politics: the education ballywick

David Brooks writes about education in today's NYtimes here. I'm of two minds. One, I do agree that pre-K and after school programs help, but I find the idea that schools are centered around teacher and adult needs suspect. If perhaps, someone, somewhere, would outline what students' needs are, precisely, I'd be much obliged. I'm not even sure what an education system centered around students' needs would look like, except that it seems to serve a jargon short hand for charter schools, vouchers, testing, and getting rid of ineffective teachers. If we're serious about reforming the school system, perhaps a better system of training teachers is in order. If we're serious about reforming the school system, perhaps a better system of mentoring and developing teachers already working is needed. And if we're serious about reforming the school system, perhaps reforming the curriculum to reflect 21st century needs is what should happen. I've long thought that the high school curriculum is too narrow in its focus on presumably preparing every student for college. We've let go of the fine arts and the mechanical arts, both of which often helped keep students in school. At least, the drama and choir programs did so for my father back in the mid-70s.

world: the view from afghanistan

politics and sports: the end of the primaries and Euro Cup 2008

In an odd confluence of things that I am interested in, Senator Clinton will give some sort of speech or statement tomorrow to officially pass the torch to Senator Obama. I'm not going to call it a concession speech, primarily because I don't think it is quite the right term. An acknowledgment speech, perhaps? A support speech? At any rate, it's schedule for tomorrow. In effect, Obama's official general election campaign will get its champaign across the bow kick off tomorrow.

Euro Cup 2008 also begins tomorrow. Now, I'm still distraught that England did not make it to the finals. (Damn Steve McClaren.) Nevertheless, I need to have a team to root for. So, I've decided to back Germany, who I still think was robbed by Portugal in the 2006 World Cup. It doesn't hurt that Germany was the team that decimated San Marino in the preliminary rounds. Admittedly San Marino was never going to do particularly well, but losing 21 to 0 is highly unusual in soccer/football. And, yes, I do realize that professing my love for international football makes me a white person according to the Stuff White People Like blog.

On a side note, I've been ruminating on the convergence of politics and sports. One person was discussing how he was trying to make his father a "believer" in Obama. Now, most statements of this sort tend to be viewed through a religious lens. I think a sports one might be the more apt way to see this statement. You believe in your team, even when they are losing. You may go on to support someone else--see my Germany support--but you still have a deep commitment to the losing team.

writing: David Brooks and quiet writing

I've been a twee fan of David Brooks ever since reading Bobos in Paradise. I didn't even realize he was a conservative columnist until my mentor professor told me. At any rate, he and I have not always been on the same page the last few years, but his last ten columns or so have been really well done, even if I have disagreed. What made Bobos in Paradise work was Brooks's ability to be interested in odd minutiae and the bigger picture. He had a column last year on intelligence and height that was fascinating, for example. Today's look at Lincoln is probably one of the best columns I've read on the necessary temperament for being president. What I liked about it in particular is that he avoided the wrestling with the angels metaphor, which is a good one to be sure, but not entirely apt here. Of course, one of the things I appreciate about Brooks is that he's a smart, quiet prose stylist. I love Maureen Dowd for sheer imagery, but she too often browbeats. As a quiet writer myself, I tend to gravitate towards quiet writers. Hence, my adoration of Elizabeth Gaskell; Wives and Daughters is frequently elegiac. But back to Brooks. Today's column is astute, sweeping, informed, and leaves you with space to ruminate over his last point. Key graf:

"Somehow a leader conversant with his own failings wouldn’t be as affected by the moral self-approval that afflicts most political movements. He’d be detached from his most fervid followers and merciful and understanding toward foes. He’d have a sense of his own smallness in the sweep of events. He or she would contravene Lord Acton’s dictum and grow sadder and wiser with more power.

All this suggests a maxim for us voters: Don’t only look to see which candidate has the most talent. Look for the one most emotionally gripped by his own failings."

I like the idea of being "conversant" with your failings, particularly for a politician.

film: sex and the city and potluck

I'll probably end up seeing the Sex and the City movie even though I was never a devotee of the show. I liked it, but it never resonated for me the way shows like Gilmore Girls did. I have a more prep bohemian ethos than a designer one. At any rate, my friend SC is and her birthday is this weekend, so we'll more than likely see the show.

Funnily enough, a point made in the Washington Post review about the show spawning gaggles of women imitating the show struck home. We had a potluck birthday last week and two of the girls who only come occasionally really seemed to want to make it more salacious than a potluck event usually is. Potluck, even at a restaurant, is more about being silly and giving than about being fashionable or anything else. Group dynamics in such a large collection of women (roughly 12) who are all at different stages of life is odd at best.

radio:npr's marketplace

I listen to NPR a lot. It's the only thing on the radio that I can stand when driving into work. Most pop music drives me up the wall (overproduced and sugar coated); I can't stand radio dj's; I hate commercials, particualrly radio commercials; and I really don't want to listen to shock jocks. So, NPR or the ipod is about it. Heck, even NPR during pledge drives are more entertaining than most of what consists of modern radio. (True story: I was having a tense December, and I actually found a NPR pledge drive listener challenge to be the most soothing thing on the planet. Did I mention that I was having a tense December.) Because my teaching scheduled was a little later than it usually is last fall, I began catching the Marketplace report on my drive in and the full half hour show on my drive home. It's the most informative and scariest half hour of radio on the planet. I know more about business than I ever have and, well, it makes me a more informed consumer but a much more paranoid one in today's market. I start thinking about things like how the current high price of energy costs means that food costs go up, and this chain reaction means that healthier choices, which can cost more, are even further out of the range of low income families. This fact, coupled with the new Farm Bill, which subisidizes foods like corn disporportionately to foods like apples, means that unhealthy choices like white bread or corn syrup laced foods are cheaper. Meaning that our current obsesity problem is only going to get worse. Ack. And this freaky thinking is what listening to marketplace report does. Not being an economist, I'm sure I've oversimplified here, and I may be assuming causal relationships where there are none.

corporate america: receptionist

I usually temp during the summers. I like the change of pace, and teaching even one summer course--if you can get one--really burns you out for the fall. I, at least, need to switch gears. I like temping because I get met lots of people, work in places I would never normal go to, explore downtown (most of my jobs are in downtown Dallas), and not get involved in office politics. The downside is that most of my jobs are receptionist positions. Now, I don't mind answering phones, but I'm not the best at it. And, these jobs tend to be a lot of waiting and hurry up. The job is at its worst when it's a one day gig. You aren't there long enough to really help the receptionist who is out, so all you can do is sit there and wait for the phone to ring and read or surf the internet. It's not bad, but I always hate just sitting there waiting for the phone to ring. The real receptionist has a whole slew of duties that are going undone, but because you are only there for 8 hours, no one expects you to do any of them. I had one job where the receptionist had a whole system of task reminders set up on the computer. It was really nice because it meant that at the very least I knew when to go and clean up in the kitchen and set the coffee pot up for the next day. The best positions were the one at a foundation and as a backup receptionist. The backup job meant I only answered phones during lunch and breaks. Otherwise, I was doing work for HR. I love HR work. The foundation was the best pure receptionist position. I was supposed to be the first person that anyone who walked in the door saw, so I had to look sharp. When guests came, I actually got to be a host, offering coffee or snacks and setting them up in one of the elegant meeting rooms. The phone system was a dream; it was computerized, so I didn't have to muck around with looking up people's extension numbers. I could read during the times when it was quiet. I actually had a lovely day answering phones and reading North and South while it poured buckets outside. However, there was enough going on that I didn't feel like I was just occupying a chair.