Wendy Kopp on The Colbert Report!

Wendy Kopp, President and Founder of Teach For America, did a great job last night on The Colbert Report.  You can check out the short segment here:

http://www.comedycentral.com/motherload/index.jhtml?ml_video=81626

Dialect and Diet

Popular media has become extremely fond of catchy combo nouns:  Bennifer, Brangelina, TomKat, and so on.  After my initial annoyance, I’ve come to realize that I can’t really blame them.  There are some extremely useful Frankenstein words out there, although you won’t catch me uttering any of the aforementioned.  The American Dialect Society recently voted “plutoed” as its new word of the year.  Other contenders included “boomeritis,” “firecrotch,” and “lactard” (my personal favorite).  In case you were wondering, plutoed  means “to demote or devalue someone or something, as happened to the former planet Pluto when the General Assembly of the International Astronomical Union decided Pluto no longer met its definition of a planet.”  I dare say it’s quite useful.

However, my all time favorite new word is the 2003 Champion, “flexitarian.”  It precisely describes my diet and personal convictions surrounding nutrition.  Although I am incredibly disgusted by the treatment of animals in the meat industry as a whole, I have not decided to become vegan.  I have several reasons.

1. I feel that the exclusion of all meat and animal by-products from my diet would result in numerous uncomfortable situations, not the least of which would be offending my host or going hungry.  This is largely due to my close family and state of residence.
2. In matters of diet, I believe in moderation and variety.  Meat is high in saturated fat and contributes greatly to our nation’s high rates of obesity, heart disease, and cancer.  When I cook for myself during the week, I never prepare a meat or poultry dish.  My meals usually include a fruit or vegetable, a whole grain, some dairy, and a lean protein such as tofu or fish.
3. I refuse to give up animal by-products, especially dairy.  I have a cook’s soul and am in love with traditional methods and ingredients.

A flexitarian understands the benefits of a mostly meatless diet while acknowledging that an occasional deviation is healthy and normal.  Whether it be due to social constraints or the love of a particular dish, flexitarians are…flexible.  Not only that, flexitarians are aware and, intentionally or not, forward thinking.

Will Funding Close the Gap?

I recently read an article on TruthDig.com that named insufficient funding as the greatest challenge facing our school systems. Something about the argument bothered me on a deep level. It has taken me a week of occasional pondering to articulate my annoyance. Although I would love to see more money funneled into our struggling education system, I do not think funding can be called a panacea.

It is my belief that leadership, ingenuity, and high expectations can trump inadequate funding and faulty, bureaucratic budgeting. After their two-year commitments, corps members cite teacher quality and high student expectations as the single most important factors in educational success. According to a Teach For America document titled “Equity Within Reach,” one high school physics teacher from Oakland says:

“I think the public would see the poverty, violence, drug abuse, and lack of funding as the primary reasons, when, despite all that, the best teachers can still make gains with their students by bringing rigor into the curriculum and setting high expectations, and having the skill and experience to back up those expectations and demand performance from the students.”

Throwing money at an already inadequate system will not offer long-term solutions. There must be fundamental change on several levels. No Child Left Behind, in theory, is a great program. In practice, it has become laden with complicated means to a seemingly unreachable end. Even its proponents agree that the finished product is far from the original intent. I am in the process of researching the policy and don’t feel entirely comfortable participating in a debate of its merits. I can only express my current, modestly informed opinion.

In addition, I think there needs to be a change of mindset among the general public. If we as a people raise our expectations for all children, I think we will begin to see a healthier, more diverse nation. This could spread to all sectors: health, politics, environment, and business. An educated nation with high expectations and personal integrity—what a novel, and admittedly idealistic, thought.

I wish that all will hold on to some sort of foolish, hopelessly idealistic vision of a perfect America. Our country was founded on sentiments that seemed incredibly foolish at the time. There is a spirit of possibility here, but I think we have succumbed to a belief of powerlessness. Children from low socioeconomic backgrounds and inadequately funded schools are not hopeless. With leadership, high expectations, and a healthy dose of youthful idealism, they can achieve at and beyond levels expected of more privileged kids.

Boo

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays.

I call it a “free pass” holiday. Along with Cinco de Mayo, St. Patty’s Day, and New Year’s Eve, it’s one of the few occasions that offers supposed adults of every background a free pass to come undone. We get to play dress up, eat obscene amounts of candy, and enjoy festive beverages like “green beer” and “martinis with eyeballs.” Yes, there is nothing I don’t like about about Halloween.

Halloween can be scary, very scary. Not only do I have to endure Hollywood’s latest barrage of gore, I have to sit through campaign ad after campaign ad. As if the amateur graphics and cheesy transitions weren’t enough, I must decipher the implications of terms like “liberal,” “conservative,” and “war on terror.” The glaring partisanship of the current political climate is by far the scariest part of late October.

I have an ingrained interest in debate. The psychology of the argument, the intricacies of the opinions and the ironic similarities between the opposing sides fascinate me. Now, I’m aware of the benefits associated with a two-party system, and I recognize the value of political parties when they function properly. However, I am also troubled by the divisive language and hard-line partisanship I see in the 2006 mid-term elections. Labels are flying like daggers, and the most deadly have far-right and far-left implications. The term “liberal” is now an accusation, and “stay the course” was retired by even our most stubborn Republican leader. Do people respond to this type of rhetoric? I am dejected to admit that they do.

Isn’t there value in a moderate point of view? Shouldn’t we respond to voting and performance records rather than labels? Until these labels convey deeper meaning and carry definite implications, I cannot justify voting strictly on party and conservative/liberal lines. Justice Hunstein (GA Supreme Crt.) recently asserted during a debate that she was neither a liberal, a conservative, a Republican, or a Democrat, but a judge who upholds the law. I let this idea grow in my mind; here is what I’ve determined:

We scrutinize important decisions. Would you read a car’s label and not test drive? Would you buy a pair of pants because the tag claims they fit, or a pair of shoes that look like your size? Probably not. So why vote without investigating, digging, and examining records? Don’t take anyone’s word for it, not a blog, not a station, not an opponent, not a proponent.

Isn’t our democracy worth it?