Teachers for sale
Why am I not surprised that Arianna Huffington is auctioning off a “an eye-opening internship” at the HuffPost? It’s all for charity. You buy your aspiring young blogger the internship, he or she gets to pad the resume, and the Robert F. Kennedy Center gets the dough. The current bid is $13,000.
And HuffPost is not alone. This is happening all over the place. Desperate parents of means are buying internships for their college-age kids at nonprofits, PR firms, and magazines like Elle and Rolling Stone.
OK, we all know the economy sucks. But what exactly are these people teaching their kids, who are worried about getting necessary job experience in a flagging marketplace? The message is: It’s not who or what you know, it’s how much money your parents have. The whole idea of paying big bucks so your kid can not get paid to fetch coffee at some prestigious outlet is nauseating. We all know this is the way the world works — a certain former president didn’t get into Yale because he got 1600 on his SATs — but parents who sanction this kind of elitist favor-currying are doing their children an enormous disservice.
And this isn’t limited to college students. The pay-for-favoritism starts once kids hit school, public or private. Do a quick google on “school charity auction teacher” and you’ll find that schools, desperate for cash to buy “extras” like computers, routinely hold charity auctions. Any parent with a few Ben Franklins to spare can fork out the cash to attend a charity dinner, eat chicken a la something, and get in a bidding war with the local CEO for a chance for their kid to have lunch with the school’s favorite teachers.
The perks auctioned off at such events are absurd, as are the prices some are willing to pay. Got $1000 in spare change? Your child can do the morning announcements over the PA system. $2000? The local ice cream company will lavish your child’s class with 31 flavors and all the gooey toppings. Who cares that the kids in the other classes are wondering why they are being left out of all the sugary fun? Who cares if the shy student who worked really hard all year to “use his words” could really benefit from getting a chance to make the morning announcements? Mom and Dad have tons of money, so their children get to have a sleepover in the library!
I’m not suggesting that teachers actually play favoritism in the classroom for the kids whose parents throw cash at the school. But this tradition is wrong. It’s elitist. It’s sending the wrong message to impressionable young people. Private schools can do whatever they want, but these auction items have no place in the public schools.
It’s fabulous that concerned parents want to support the schools. I bought some student artwork at our local auction. (It’s a kindergarten drip painting, very Jackson Pollock.) But teachers should not be for sale to the highest bidder. If I had deeper pockets, I would buy all teacher-related perks offered and not use them. But I don’t. So I’ll just complain about this hideous happening here.
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Whether teachers — in public or private schools — are playing favorites or merely seem to be doing so, their students will certainly believe that kids whose parents pony up for special access get the edge with them. Is that really a lesson teachers want their classes to learn? If they do, they might want to begin by defining the phrase “conflict of interest” for the kids.
But defining the term “conflict of interest” won’t fit in the strict curriculum guidelines required for standardized tests. And if teachers deviate from the scripted curriculum, kids might not do well on the tests, the school won’t get federal funds, and the whole point of the auction was to raise money in the first place.
Catch 22, anyone?
In response to another comment. See in context »Patti, I completely agree with your take on this, but it’s not really anything new, just more blatant. When I was in college, I was lucky enough to have a somewhat distant relative working at the New York Times connect me with an internship as a “copy girl.” People used to look at the copy kids hanging out and say it was like “celebrity bowling” because so many were the sons and daughters of top editors and writers. Connections have always gotten kids internships, auctions or not. And no, it’s not fair!
Yes, Karen, it’s been the way of the world since time immemorial. Not much we can do about the private sector. But it shouldn’t take place in public schools. That’s just unethical and wrong. Why are parents so afraid to complain about this? It kills me.
In response to another comment. See in context »That explains why the Huffington Post never replied to the internship application I submitted just after I graduated from college!
You mean you didn’t sweeten the pot with a check for ten grand tucked inside your application? What were you thinking?
In response to another comment. See in context »Alas, I wanted to, but since I had just graduate from college that money belonged to the United State government.