Huh.
I suppose he could open his lecture with a recap of all the educational successes he had in Florida with programs that helped teachers teach and led to greater students success, but after that two minutes were up, what would he talk about for the rest of the time.
It is easy to imagine the many edifying lectures he could present. There's "How To Use Letter Grades To Grossly Oversimplify A Complex Human Service and Crush the Spirits of the People Who Work There." Or for the more business oriented crowd, "How To Dismantle a Public Service for Private Profit" as well as "How To Create an Astro-Turf Organization." And of course folks would line up for "Don't Build the House of Your Presidential Ambitions on the Sand of Your Education Policy." Maybe he'll even visit the philosophy department for "The Unbearable Angst of Watching All Your Hopes and Dreams Turn To Dust."
Presumably each lecture by Bush will conclude with a plea for the students to "please clap."
Harvard also announced other visiting fellows. Over at the medical school, Bob Phlegm will be lecturing on medicine and the proper uses of pharmaceuticals. Says Phlegm, "I should be great at this. After all, I've been to the doctor and had drugs prescribed. Also, I used to get high when I was a teenager. So I figured I'm as qualified to lecture about medicinal herbs as anyone."
Britney Spears will also be appearing as a guest lecturer on brain surgery. Said Harvard spokesman, "She once shaved her head, which is where the brain is located, so she's a qualified expert."
"Also," the spokesman continued, "we're going to get Kim Kardashian in here for something. I'm sure she has many areas of expertise, and lots of name recognition, and she's pretty rich, too. So, you know, we'll find some department for her to lecture in."
It is hard not to feel a little bit sorry for Jeb! at this stage of the game. This is a guy who spent his entire life building a big, beautiful sand castle with hopes of winning the big sculpture contest, only to have the castle ignored by the crowds and kicked over by some cheeto-faced baboon.
On the other hand, this is a guy who believes in the power of meritocracy and grit, so I think it's fair to ask what exactly qualifies him to talk about anything related to education other than dismantling it for fun and profit. Where are his successes? What is the merit, other than a famous name, a family fortune, and a lot of connections, that Jeb! Bush brings to Harvard's crimson table?
Jeb! wants to unleash the power of the free market on schools, forcing those that "fail" to fold up and go away, and those that provide "value" should prosper. So I have to wonder-- what free market forces determine that Jeb! is somehow entitled to function in this universe as an educational expert? What successes can he point to that reasonably lead the free market to reward him for his expertise? Yes, he has been successful in imposing and advocating for bad education policies that have consistently failed to work, so I guess he might be a good fit for lectures about marketing.
Maybe it's just that for children of Great Privilege, Harvard lecturer is such a step down from Leader of the Free World that this is what passes for failure (may my friends and I all fail so badly some day). Maybe it's name recognition-- after all, Lindsey Lohan kept getting cast long after anyone thought it was a good idea because her name brought customers in.
But education expert and lecturer? I'm pretty sure Harvard can do better, can provide meaningful and useful teaching about public education, if they're so inclined. Selecting Jeb! is just further proof that their inclinations run another direction.
Yes, I no longer think very highly of Harvard.
ReplyDeleteAnd not just because of this with Bush. I think I read that they have a graduate "edupreneur"-type degree. And I'm beginning to think that the only thing that makes Ivy League schools "better" is the social capital that the name gives you, not an actually better education.
DeleteThe problem in this story is not Jeb. The problem is Harvard. It might be fun to make a list of alumni (Arne to start with) who have wreaked havoc on public education in this country. Jeb's policies as governor of Florida may have stunk, but what about Obama's policies as president of the entire US? He is also a graduate of that venerable institution. Granted, his degree was in law, but with all of them making one bad decision after another, I cannot help but conclude that the first line of each course description there reads: "This class will not only challenge all your assumptions, it will make you confidently abandon common sense."
ReplyDelete"Please wake up" is what he will be saying during his lectures. He is both stupid and boring.
ReplyDeleteWhat I find fascinating about the whole Bush clan is how they are held up as being "noble" & "classy" & "dedicated". HW...hired Lee Atwater, a classless hack from SC who trashed Dukakis. Later W's Rove was firmly behind the rumor in SC that McCain had an "outside" 1/2 black child showing pictures on ads on WIS of the daughter that he & his 2nd wife had adopted from Ethiopia (if I remember)...a total lie designed to inflame the fully 1/2 of the repubes' SC party who are really dixie-crats.
ReplyDeleteAll of the Bushes, HW down, were born into a trust-fund, privileged situation without any contention with reality. All of them bullies, JEB included. So as much as Trump is a profane bore, I did take some satisfaction in how he belittled & insulted JEB.
Harvard, WTF!
I meant to say "connection with reality". The spell-check feature doesn't recognize the wrong word, but my bad anyway.
ReplyDelete