If you were a rapper who made millions by insulting women with vulgar lyrics and treating them as sex objects, what’s your next logical move?
Why, open a charter school! It is easy if you live in Florida, where anyone can open a charter.
And then you will be invited to be a keynote speaker at the national charter schools conference!
I can’t reprint any of the lyrics on this blog because they are so vulgar.
What a testament to the value of education, knowledge, wisdom, compassion, and thoughtfulness! Not.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
This makes about as much sense as the NY State Ed Commissioner speaking at a Gulen Charter School.
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Wow, Why the charter powers that be would give the attention to someone who calls himself the Pitbull is beyond me. And generally I like most things artistic that are “way out there” because it challenges the status quo (and not the original Status Quo, see: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y8THWF09D9w )The fact that he names himself “Pitbull” really bothers me. Pit bulls were originally bred to be very dedicated to the family. And I can tell you from experience that pit bulls are some of the most dedicated to family dogs there are. Bred to be protectors of children, they should actually be part of the anti-reformista movement.
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There is one word that describes what is happening in the charter sector right now – desperation.
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This couldn’t be more disgusting. And yes, why does our government allow a foreign corporation to run charter schools in America?
The payoffs permeate so many levels of our society that it is hard to know where to start fighting back.
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This is unbelievable! What world are we living in?!
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A cynical one …
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Well, to paraphrase comedian Lewis Black: “I’m glad I took acid when I was young to prepare myself for times like these”.
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We just had a WA State legislator – Pam Roach (aptly named) – go on a Gulen sponsored trip to Azerbaijan. I suspect we’ll see a few Gulen charters pop up here shortly unless the WA State Supreme Court nullifies 1240 since the state can’t even fulfill it’s primary duty of properly funding the public schools it already has.
http://mynorthwest.com/646/2303117/State-senator-on-a-10day-junket-of-questionable-benefit-to-Washington
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Only in America can a rapper open his own school with taxpayer money and no accountability.
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Joanne Best where are you when the true artists need you?
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Duane. It’s JoannA.
And I had a big weekend with my husband’s golf tournament, so I am only just now reading this.
To me it is like this.
His commercial success reflects the preference of many people–in other words, a lot of people have given him money because they like his music. His lyrics are probably written quickly and dropping buzz words like “Lebanon” in 2011 might be in there only because it was in the news at the time and it was just part of the vernacular that was flying around and easy to catch.
Having taught in an inner city situation I can say that understanding the pop culture of that population (even they might call it “ghetto”) helped me connect with those kids.
I say the sin is not him opening a school. We should not be surprised that this would happen when the charter floodgates open. Lyrics and music are two different things and if his music is good, it is hard for me to be judgemental because I am a musician. If he isn’t going to offer a good school, it will fail. We just have to wait and see.
Had he just given all his money to a public school we would deem him a hero. Or, further, if he had radically decided to enroll in teacher training we would laud him (if he recounted his past ways); but we would take his money now wouldn’t we?
Madonna published children’s books.
I will be curious to see how his school does in Miami. I lived down there. I taught down there. Maybe he is a bridge between hip hop culture and those who have gladly taken money from those wanting to teach without actually knowing how to prepare them for connecting with a hip hop culture.
As my rap hero (not my hero in all things, but specifically my rap hero–mostly because I like his music), Wyclef, says
“Ya’ll can’t blame it on hip hop.”
The fact that Pitbull has made the money he did on his deplorable lyrics shows that lots and lots of people do not find them deplorable. And in this country, he is allowed to do that.
He is simply now finding a niche in a system that allows him to do that too.
Hope that is what you were looking for, Duane.
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Thanks, Joanna! I knew you would have a good response!
And sorry for the typo!
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…and not to mention his lifestyle, past drug dealing, DUI’s, disrespectful to law officials, etc. Yeah, he’s a true role model. Wait for this line to be printed, “Look how Pitbull has turned his life around, and now he is investing in the children of Miami.” This is sickening! This is truly a sad state of affairs. I bet there is already a waiting list to get into SLAM. What qualifications must the teachers have? Let me guess, a big booty!
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“Let me guess, a big booty!”
