This is the week parents start sending their kids back to school. My kid starts on Thursday. My kid also goes to school nearly 20 miles from our home. I have to get up a bit earlier, so does he, and we have to spend 30-40 minutes each way so he can get a world class education. My story is not unique, many parents alter their lives to make sure their kids are in good schools. My story, along with many American parents, is an inconvenience.

Back in 2013 a French documentary called “On the Way to School” was released. The movie is just over an hour long, yet it has occupied a good chunk of my mind over the last decade. The documentary follows four kids in different countries and what they do to just get an education. It is a fascinating and inspiring film.

The movie starts with a young Kenyan child who lives in a hut in the desert. He and his brother have to take a two hour journey every day across the desert to go to school. On their journey they have to be careful to not run into any wildlife like lions and elephants. The two boys make the same journey back at the end of the day. They do this every single day. Along the way they need to stop to fill containers with fresh water and carry them on the journey. The oldest boy is 11 years old. The boys never complain and feel grateful that they have an opportunity to get an education.

The next child we are introduced to a Moroccan girl named Zahira. She along with a few friends take a four hour journey, through mountains and on foot, at the beginning of each week to reach their school. The girls stay for the week and make the journey home when school is done for the week. The only really complaining comes when one of the girls forgets to wear proper footwear for a trek through the mountains.

Our third child is an 11 year old Argentinian boy named Carlos. He and his sister have to cross the Patagonia by horseback to get to school. The journey takes almost two hours each way. This will be the last year of school for Carlos before he decides to go away to a school he will live at or if he gets a job.

The final child is an Indian boy named Samuel. Samuel is in a wheelchair and goes to school with his two brothers helping him. The trip takes over an hour and the terrain are sand, water, and city streets. Again, Samuel is in a wheelchair and during their documented trip a tire gets wrecked, and the boys need to get it repaired. Their spirit is never broken, and Samuel tells the documentary crew that he is going to school so he can one day be a doctor and help kids like him.

The stories of these four journeys are intercut with each other. There are subtitles so you do not have to be native in any language to understand and watch. Each kid shows a quiet determination and an interest in bettering their lives through education. Although each of these children live in very low-income households, they movie never wants you to pity these kids. The journey these kids take, some of them each day, is more inspiring than it is depressing. “On the Way to School” is an incredible film.

This week when we are all dreading the changes in our lives as school starts, I know I will try to temper myself pity by thinking of what I saw in “On the Way to School” The movie can be found on most streaming services for purchase and it is on some services for free with ads shown during the movie. When your kids complain about the bus, car, or walk to school, have them watch “On the Way to School”. They may still complain, but maybe they will have a little better perspective.

RD

RD is the founder and Head Editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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