Posted by
Katy Grimes on Thursday, April 09, 2009 3:50:00 PM
UPDATED column: Along with my post about teachers touring Cuba this summer, we had the idiot congressional delegation to Cuba. Mona Charon, author of
Useful Idiots, wrote this great column:
Useful Idiots Caucus
My column Teachers Tour Cuba In August along with an interesting reader comment at the end.
This is comforting: Two "extraordinary" delegations are heading down to Cuba from August 1 to 8, 2009. Both are official programs designed by Cubans to familiarize friends from abroad with island advances that hold vital lessons for social well being and environmental sustainability.
Not kidding... I received this infornmation in an email today. Here is the rest of the information, just in case you are a teacher and need to learn about social well being and environmental sustainability.
These journeys are for people like you keen on learning about the island's renowned education system and its hallmarked eco-alternatives
and organic farming achievements. We warmly invite you to join us and serve as a people's ambassador to
the island this summer.
Our TEACHERS INTRODUCTION TO CUBA TOUR is for educators seeking to discover the reasons why Cuban youth rank highest academically in the
Americas, and how come island teachers are held in such high esteem. You'll get a firsthand take on Cuba's free education to through
university, and the resulting social benefits.
Members of this envoy will meet, dialogue and network with distinguished pedagogical authorities from K-12 institutions, universities, and unions and ministries of education. Tour delegates will also experience unparalleled cultural activities including Cuban music and dance lessons and ample nightlife. You can plan on an engagement with a world-famed urban planner, meet-and-greets with contemporary artists, and an exclusive glimpse into Afrocuban life.
You'll see many facets of the stunning cosmopolitan capital of Havana, and rustic farm villages in western Pinar del Rio province, and the awe-inspiring tropical geography of Vinales Valley -- all from the comfort of your five-star Hotel Habana Libre in the heart of the city's leisure hub.
This tour is a professional development opportunity to witness stellar progress that all caring teachers aspire to, while making new friends in
Cuba and amongst your tour colleagues. It's a primer on education in Cuba without equal. See an elaborated itinerary and costs at:
I really hate people who "dialogue." I prefer to talk.
UPDATE: I received the following astute commentary about this post:
This Cuba thing -- I wonder if the authors of this program, and the participants, will consider how education functions in a command society. Incorrigible and uneducable students may be exiled to work programs, fully knowing that the state can imprison or even execute them if they are a burden or embarassment.
Most societies, including free ones, could guarantee high achievement in their schools if students were educated according to their abilities and aptitudes, and were forced to understand that screwing up has automatic consequences.
These conditions existed in the United States until the 1960's, and produced capable, employable graduates. Consider what's happened to the American education system and American society since the sixties. Depressing to think that Cuba may be producing better educated students.
Love,
Dad
yup, my Dad. History teacher extraordinaire