Arkansas Blog

"Mr. Chen, you listen to me. We in Forrest City, AR. Ain't nobody here even care about government."

How do you counteract this attitude, an attitude which apparently crosses age, racial, economic and geographic lines? I have railed against the dumbing down of teaching methods -- the seemingly widespread use of crayons and "art" to teach beyond very early elementary school, for example. But with this attitude spelled out for me, I begin to see the desperation, the need to try anything to capture even a minute amount of the student's attention.
It makes me sick. Worse, it makes me, person so curious I sometimes fantasizes a pact with the devil just to stay around and see what happens on this earth, think maybe I really don't want to know.

With all my sputtering, I forgot to wish Mr. Chen good luck.
Maybe we should lobby Nick Kristof?

Well said, Doigotta.

Unfortunately, this is the way it has been and always will be in Arkansas. This coupled with Preachers who tell their students to skip school because they don't like their school leaders, is EXACTLY why businesses choose not to build plants or bring industry into Eastern Arkansas (i.e. Nissan and Toyota plants; manufacturing plants, etc.)