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      I Am a Promise: The Children of Stanton Elementary School

      1993 1h 30m Documentary List
      Reviews 100% Audience Score 50+ Ratings Filmmakers Alan and Susan Raymond document Philadelphia teachers facing challenges at an inner-city school. Read More Read Less

      Critics Reviews

      View All (2) Critics Reviews
      Jeff Silverman Variety The final sadness is just how rare the breaks seem to be. Oct 17, 2018 Full Review Walter Goodman New York Times The unsparing yet tender report ends with an affecting interview with Ms. Burney. Dec 11, 2017 Full Review Read all reviews

      Audience Reviews

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      Audience Member thought- provoking.. mind -enrichment largesse.. highly recommended Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/25/23 Full Review Audience Member A compelling & important documentary for any schools in the US & abroad. The filmmakers stayed at this school for a whole year & recorded the lives of students & teachers in one of the roughest areas in America. The struggle the principal & staff had teaching these children is incredible & despite the set backs seem quite focused. Many of the students parents are either dead or crack addicts & there stories are truly humbling. Many of the students despite their behavior where highly intelligent & fascinating to see how life unraveled in this school. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/31/23 Full Review Audience Member Teachers in inner-city Philadelphia with exclusively poor African-American students struggle to inspire and educate their students. Deploying the concepts of educators as heroes and education as inspiration, the subjects of this documentary encounter all the problems that you'd expect. While I normally reject the idea that education and inspiration are related, the context of this film and these teachers makes me challenge my own ideas. The principal of this school, Deanna Burney, must convince the students and their parents that they aren't categorically doomed to repeat the lives they see in their environment and that education has the power to take them beyond what they see. And at times she even has to convince teachers to believe in the "power of education." These are all idealistic notions that don't always hold up in real life, but it's hard to argue with her in the context of this film. Overall, my cold, dead, cynical heart was almost warmed by this film. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/26/23 Full Review Audience Member A must see for those interested or who involved in childrens education. It's a true story which makes it that much more interesting. For both educators and parents alike to help them stay informed. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/02/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

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      Movie Info

      Synopsis Filmmakers Alan and Susan Raymond document Philadelphia teachers facing challenges at an inner-city school.
      Director
      Susan Raymond
      Producer
      Alan Raymond, Susan Raymond
      Production Co
      Verite Films
      Genre
      Documentary
      Original Language
      English
      Release Date (DVD)
      Feb 22, 2005
      Runtime
      1h 30m