Education in LaLa Land

Okay, I admit it, I read alot of books, from bodice poppers to "The World is Flat" by Friedman. I also watch a lot of movies and  lot of television, and no it's not Masterpiece Theater. Recently the passion of entertainment and ed mixed a bit.

First to Ophra. She opened her $40 million girls' school, which I guess is a pretty lavish affair in South Africa (I was unable to convince friends visiting there to drop by). I can't tell from this Washington Post story whether the writer was blasting the entire event, including Ms. O's diamond drop earrings. I can only assume those are politically correct diamonds and not of "Blood Diamonds" fame.

The school comes complete with a yoga studio and spa. I assume academic rigor will be there too, somewhere on the well-groomed grounds.

And then this weekend, "Freedom Writers" comes out, which profiles Erin Gruwell and her attempts to get through to some hardened kids at Wilson High School in Long Beach. The reviews have been pretty mixed, but I still plan to pony up $9 for a ticket. Gruwell was at the WSSDA conference last year in Spokane and I bought her book. I'm on the last chapter and it's amazing what these kids, and Gruwell, put up with to finish high school.

Finally, while my thoughts are still with teachers who take on seemingly impossible challenges, there is this story out of the Christian Science Monitor. It tells the story of a Teacher of the Year, who decided to teach at a struggling school.