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proud2BlibKansan

(96,793 posts)
Thu Jan 5, 2012, 06:30 PM Jan 2012

Matt Damon and Mother Reject Union's Award

The actor Matt Damon and his mother, a professor of education, on Wednesday turned down an award from the country’s largest teachers union after reading an opinion article that the union’s president had co-authored with the founder of Teach for America.

Writing that she was “confused by your collaboration” with Teach for America, Dr. Nancy Carlsson-Paige said she and her son, Mr. Damon, no longer desired to be nominated for the National Education Association’s Friend of Education Award.

In the opinion piece that Dr. Carlsson-Paige referred to, Dennis Van Roekel, president of the N.E.A., and Wendy Kopp, founder of T.F.A., urged the importance of evaluating and improving teacher training programs across the country. Yet in her e-mail to Mr. Van Roekel, Dr. Carlsson-Paige said she finds this message somewhat disingenuous on the part of T.F.A.

“I am very familiar with TFA and believe that its short-term, minimal training of teachers undermines teacher quality and harms children who too often get an inadequate education with its teachers,” the e-mail states.

more . . . http://www.nytimes.com/schoolbook/2012/01/05/matt-damon-and-mother-reject-unions-award/

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Matt Damon and Mother Reject Union's Award (Original Post) proud2BlibKansan Jan 2012 OP
Ouch. Smarmie Doofus Jan 2012 #1
Good for Matt's mom! Modern School Jan 2012 #2
I have a hard time calling someone who earns what Van Roekel earns a moron proud2BlibKansan Jan 2012 #3
"Teach for America" is evil personified. kwassa Jan 2012 #4
Maybe this will give a much needed hint to union leadership. Starry Messenger Jan 2012 #5
I have the same dream. Reader Rabbit Jan 2012 #6
I think the union leadership is desperately looking for common ground proud2BlibKansan Jan 2012 #7
Someone ought to point out to them that *no one* remembers Neville Chamberlain fondly. Reader Rabbit Jan 2012 #8
My Dream too! TruthTeller Jan 2012 #9
The new superintendent in Detroit LOVES TFA proud2BlibKansan Jan 2012 #10
 

Smarmie Doofus

(14,498 posts)
1. Ouch.
Thu Jan 5, 2012, 10:59 PM
Jan 2012

>>>“I am very familiar with TFA and believe that its short-term, minimal training of teachers undermines teacher quality and harms children who too often get an inadequate education with its teachers,” the e-mail states.>>>>

That's gotta hurt.

If it doesn't, there's more wrong w. NEA than we think.

Modern School

(794 posts)
2. Good for Matt's mom!
Thu Jan 5, 2012, 11:07 PM
Jan 2012

Good for Matt Damon's mom! Van Roekel is a wimpy, sellout moron and NEA is NOT a fighting union.

proud2BlibKansan

(96,793 posts)
3. I have a hard time calling someone who earns what Van Roekel earns a moron
Thu Jan 5, 2012, 11:28 PM
Jan 2012

Maybe the people who pay him that salary? We can call them morons.

kwassa

(23,340 posts)
4. "Teach for America" is evil personified.
Fri Jan 6, 2012, 12:40 AM
Jan 2012

It perpetuates a myth that has taken over the bogus education reform movement, which is that there currently exists a means of eradicating academic achievement differences between poor kids and affluent kids. This bogus means consists of measuring individual teacher impacts on standardized tests in math and reading, as if this is all teachers do and students learn, and as if the teacher's influence can be isolated from other variables.

This education reform movement claims, without any factual support, that poverty doesn't matter, home support doesn't matter, that the only thing that matters is teacher quality, and that there is a scientifically valid way of measuring all the things that teachers do.

Sorry, it doesn't exist.

TFA also claims, in a really ridiculous way, that one can drop inexperienced young Ivy grads into urban schools with minimal training and support for only two years, and that these newbies will have a major impact in improving student performance. Sorry, it takes longer than that to become a really good teacher, and good teachers continually improve over their careers. TFA is nothing more than the old Vista program reborn, only with much inflated claims.

proud2BlibKansan

(96,793 posts)
7. I think the union leadership is desperately looking for common ground
Fri Jan 6, 2012, 11:38 AM
Jan 2012

with Arne, Bill Gates and the PTB. And it's backfiring on them big time.

Reader Rabbit

(2,621 posts)
8. Someone ought to point out to them that *no one* remembers Neville Chamberlain fondly.
Sat Jan 7, 2012, 12:44 PM
Jan 2012

You can't find "peace in our time" when the people you're doing business with want to destroy you.

TruthTeller

(192 posts)
9. My Dream too!
Mon Jan 9, 2012, 09:43 PM
Jan 2012

I keep attending convention and speaking up. I know Michigan is not on Dennis' bandwagon with TFA.

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