|
Review...
As I often do, as I was driving to work this
morning, I listened to your (Mr. Trump's) radio spot wherein you extolled the
drive and enthusiasm of an eighteen year old who ran for and won the position of
mayor of his town. At the end of the article, you mentioned that he should be
the first in line if you had a Teenage Apprentice show. I think you should
seriously consider that opportunity of a Teenage Apprentice show.
I have
been a high school teacher and coach in Texas for forty years. I have watched
outstanding teenage athletes be honored on a daily basis, teens who can belt out
a song be recognized with million dollar contracts, and teens who murder, rape,
and drive drunk be flashed across the pages of the paper routinely.
But,
how often are the American public blessed to watch our truly gifted academic
students at work. There are programs like "Academic Decathlon," "Destination
Imagination," "Odyssey of the Mind," and UIL competitions, but if the
academically inclined students do perform well at these events, they rarely are
mentioned in the paper. If they are, it is relegated to a small column on page
twelve of the Metro section.
A Teenage Apprentice show would not only
afford our brightest and best the opportunity to shine in public, it would be a
"role model" situation for those teens who have the misguided opinion that it's
not cool to be smart.
This year in my English I Pre-AP class, I had my
students use "The Odyssey" as a basis for developing a theme park. They had to
plot the area, design rides, include comfort facilities, plan restaurants and
their menus, and determine appropriate entertainment packages. Some of them
weren't so hot, but others took off with the assignment and taught me much more
about the possibilities of using a computer to develop ideas.
The kids
delighted in it, and so did I. We have so many bright and wonderful teens in
this country, and we rarely if ever recognize them for their talents. You Mr.
Trump have an opportunity to significantly affect the attitudes of teens around
the country. Your off-hand comment could be a great opportunity, and I think you
should seriously consider it.
|
