It seems our short attention spans, married with a growing acceptance of global violence, have relegated the story of Omran and others like him to the editorial section or worse, to be simply forgotten. After all, what does it really have to do with us?

As a society we’ve hidden ourselves behind television sets and social media feeds. Forgetting that what we were seeing and actually participating in was just a show – an illusion made for public consumption but never meant to be taken literally. Unfortunately the illusion has become reality and the effects of this will be far-reaching and long lasting.

Over the past decade, educators and lawmakers have all sought new and unique ways in which to advance the learning process for students. However, they have failed to approach the problem from the perspective of the student or taken real advantage of technology and how content is and will be consumed.

The film Stand and Deliver is about an inner-city math teacher who decides to change an educational system that is blind to the needs of its students. This true story is a great example of overcoming challenges to deliver on a promise. In this case, the promise of a valid education to kids, regardless of geography or socio-economic status.