Don’t get me wrong. I like Baby Einstein. The way my boyfriend’s baby nephews gaze at the TV screen when those farm animals bobble about to Old McDonald mesmerizes me. And early childhood educational programming is a lucrative industry I wouldn’t mind tapping into one of these days.
But in the meantime, as my good friend and fellow teacher Joan Lee asked me after the State of the Union address...
“Why the hell did Baby Einstein get more play than FAILING PUBLIC SCHOOLS?”
Questions? Comments? Tips on how I too can take part in this multi-million dollar enterprising spirit of education?
EDIT:
I’m all for the entrepeneurial spirit. I come from a long line of business folk. This blog entry was simply to point out, not my bitterness toward innovation and ingenuity, but our apparent lack of commitment to public education.
I don’t usually link to blog comments, but in this case, I think A Big Fan of Baby Einstein clarified my point more articulately than me:
Private efforts in education are to be supported, appreciated, and encouraged; and many do a fantastic and much needed job. But the fact remains that private efforts **ALONE** will not solve our public school difficulties. I think Ms. Shyu was merely lamenting the fact that public education is not a greater federal priority for the current Administration (beyond the controversial NCLB).
This should not be seen (and I’m sure she did not mean) as an affront to the outstanding work of Ms. Aigner-Clark.