Stop Stealing Dreams
So after I post the inspiring story yesterday concerning the Classroom Farm in the Bronx I was directed to an article in the NY Daily News. The article say’s the program was terminated. According to the Daily News, “A celebrated classroom farm that yielded fresh produce and great jobs for students at a South Bronx public high school has been quietly shut down.” It continues, “Green Bronx Machine withered last August when Ritz was moved to a basement classroom and told to stop growing food at Discovery”. The Daily News says, “The city Department of Education referred questions to Discovery Principal Rolando Rivera, who failed to return repeated requests for an interview about why the program was shut down.”
Without the details it’s hard to understand why the program was halted. Maybe a New York reader might have the answer? I do know our school system is broken. Here is a great video with Seth Godin that I watched right after watching the video on the school farm. What Seth say’s dovetailed so well with what I saw in that Bronx video. It’s called, “Stop stealing Dreams” It’s 16 minutes well spent if your at all concerned with how the kids are being “educated” and what we can do about it. Seems the title, “Stop Stealing Dreams” fits well with the closing of the school program.
Trey,
I was in education for 30 years. Sometimes you have primadonna administrators, from principals up to superintendents that are jealous of any successful program of a classroom teacher or anyone from the community helping the school. They really want the spotlight on their projects and ideas rather than give credit to someone in the classroom or the community. If it were their idea you would see them out pushing it.
I might sound cynical but there are too many in education that are more concern about climbing the ladder rather than caring for the students or concentrating their efforts in the classroom and in the community. They are in it for fame and glory and the money. I might just add this.