Many students who fail in a traditional high school setting wind up in alternative schools--institutions that generally suffer from negative perceptions, lack of funding, and resistance from mainstream school employees. Hear My Voice! features testimonials culled from several alternative high school student focus groups, comprised of teens from a broad spectrum of ethnicities and personalities. Host/filmmaker Patrice De La Ossa, an alternative high school teacher, asks each group a set of questions, and the kids respond openly about class size and teacher attention, personal relationships and students' sense of community, advantages of attending alternative school, how to improve traditional schools, and the negative attitude toward alternative high schools. This rather pedestrian-looking video never pretends to be objective: it is clearly a half-hour argument for alternative high schools that also questions the effectiveness of traditional high schools; however, the fact that the content not only addresses a unique topic, but does so from the students' perspective, makes this well worth watching. An accompanying discussion handbook includes additional information, such as the definition and history of alternative education. Recommended. Aud: H, C, P. (E. Gieschen)
Hear My Voice!
(2002) 27 min. VHS: $49.99 (discussion guide included). Insights Productions. PPR. Color cover. ISBN: 0-9753827-0-5. Volume 20, Issue 2
Hear My Voice!
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