Last summer, I had the privilege of participating in an on-line roundtable discussing Aaron Sorkin’s work. My piece focused on the potency of Sorkin’s Josiah Bartlet, the president of The West Wing. His poignant articulation of the American Dream is thought-provoking and inspiring. And as I mentioned in that post, fans are still listening. On Twitter, over 30,000 people follow @Pres_Bartlet, a Twitter handle that mixes show allusions with spot-on commentary on current events. On The Guardian, @Pres_Bartlet has issued a response to President Obama’s State of the Union address. I found the following quite compelling:
We need to get kids interested in education again. No one can argue that our children don’t need a background in mathematics and English to be successful. But our children also need science and art and technology. Our children need our politicians to recognise what every teacher already knows: American education should be as exceptional and as diverse as America’s citizens.
If our schools do not meet the diversity of needs, gifts, and problems that our students bring to the classroom, then what are we doing? On a practical level, I understand the systematizing of curricula, but there must be ways to empower teachers with the freedom to make the form work. And don’t the communities where these schools are nested have a role to play in this? What are we doing to support our public school teachers and students?
This post got me thinking about my own work. Although I consider myself a college educator by vocation, I should find ways of investing in secondary education. Maybe I can volunteer more or reach out to schools and see how my skill set (as a student of religion and culture) can augment the programming of a local school. This way I can be part of the solution and help set my future students up for success in higher education. I need to give this some more thought, and I’d love to hear your ideas– here or elsewhere.
Till Next Time,
R–
