Monday, June 30, 2008
Relentless Ranting?
I finished the book yesterday, in exactly a week.
The initial review which brought me to it turned out to be misleading; by the time I reached the middle of the book, I wondered if the author had taken the time to read the whole thing.
I realize it contained a ton of information, but that review was written like a paper by a college freshman, as if the book had been skimmed, with a dash of notes from the beginning chapter, a couple from the middle, and voila, a lukewarm summarization. Surely, time and word count were most likely restrictions in that instance; it's still worth exploring, though.
I also read several reviews of the book on Amazon before I purchased it, noting Wendy Kopp herself wrote a book a few years ago, and I intend to read that as well. But in most cases, the conversation went toward a debate about education reform, rather than a discussion of the book itself, or proposed areas for further research on TFA's methods and scope for change.
I have my own criticisms, but they seem trifling compared to the message it expounds. When I began the book, it immediately took hold of me. I found it difficult to sleep.
However, minus the scary introduction to the neighborhood, the gangs, and the school itself, the story then leaned toward of focus of the experience on the teachers, TFA and non; then, the organization, testing, recruiting methods, as well as problem-solving and expansion plans, among other things under the guise of TFA; and then the larger school system, and how it tied in with individual experience of those who were involved.
This would be an exciting time to join the organization, as alums are finally entering into the larger society to continue the path toward education reform through systematic change as envisioned by Kopp in the program's founding in the first place: teaching is only the first part of the story; staying focused on the larger picture and maintaining commitment in all professions thereafter as part of this country and this social movement is the second.
I have to say, I found this review informative as well as infuriating. That the Slate writer was an alum from the very first corp was intriguing; in the article I think she did her best to defend the organization and explain some common problems in the education system, but the last line was just far from necessary:
Leftists always talk about "the power structure" when discussing the poor, but it took a blond-headed, pro-business Princeton grad from Dallas to put in place a movement that stands a chance of actually changing that structure.
Seriously? I don't know where she was going with that. It practically came out of nowhere, and it left a sour taste in my mouth. It's just disappointing because with that last what? -- 32 words? -- she managed to not make TFA look any better, not make the discussion about the Ivy Leaguers who join any better, and not to make any sort of rightful criticism of leftism, or support of women world leaders such as Kopp. She just made herself look bad, as a successful alum of the program, who got to write an article about a book obviously over something she believed in, at least, 20 years ago, only to indirectly crap on it in the last sentence.
Nice.
However, the discussion it precipitated on the Web site -- and I read all of it -- provided an even more informative picture of this ongoing, incredibly important, ready-fueled debate.
I finished the book yesterday, in exactly a week.
The initial review which brought me to it turned out to be misleading; by the time I reached the middle of the book, I wondered if the author had taken the time to read the whole thing.
I realize it contained a ton of information, but that review was written like a paper by a college freshman, as if the book had been skimmed, with a dash of notes from the beginning chapter, a couple from the middle, and voila, a lukewarm summarization. Surely, time and word count were most likely restrictions in that instance; it's still worth exploring, though.
I also read several reviews of the book on Amazon before I purchased it, noting Wendy Kopp herself wrote a book a few years ago, and I intend to read that as well. But in most cases, the conversation went toward a debate about education reform, rather than a discussion of the book itself, or proposed areas for further research on TFA's methods and scope for change.
I have my own criticisms, but they seem trifling compared to the message it expounds. When I began the book, it immediately took hold of me. I found it difficult to sleep.
However, minus the scary introduction to the neighborhood, the gangs, and the school itself, the story then leaned toward of focus of the experience on the teachers, TFA and non; then, the organization, testing, recruiting methods, as well as problem-solving and expansion plans, among other things under the guise of TFA; and then the larger school system, and how it tied in with individual experience of those who were involved.
This would be an exciting time to join the organization, as alums are finally entering into the larger society to continue the path toward education reform through systematic change as envisioned by Kopp in the program's founding in the first place: teaching is only the first part of the story; staying focused on the larger picture and maintaining commitment in all professions thereafter as part of this country and this social movement is the second.
I have to say, I found this review informative as well as infuriating. That the Slate writer was an alum from the very first corp was intriguing; in the article I think she did her best to defend the organization and explain some common problems in the education system, but the last line was just far from necessary:
Leftists always talk about "the power structure" when discussing the poor, but it took a blond-headed, pro-business Princeton grad from Dallas to put in place a movement that stands a chance of actually changing that structure.
Seriously? I don't know where she was going with that. It practically came out of nowhere, and it left a sour taste in my mouth. It's just disappointing because with that last what? -- 32 words? -- she managed to not make TFA look any better, not make the discussion about the Ivy Leaguers who join any better, and not to make any sort of rightful criticism of leftism, or support of women world leaders such as Kopp. She just made herself look bad, as a successful alum of the program, who got to write an article about a book obviously over something she believed in, at least, 20 years ago, only to indirectly crap on it in the last sentence.
