THE SLOW EROSION OF AMERICAN EDUCATION HAS BECOME A MUDSLIDE
This week I had the pleasure of being interviewed on a local White Plains Cable Access Show called “Westchester Roundup.” The interview went well but that is less important than what happened before the interview actually started.
The Host, Bob Johnson, a member of the Portchester School Board, and I met a local #resist meeting a few weeks ago. I had approached him because he was the only other person there who spoke about education as an issue. When I found out who he was I asked him whether or not he had an experiential learning (internship) program for his seniors. He said no, but was interested. We exchanged contact info and arranged to meet. Then he invited me to be on his show.
Prior to the interview I discovered I knew one of the producers there, Rita Santos. She was a former student at Woodlands HS, and had participated in the school’s WISE Program, a semester long senior program where students worked on personal projects or internships. Hers had been to learn about video by making a video about the program via 1990 video techniques.
Where did she learn that? Right where was she is now working and supervising another former Woodlands graduate who did the same thing as a senior in high school. Then she pulled up and gave me copies of the digitalized versions of her raw and finished work that year, 27 years ago. How cool. How interesting, based on what was to be the basis of the interview to follow.
In our talks before hand Mr. Johnson suggested I watch a video about Hi Tech High. I was skeptical about a network of charter schools with that name and a CEO instead of principal. When I saw the Pearson Foundation sponsored the video, I wretched, but watched anyway.
Then I heard Larry Rosenstock narrate and saw the kids working on projects. I was floored. He spoke my language.
He expanded on the history of Ed. reform in this country. “Every time we get THE SLOW EROSION OF AMERICAN EDUCATION HAS BECOME A MUDSLIDE | DCGEducator: Doing The Right Thing: