Stanton

I was really saddened when, in the end, Ms. Bernie left the school. Though at first I questioned her influence as a white superior in this all black school, I grew to really respect her as the film progressed...and then I questioned why I would be taken aback that she was racially different and a superior in the first place...and I think that has a lot to do with environment.
Ms. Bernie got upset when the camera woman asked her (at about an hour) if these students can overcome their environment, commenting that many people don't think it's possible. Ms. Bernie's reaction was almost tearful, and quite memorable. I felt that you can see that she knows that the environment that the children are in is a huge issue, but that she is also so angry that these kids are written off by others. She actually does not give a direct response to the question and, not to slander her in any way, because I thought that she was an amazing woman, but the fact that she left this school because she did not think that there were enough resources available is a testament to how formidable a force environment is.
One thing that struck me was how perceptive the children were. They may mistakenly pick up a syringe not knowing what it is, but they know about drugs and violence and the absence of parents and it greatly affects how they view the world, as well as their behavior. We meet Cornelius's mother and we understand why he acts out the way he does-his mother's behavior is almost worse than his. We meet Andrew's father and we have hope because he seems that he really wants to try, but he never comes back to the school and Andrew ends up living with his grandmother. These adults, it seems, have already settled on their life paths and to break out of them and start fresh would require them to be in a new environment, but that is mostly unrealistic. They're stuck. The children can change their environment to some extent, and they do. Nadia moved in with an older man that she adopted as her grandfather. The school itself is a different environment, but overall, they cannot escape the influence of the world right outside their doors...and so I was glad that they addressed this within the school. It is sad that the children have to be tought what to do in dangerous situations or not to hate a certain race because of what they've seen people from that race to, but these are very important lessons for them. I think this school did a good job with what it had...that is, to say, that I really really admired Ms. Bernie and her individual efforts...I'm not really sure about the most of the other educators (I definitely had reservations about Mr.-Drill-Sergeant-line-nazi with the megaphone) ...but, I was really moved by this documentary.