Nice.
However, the discussion it precipitated on the Web site -- and I read all of it -- provided an even more informative picture of this ongoing, incredibly important, ready-fueled debate.
Labels: Books, Education, Social Problems, Teach for America
Wednesday, April 09, 2008
Information Overload.
I can't tell if my brain is rotting, frying or expanding, but I've been taking in a lot of information lately.
I used to care about issues, and I would read everything I could, and try at least to argue my point of view, when challenged.
But over the years, something changed. For a while I cared a lot, but then I learned to pay less attention. And less, until, even when slightly inspired, or feeling like I may have something to contribute, I could not even begin to try to articulate some sort of logical, informed opinion, which I also have always felt, even on the break, is often the only opinion worth having.
Lately, though, I can't help but reevaluate. On the one hand I am realizing how much I do care about, how much I've always cared about, how little things have changed for the better, and how now, perhaps more than ever, a need exists for certain issues to be discussed and addressed, and even hashed out from opposite sides.
This newfound knowledge surrounding the necessity for debate, however challenging, sometimes futile feeling, and oftentimes painful, is nonetheless acute.
We have so many options concerning how we spend our time, what we choose to care about, that sometimes realizing this in itself can have a stifling, suffocating effect.
But I dream, and I hope, that if I can acknowledge this and meet it head on, not being afraid of conflict, not being fearful of my own competence, or what impression I may make, I might be able to do something about it.
***
The fact that crime has gone down in many of our major cities over the last few years is often overshadowed by the feeling of Mean World Syndrome, that we live in a world that is completely unsafe. It is unsafe to go to school. It is unsafe to walk around town. It is unsafe to be out at night. It is unsafe for children to play in parks.
And then, inside is as unsafe as out: it is unsafe to purchase things on the Internet. It can be harmful to your computer to visit certain sites, or open the wrong email, exposing your hardware to a virus, or in the case of some young people lately, to be assaulted online and subjected to humiliation and bullying.
It is unsafe to watch too much television, loaded with violence and sex that is speculated to have such a wide overall effect on the attitudes and beliefs of spectators. Whether it is agreed or doubted that engaging in certain kinds of media too much can cause one to behave more aggressively, above all things consumption of the media is definitely known to cultivate our worldview, one that arguably can be so cynical, that rather than participate in an active social exchange we set ourselves up to ingest even more poison in our own homes.
This is what is seen as safe.
***
We have reports coming out showing that inner-city school kids have only half a chance of graduating. Some would argue it's the Education System's fault. Some would argue it's their parents' fault.
I like what Obama said. Something about how they are not "those" kids. They are "our" kids. That's pretty much how I've always felt about it.
I don't know if it's the fact that I went to 11 schools in three states when I was growing up, and got to see the system from a few different angles, or if it's because I was so disappointed over and over again by my teachers, and standardized tests, and not being challenged enough to care a lot of the time.
I don't know if it's because I read an essay on education in my Comp II class at 20 years old and went on to read several books by the same author, Jonathan Kozol, and about the issues he observed in neighborhoods and with families and with bureaucracy and healthcare and drugs, but something early on got me fired up about education, what it should be, what everyone should have access to. One of the most basic human rights, in the first place, but something everyone needs in this country to the extent that each can survive in our economic system.
There are very few marketable low-level skills anymore. Between manufacturing moving to service, countless jobs moving overseas for cheap labor and the benefit of bypassing pollution laws and labor unions, and things have moved to technology in a lot of ways too, but one skill goes out the door with the next big thing, and it is specialized as well as ever-changing.
However few jobs we have on that end, they are also overcrowded with the fact that the market is flooded with newly graduated college degree holders, who more often than not have education but no experience, student loans to repay, and a vague idea of why they went to college in the first place, placing their hands out after paying their dues for four-plus years, and wondering if it will ever pay off in the future.
***
The world is so complex, adding on to all these other issues one could barely hope to tackle in the slightest in one blog post, and also knowing they are further complicated and clouded in the fog of hidden agendas, including profit, hate, elitism, classism and hindsight as viewed through competing generations.
It seems just as many people think they know where we should go, while the rest of are saying, "Where do we go from here?" And the few who might fall in to at least ask the question or beg for an answer or even possibly propose one on their own, instead chalk it up to the idea that humanity is going to hell in a handbasket.
But what if it's not? I have to believe it's not. And just as I am voting for Obama because the chance that he is full of shit when compared to other politicians seems to me at least to be a lot slimmer, he also at least says the things that so many before him for a long time coming have never even dared to say.
