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Rawson School, Hartford (video in two parts, with transcript)

Biggs, Julian (Creator)

1969

Children

The film opens up with a teacher and a child going over math problems at Rawson School during a new summer program that teachers and parents have developed. One teacher talks about the community aspect of the school that is new in the past year. She talks about a program in which there are volunteer teaching aides from the community spending at least a half-day a week each at all three of the elementary schools in the area: Annie Fisher, Rawson, and Mark Twain schools. She then describes the summer program as a way to support student learning, particularly in Kindergarten through second grade. The program has a a 1:1 or 1:6 teacher to studentratio, and provides tutoring for students during summer vacation, since retention of informationfrom the previous school year is a problem for students. The civic association and other community members have gotten involved and were able to get institutional support for a summer program from Dr. Miles at the Board of Education so that students who need the most support could get it over the summer. The film cuts to another woman helping a young student with vocabulary through image recognition and reading aloud. It then cuts back to the initial teacher who explains that 50 families participated in the summer program this year and discusses the importance of communities beginning to work together to help themselves and not just seek out volunteers from the suburbs. The film cuts to a teacher playing games with children outside. She plays Little Miss Muffet and Jack Be Nimble. The film cuts to a parents who speaks about the challenges but also, about her reasons for volunteering in the program. The film cuts to children painting on large easels with paint brushes. The film cuts back to the parent volunteer who says she believes the school system itself creates problems for students; they should address the needs of children at whatever level they are. The film cuts back to the second woman who expounds upon this idea, explaining that parents are very concerned about whether or not their children can read, for example, and the volunteers who come from the community get involved because they care and believe these children can learn. She discusses the importance of offering more attention to children and more dynamic ways of teaching in order to meet children’s needs such as using art to help a child to learn to read if he shows he has a knack for art. The film cuts to a man speaking about how significant the summer program has been and that it shows how efforts can be made in the future to help children in school as well as outside of the school day.

Ownership Statement: Hartford History Center, Hartford Public Library

color

video/mov

Source Note: Butch Lewis Collection

Hartford (Conn.)

This is one of a number of 1969 documentary-style films in the collection of Hartford Black Panther Party co-founder, Butch Lewis. The films were directed and filmed by Canadian filmmaker Julian Biggs and assistant Baylis Glascock. . They document various Hartford black and Puerto Rican community leaders and communities as well as white governmental and business leaders discussing issues facing poor communities in the City of Hartford. Issues include urban renewal, housing, employment, education, and governmental representation.

Glascock, Baylis (Creator)

Education

Literacy

Students

Teachers

Volunteers in education

50002:5545

local: hpl_hhc_bl_rawson-school

http://hdl.handle.net/11134/50002:5545

MovingImage

video recordings