No Excuses Series: Don’t Wait for Superman

As some of you know I come from the entertainment business. From radio to television to feature films, therefore it takes quite a bit to impress or excite me from the standpoint of entertainment. However there was a film I saw this weekend that I strongly recommend. It is a documentary about education “Waiting for Superman”…before you yawn let me tell you it is symbolic of our society in a number of ways.

First and foremost it deals with the lack of opportunity in our inner cities. It begs the question is it the teachers, the lack of a perceived future, is it a safety issue. While all of these are contributing factors I would like to suggest it goes back to the family unit. The single biggest cause of not finishing at least a high school education is the lack of example set by parents.  There has been no job I have taken more seriously than parenting. We always spent a few hours with our kids each night as they were growing up, reviewing their home work, reading books, and spelling as we shot baskets in our backyard and debating the headlines in the newspaper. It took so little to accomplish so much.

Not everyone has the ability to go to private school and some would suggest that public school offers a more socially well rounded education anyway. Not everyone has the wherewithal to afford tutors or even computers but if you choose to have a child everyone should make the time to nurture the process.

“Waiting for Superman” talks about how we are falling behind the rest of the world in terms of technology, education and economic security, the is no simple answer to these problems but  if you choose to become a parent make sure you are financially secure, both committed to the process and above all dedicated to the notion that nothing, absolutely nothing comes before the welfare of your children.


Bill Barnett
CEO