wnyc.org / 93.9fm / am 820

Comments

• [1] RC November 09, 2009 - 10:39AM

  Is it true that churches in the early days of the colonies were the one's who created public education because they wanted people to learn how to read the bible?

  
  
• [2] RC November 09, 2009 - 10:40AM

  How do Charter Schools measure up to the core curriculum that the guest is advocating for?

  
  
• [3] Calls'em As I Sees'em from McLean, VA November 09, 2009 - 10:47AM

  Are there any biases in the "core?"

  Are you another "educator" that makes America and white European males "wrong?"

  Your web site looks more like a commercial website pushing your products and books at moderate to expense prices, while only giving folks "teasers" about what is actually contained in your products.

  
  
• [4] Melissa from East Village November 09, 2009 - 10:49AM

  I grew up reading The Dictionary of Cultural Literacy and was unsure if Hirsch was brilliant or totalitarian in his kind of elitist recommendations. But as an undergrad at the University of Virignia, I had the huge pleasure of taking Dr. Hirsch's Introduction to Critical Theory class and it was the very best class I took in my entire time at UVA. The survey class was fascinating and the only course I took that in any way prepared me for graduate school in English. I would have been absolutely lost trying to apply critical thought to texts without Hirsch's core curriculum. I remain indebted to him.

  
  
• [5] Calls'em As I Sees'em from McLean, VA November 09, 2009 - 10:50AM

  Brian, once again you give a liberal a forum to flog his products and propaganda without letting anyone challenge him.

  These short form segments do little to serve the public interest and dialogue (a word you no seem to respect ala Lenny's dictatorship of the airwaves).

  "Heck of a job Brian!"

  
  
• [6] Melissa November 09, 2009 - 11:06AM

  Calls'em:

  Hirsch is generally regarded as liberal-minded but his views are very controversial, and his prescriptions are considered neo-conservative. He's been derided for everything from being racist to elitist in his theories, akin to Bill Bennett in his white-male-deciding-what's-good-for-all position. Brian interviewing him was fascinating--Hirsch may have been accused of many things, but liberal propaganda? Quite the opposite!

  
  
• [7] Calls'em As I Sees'em from McLean, VA November 09, 2009 - 11:20AM

  Melissa - Thanks for the response. I believe in the concept of a core education. I just want it to be fair, balanced and comprehensive. I have read close to 2000 books in my half century plus on this earth and I am still learning things.

  I am still working through the Harvard classics at the rate of at least one a year since I took one into the jungle with me in the early 70s.

  I actually plan to look into this further.

  
  
• [8] Adriana from New Jersey November 10, 2009 - 11:15AM

  I totally agree and support core curricula in public schools. I grew up in Queens NY, at 16 went back to Colombia my country of birth. I went to Elementary school in NYC and High School in Colombia. The amount of work and discipline that is expected of students in Colombia's core curricula is impressive. The amount of knowledge gained from Elementary all the way through high school, allows a student to graduate as a well rounded individual prepared for University. University students do not have a need for preparatory classes.