peter into circumstances not beneficial for him and by placing unrealistic expectations on him, his parents put him through needless suffering. No wonder the poor boy developed thyroid and depression problems. I would have too! Maybe they think he is some sort of toy that they can just wind and he will do exactly as they say, but he is not. He is probably more human than the rest of us - with a grand emotional ability and complex inner world of his own. He should have been allowed to enjoy himself by exploring different environments and being able to spend time with people undergoing similar situations as he is without all the nasty rules and regulations of our modern day society's so called "Schooling" and without the pressures of trying to find a "functional role" in society. Watching this documentary filled me with both horror and sympathy for Peter because he had unfortunately been born into parents incapable of caring for him. I might as well have been watching him be physically tortured as it would have at least spared him the deeper wounds caused by all that mental and emotional torture he was subjected to. Overall an eye-opening and heartbreaking documentary. 10 stars because everyone should watch this and learn from it whatever there may be to learn from this for each person. This is what I learned from it.

About 10 years or so ago, a little 30 minute (or less) documentary called "Educating Peter" came onto HBO and became an instant hit by winning an award. Peter was a 3rd grader in the original and now it documents him from 6th grade to his senior prom.

The documentary is 2/3 longer than the original but yet doesn't have the flavor the original had. Peter has truly blossomed over the years to say the least. He's bigger now and he is taking life and job skills classes. The documentary, instead of making me chuckle from time to time like the original, made me kind of feel sad.

Peter has graduated and is all grown up. I remember watching the first one when I was like 7 years old and thought it was funny how he could be so carefree. For all that is holy and nice, please make Peter a TRILOGY! I want to see Peter going to college or working and watching him grow older and how he copes with his affliction.

A truly heart warming yet saddening documentary that is good but it doesn't match to the originals half-hour feel good all the way formula. This to me is an excellent documentary but to others, it might be downright heartbreaking or downright dull.

9/10

I also enjoyed the first film more than this one. While it certainly does have its moments, the film feels extremely rushed (and it's 3 times longer than the original).

It seems as if HBO had imposed length requirements, or the filmmaker just didn't shoot enough. The film rushes through things way too quickly - there is nothing of Peter's 7th grade year and his entire junior year is summarized by a field trip to Busch Gardens.

7/10.

I have a 9 years old son with Down Syndrome (DS). I learned a lot from watching this movie about how children with DS behave in school. I rarely have a chance to go see my son in his class setting. This movie showed me the challenges that my son, his teachers and his peers face in school on a daily basis. I found this movie to be emotionally well balanced, educational and a must see for all parents with DS kids. I have not seen Educating Peter, but I am determined to do so after watching this movie on HBO. I agree with a previous comment on this movie stating the fact that some of the scenes were rushed. Also, some of the important milestones were missed out. Also, when showing other children with DS, the director did not emphasize how they were behaving in the class to give the parents with DS children a kind of comparison.