Posted on by arotherham

Oprah!

Oprah is all into charter schools today, that’s great.  But hope someone looks into why some of the very charters she’s highlighting are getting attacked and thwarted by school districts in California, even this week.  Unless that’s too contentious for daytime TV?

3 Replies to “Oprah!”

  2. Words from the big O hers:

    Why, she was asked several years ago, did she not help schools in her own country? Here was her response:

    “Say what you will about the American educational system—it does work. If you are a child in the United States, you can get an education.”

    And then she said this:

    “I became so frustrated with visiting inner-city schools that I just stopped going. The sense that you need to learn just isn’t there. If you ask the kids what they want or need, they will say an iPod or some sneakers. In South Africa, they don’t ask for money or toys. They ask for uniforms so they can go to school.”

    Miss Rhee doesn’t like Oprah dissing the students.

  3. Sorry, but that second Oprah comment just sounds like someone who is not “coached” on what education really is in this country. I am sure that is not the only thing that kids want. And even wanting an iPad is not bad. Heck, elementary schools are giving students iPads so that they can use them in instruction.

    Our country is really really behind in terms of how it looks at technology as a tool for learning and for living life. I remember coming back from China after living in Asia for six years. I noticed a huge ad campaign for Extra gum or some other gum. It said, “The original IM.” The entire ad campaign was based on the idea that technology really keeps people from connecting, but gum brings them closer together.

    I know it seems silly to argue with an ad campaign, but for me it packaged the entire American view of technology: America is inherently human and perfect, so why use cameras, IM or laptops.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.