Educating Peter (1992) User Reviews

Integration of an autistic boy at school

[Horst_In_Translation · 8/10 · 25 April 2016]

"Educating Peter" is a half-minute documentary movie from almost 25 years ago starring Peter Gwazdauskas, a boy who suffers from Down Syndrome. People made the decision to take him out of an education with other student who also have Down Syndrome and instead make an attempt to integrate him in a school where you and I went to and this is all this 29-minute documentary is about. I must say its biggest strength is probably that it feels really authentic. Of course, Peter isn't acting, but I also never felt that any of the scenes (or at least not the majority) were scripted and the people were told what to do and what to say. This one won Thomas C. Goodwin and Geraldine Wurzburg an Academy Award. If you enjoyed it, check out the sequel "Graduating Peter" or Wurzburg's "Autism is a World". As for "Educating Peter", I give it a thumbs-up. This is one of the best documentaries from the early 1990s and I personally felt it looked very retro, certainly older than it actually is.

Not just a documentary

[TheatreNerd · 10/10 · 29 January 2005]

What everyone needs to remember is that there was so much more to his life than what was seen on film. The town this documentary takes place in is very small and he was the first of many students to try this new approach to education. With that being said, I know Peter. I was in fifth grade when this was filmed and i went to that school. Not only that, he lived in my neighborhood. To me and to the rest of the students at GLE, seeing peter overcome such obstacles was an everyday occurrence. I haven't seen the movie graduating peter, but i did see the actual ceremony. For the record, Peter ended up excelling so well that he actually graduated a year after I did.

Well deserved of an Oscar

[KCrep1 · 4 June 2010]

It's a difficult topic shown without restraint. A boy with Down Syndrome is placed into a standard education class with other students who understandably are not trained in the ways of dealing with people with special needs. It is eye-opening to see his peers, themselves just boys and girls, with great patience and understanding.

I think the sequel, Graduating Peter [2001] is a well made companion to Peter's young life. In a selfish way I would hope to see how Peter is continuing on his life, in a future installment.

The two films are both endearing and honest, sometimes brutally as another reviewer mentioned, when Peter kicks a boy in the face, for example, then realizes what he's done is wrong and befriends that same boy. I found them to be inspiring in many ways.

Inclusion in our classrooms

[dabudooya · 10/10 · 8 February 2008]

The filmmakers of this movie did a great job in showing the amount of time and attention that is attributed to students who are mentally challenged and the real cost it is to the other children. I liked this movie because it is not sugar coated, as many are, in dealing with special needs children. Peter is allowed to hit and scream and act up. while the teacher has to stop what she is doing to calm him down. The injured child is supposed to learn something from this experience. I believe it is tolerance. I have worked in Special Education for many years and taken care of and loved some of these special kids. I had an aunt that passed away a short time ago at the age of 80, who had the mind of a 4 year old. She was one of the greatest people I have ever known. She would always say, "I'm as happy as I want to be". I believe, as many teachers do, that inclusion is non-productive for these children and children who are not special. The idea being that having these kids in the classroom is disruptive and frustrating. The documentary shows that in an unfiltered view. As if, you were sitting with them in the classroom. Whether you believe in inclusion or not, everyone should see this film. I have been promoting it for years. Even before it got it's Oscar. There is a huge difference between the physically challenged and the mentally challenged and the ones that are both. You can not create a classroom conducive to learning academics, when the lessons being learned are. that people are different and sometimes very difficult. Sharing the arts with them and free time could be better used for that purpose. I believe the film demonstrates all these points and more. I don't think that was their intention but, I do think it does open your eyes to what you would not see otherwise. But, you must see it to form your own opinions. If you have children in the public school system or not, whether you are a teacher or a parent, whether you have children disabled or not, you should see this documentary. I highly recommend it. This is my opinion.

Peter serves as inspiration for us all

[delbomber · 10/10 · 7 February 1999]

"Educating Peter" is an enlightening and informative look into the life of a child affected by Downs Syndrome.

It's fun to watch as Peter adapts to his new school and learns to interact with other children, and it seems as though they learn as much from him as he does from them. His zany misadventures with his classmates serve as moments of laughter because all of us wish, at times, we could be as care-free as Peter.

This Academy Award winning documentary should be seen by everyone; it is unforgettable and Peter will provide a topic of discussion for a long time to come.

all disabilities need to get understood

[lee_eisenberg · 10/10 · 30 January 2016]

Geraldine Wurzburg's Oscar-winning "Educating Peter" focuses on a boy afflicted with Down's syndrome, and how he tries to overcome it in his school. Despite Peter's occasional outbursts, his teacher and classmates do what they can to help him. It's safe to say that while a lot of people see the Oscar-winning feature films, not enough people see the documentaries (and they're the important nominees). "Educating Peter" is an example of a documentary that everyone should see. It reminds us that despite our differences, deep down we're all human. Indeed, people with Down's will likely suffer a lot of bullying. Whatever can get done to raise awareness about this needs to get done. This documentary is a good starting place.

This should be a cautionary tale

[Science-rules · 1/10 · 23 September 2015]

I would be furious if my child's education was so disrupted.

Why is Peter's education more important than the rest of the class combined?

We would never tolerate any of the other children smacking another with their lunch box. Why does he get to do that?

If this system is like many others the students in that class will get to enjoy Peter's presence for many years.

How was it decided that the reduction in quality of their lives and their productivity is acceptable?

In an era of shrinking resources, the money spent to deal with this child detracts from what is available for the others.

Imagine how much any of the other kids could accomplish if they had a dedicated handler and this kind of support.

What a documentary should be like

[ron-121 · 27 May 2004]

Educating Peter is the Academy Award winning documentary of the experiences of a grade school child with a special handicap . Not many documentaries focus on what it is like to live with Down's Syndrome , and these filmmakers do a commendable job .

Worth noting is the reaction Peter has to his classmates , as well as his classmates interaction with him . The trials , tribulations and yes , dare I say it , funny moments . An endearing scene was when Peter drop kicks little Kenny Kerr right in the face during a gym class , and regrets what he did , exclaiming in his heartfelt way ( with a little encouragement from his teacher ) , " sorry " . Magical .

I highly recommend this to anyone .