Oprah's Book Club at Goodreads discussion

Post your thoughts on this book here!

I haven't read the book, but I saw the movie version. If it's anything like the book, it's well worth reading.

Good point. I agree that the family unit is breaking down and lots of families are outsourcing the things that parents should be doing themselves.

Lots of people are amazed that my four year old knows all of his letters and can read simple words. They always ask if he learned his letters in preschool and I say, "Um, no, I taught him his letters." I feel as a mom that school should supplement what I teach my kids but it's not a replacement.

By the way, did you read this book or watch the movie? I haven't done either. I only saw the Oprah episode highlighting this book and I've wanted to read it ever since and form my own opinion about the book and what it says about schools.

I agree with both of you that there is a lot of breakdown of family in society. Some programs are trying to address that issue and it's discussed in the movie version. Especially note the program set up by Jeffrey Canada in Harlem. We need more social services shoring up family systems so that children have the climate needed to learn. (Not that I'm prejudiced as a retired social worker.) Anyway, see the movie or read the book for yourselves. I'm interested in what you have to say after that.

Probably not the educational system per se but I think that it's all our concerns as Americans to try to figure out how to put our society back together again. BTW, my children are grown up now so I'm looking at this as a concerned citizen. My daughter is much more religious than I am and sends my grandchildren to a religious dayschool. So at this point, I am on the outside looking in.

Jill, I agree with you on most counts. I also don't think that teachers should be the ones to be blamed for the failure of our society. What I don't agree with is that some people would be better off in a tech program. Agreed some people are incapable of dealing with a college education. Nevertheless, in our post-industrial world, everyone needs to be educated well even to do most of the manufactoring and other decent paying jobs that still exist here. Yes, a tech program would be good IF it was revised to keep of with current changes in our employment situation.

Instead of Europe (where they also have major unemployment problems), I think we should be looking at the Costa Rican model. There, everybody is required to go to school through 11th grade and receive an academic education. After that, those who don't attend college are entitled to an extra year of high school during which time they learn a trade - in either IT, ecotourism, or allied medical occupations. That works for them because everyone is trained in jobs that they actually have. We need to adapt some of their ideas to American education.