And as for myself, if I care enough to try for anything, to be inspired enough to defend my own views as well as aim for some kind of positive change, that's all I can really dare to do. And if my own daring or Obama's or anyone else who ever dared to care would so in vain, it's better than never trying, never feeling, never dreaming. The alternative is not an option anymore.
I can't tell if my brain is rotting, frying or expanding, but I've been taking in a lot of information lately.
I used to care about issues, and I would read everything I could, and try at least to argue my point of view, when challenged.
But over the years, something changed. For a while I cared a lot, but then I learned to pay less attention. And less, until, even when slightly inspired, or feeling like I may have something to contribute, I could not even begin to try to articulate some sort of logical, informed opinion, which I also have always felt, even on the break, is often the only opinion worth having.
Lately, though, I can't help but reevaluate. On the one hand I am realizing how much I do care about, how much I've always cared about, how little things have changed for the better, and how now, perhaps more than ever, a need exists for certain issues to be discussed and addressed, and even hashed out from opposite sides.
This newfound knowledge surrounding the necessity for debate, however challenging, sometimes futile feeling, and oftentimes painful, is nonetheless acute.
We have so many options concerning how we spend our time, what we choose to care about, that sometimes realizing this in itself can have a stifling, suffocating effect.
But I dream, and I hope, that if I can acknowledge this and meet it head on, not being afraid of conflict, not being fearful of my own competence, or what impression I may make, I might be able to do something about it.
***
The fact that crime has gone down in many of our major cities over the last few years is often overshadowed by the feeling of Mean World Syndrome, that we live in a world that is completely unsafe. It is unsafe to go to school. It is unsafe to walk around town. It is unsafe to be out at night. It is unsafe for children to play in parks.
And then, inside is as unsafe as out: it is unsafe to purchase things on the Internet. It can be harmful to your computer to visit certain sites, or open the wrong email, exposing your hardware to a virus, or in the case of some young people lately, to be assaulted online and subjected to humiliation and bullying.
It is unsafe to watch too much television, loaded with violence and sex that is speculated to have such a wide overall effect on the attitudes and beliefs of spectators. Whether it is agreed or doubted that engaging in certain kinds of media too much can cause one to behave more aggressively, above all things consumption of the media is definitely known to cultivate our worldview, one that arguably can be so cynical, that rather than participate in an active social exchange we set ourselves up to ingest even more poison in our own homes.
This is what is seen as safe.
***
We have reports coming out showing that inner-city school kids have only half a chance of graduating. Some would argue it's the Education System's fault. Some would argue it's their parents' fault.
I like what Obama said. Something about how they are not "those" kids. They are "our" kids. That's pretty much how I've always felt about it.
I don't know if it's the fact that I went to 11 schools in three states when I was growing up, and got to see the system from a few different angles, or if it's because I was so disappointed over and over again by my teachers, and standardized tests, and not being challenged enough to care a lot of the time.
I don't know if it's because I read an essay on education in my Comp II class at 20 years old and went on to read several books by the same author, Jonathan Kozol, and about the issues he observed in neighborhoods and with families and with bureaucracy and healthcare and drugs, but something early on got me fired up about education, what it should be, what everyone should have access to. One of the most basic human rights, in the first place, but something everyone needs in this country to the extent that each can survive in our economic system.
There are very few marketable low-level skills anymore. Between manufacturing moving to service, countless jobs moving overseas for cheap labor and the benefit of bypassing pollution laws and labor unions, and things have moved to technology in a lot of ways too, but one skill goes out the door with the next big thing, and it is specialized as well as ever-changing.
However few jobs we have on that end, they are also overcrowded with the fact that the market is flooded with newly graduated college degree holders, who more often than not have education but no experience, student loans to repay, and a vague idea of why they went to college in the first place, placing their hands out after paying their dues for four-plus years, and wondering if it will ever pay off in the future.
***
The world is so complex, adding on to all these other issues one could barely hope to tackle in the slightest in one blog post, and also knowing they are further complicated and clouded in the fog of hidden agendas, including profit, hate, elitism, classism and hindsight as viewed through competing generations.
It seems just as many people think they know where we should go, while the rest of are saying, "Where do we go from here?" And the few who might fall in to at least ask the question or beg for an answer or even possibly propose one on their own, instead chalk it up to the idea that humanity is going to hell in a handbasket.
But what if it's not? I have to believe it's not. And just as I am voting for Obama because the chance that he is full of shit when compared to other politicians seems to me at least to be a lot slimmer, he also at least says the things that so many before him for a long time coming have never even dared to say.
And as for myself, if I care enough to try for anything, to be inspired enough to defend my own views as well as aim for some kind of positive change, that's all I can really dare to do. And if my own daring or Obama's or anyone else who ever dared to care would so in vain, it's better than never trying, never feeling, never dreaming. The alternative is not an option anymore.
Labels: 2008 Election, Books, Dreams, Goals, Obama, Social Problems, The Media
