The Girls of Afganistan

The NY Times has an article here describing a mass illness that is afflicting girls in school in Afghanistan.  There is much debate about the cause.

Whether it is a toxin or a poisoned culture causing this particular illness, it’s clear that these girls live in a dysfunctional society that makes it almost impossible for them to grow up and lead productive, independent, happy, and fulfilling lives. 

I used to despair reading stories like this, but now am starting to feel hope.  The girls are going to school and learning to read.  Many will soon have access to cell phones and the Internet.  I think it is impossible for tyranny to survive in this kind of sunshine.

Government Support of Bookstores?

Salon publishes an interview with James Patterson here, who advocating some kind of government support to keep the traditional ways of publishing (big publishing houses, bookstores, libraries, etc.) viable.   He is worried about all of the self-published authors on sites like Amazon who are able to publish now without going through the traditional gatekeepers of agents and editors.

I see a huge advantage in this new world of e-books and self-publishing.  Every study I’ve seen suggests that people are reading more.  One of the biggest selling categories on Amazon is the Young Adult category, which means our young people are starting to look for books for entertainment again—a practice that had slowed almost to a stop after the advent of television, videos, video games, etc.

In all of my years of teaching high school English, it was very clear to me that the best students were the avid readers.  Now—with the easy availability of e-books—it is much easier for all children to fall in love with reading.  

Private Money in Education

The Washington Post reprints a column by Stanley Katz here, a professor at Princeton, that laments the role large, private doners—such as Bill Gates—play in setting education policy.

 Realistically, no reform will work if teachers are not supporting it.  Is Bill Gates going to pay for enforcers to be in every classroom, every minute?

There are some exciting teacher voices on ed reform now.  Read this blog by a current high school English teacher called Literacy in Leafstrewn.

http://literacyinleafstrewn.blogspot.com/2013/04/kids-talking-about-not-reading.html?showComment=1366807753985#c396205885170446509

There is also a new book out by Penny Kittle called Book Love, in which she describes how to get high school students involved in reading again. 

I just get depressed when I think of all the good this private money could do, were it being spent on reforms that really mattered:  giving kids e-readers and book allowances on sites like Amazon;  funding classroom and school libraries; providing smaller classes; providing decent teacher pay, etc.