"A child's learning is the function more of the characteristics of his classmates than those of the teacher." James Coleman, 1972

Monday, September 20, 2010

Doprah

What would a Billionaire's week of corporate ed promotion be without a visit with the Queen of Schlock?  You may view the clips by visiting the site, and there are already hundreds of comments.  Please do add your own as I did--although I doubt mine is up the quality that Oprah demands for her viewers:
If you had put on this show before the voters in DC repudiated the Gates-Walton-Broad plan for America's schools, it might have had the desired impact.  As it is, Oprah looks and sounds the corporate parrot that she is, sadly.  So much disinformation, where to start?  You guys need to look up tenure to see what it is. Clue: it is not guaranteed employment for life, but, rather, is a due process protection to employees with collective bargaining agreements--something I know that Bill and Oprah and Michelle do not abide by.  If you had had the balls to put Randi Weingarten on stage with your corporate cheerleaders, instead of the dark canned clip of her, she could have calmed Oprah down, perhaps, and offered some light to go with the heat.  Perhaps. 

The same people who voted down the hedge-funded charterites in NY and the oligarch-owned Fenty/Rhee machine have more votes waiting.  The biggest vote your crony capitalist, Oprah, has to worry about is if everyone votes to switch channels before she makes her grand exit.
But here is one that has to hit home if Oprah's heart still has any blood running through it:

Youngteacher
Posted: Mon 9/20/2010 3:56 PM
 
Youngteacher : Dear Oprah, I have never been so frustrated with a topic that you have showcased. I am a teacher and I have first hand experience in the public school systems you call poor. I am 23 years of age with a Masters degree in Social Studies Secondary Education. I have worked in public schools with diverse demographics both racially and economically. These schools don't have lazy or unqualified teacher. They have the technology that is up to date and every student has a textbook in good condition. Oprah you have let down me and so many others by making all public school teachers look lazy and uneducated. You make young teachers want to stay away from the public school system for fear of being categorized as an unfit teacher. I am hurt and very let down that you choose to praise Charter School teachers only. Because I am a good teacher I'm going to keep on changing he minds and lives of young people despite what you showcased today.

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