That would be funny but I’m afraid it might be true.
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Any one of those “lifestyle” elements would be a career ender for an actual teacher.
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What a heinous slap in the face to our children and the dedicated teachers who have and are giving their careers to the enrichment, academically and ethically, of American youth! It’s as if the charter school promoters wants to show just how much disdain and contempt they have for children! Teachers are destroyed by fallacious accusations of trivialities, such as “putting a (non existent) fish in the school freezer!” In stark contrast, such a low life is allowed to establish a charter “school?”. Such a moral monster should be verboten to even address students! Have our lawless rulers become so morally degenerate that they enable such criminals to run a “school?”
This shocks me to the core! I thought after all I’ve seen and suffered through in the destruction of public education, nothing could surprise me. This is an outrage that ought to rally the public to the dangers of these destroyers before it is too late!
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Mary, Pitbull is a changed man. He wants to help “save” the children of Miami. (Yes, I am being facetious)
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You (and the Jazzman) have done it again, Diane – you’ve left me speechless. I’m pretty jaded and I tend to think I’ve seen it all and that nothing will surprise me. You prove me wrong over and over. On the other side of the coin, I at least try to find some optimism – I mean, it can’t get worse than *this*, can it? You tend to prove me wrong there too.
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After reading this, I need to go read the Onion for awhile, where things are toned down and less absurd.
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See quote above about Lewis Black!
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LOL
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I must admit that I enjoy some of Pitbull’s music, and I regard his smutty lyrics as colorful tongue-in-cheek boasting, an not necessarily a sexist attack on women. (Maybe I’ve been brainwashed.)
But even I, as a fan of his music, in no way regard him as qualified to give a speech on education, let alone found a school. A rapper, singer, athlete, religious leader, or anyone else outside of the field of education, even if they have a squeaky clean past, should not be leading a school, either.
Is Pitbull considered to be honorable, successful, and a good role model, just because he’s made a lot of money? His wealth is the only thing I can think of that would lead anyone to think he could found a school. Just like Andre Aggasi.
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I have no problem with any singer singing whatever he/she wants. Now whether I would a singer have be a quote teacher unquote is a whole other story.
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I’m glad you wrote this. I can’t believe someone would let him be the spokesman for any school. The fact that he admitted to selling drugs and the DUI arrests would put any other public school superintendent or principal out of a job. The lyrics about women are ridiculous for any leader. Jalen Rose was arrested for DUI and still has his name on a school. Why are the standards so low for children in urban areas? Why don’t they deserve better?
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Many athletes who are dumb dumb dumb have opened charter schools
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Perhaps Michael Vick will open an animal shelter down the block.
Talk about school “reform”.
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That may well be, but are they rapists and sing lyrics that are anti-social and totally inappropriate for students in a supposed
“academic setting?” “Dumb” is an biological impediment;
raping and singing lyrics that are degenerative are two,
entirely different things.
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Can’t agree with you on this one, Diane. Name the “many” please.
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And one athlete who is dumb dumb dumb is Secretary of Education
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Who’s next? Chris Brown?
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Can you direct us to a site that shows the lyrics. With such knowledge, we can start petitioning against this fool who ought to stay in the music business and stay away from children.
Next thing you know, Snoop Dog will get rid of his bikini babes in high heels and open up a Latin language arts academy.
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Jersey Jazzman has some of Pitbull’s lyrics here: http://jerseyjazzman.blogspot.com/2013/06/national-charter-schools-conference.html
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Much obliged, Diane.
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Celebrity + Charter School = Really Big $$$$$$$
That does not mean success for the students!
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The only thing that matters is profit$$$!!!
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This is typical South Florida. The latest craze gets all the attention. I grew up in Miami, and during the drug days of the 70’s and 80’s business people and pols would fall all over themselves to get next to the newest money man, only to be left with cake on their faces when the truth came out that this was a bad person.
Mr. Pitbull will open a school with a great theme, and it will last a couple of years until he goes broke, gets arrested or just fades away and it will just be another story.
Famous, rich people love to open schools. It gives them such a warm, fuzzy feeling. Lets take a moment to remember what happened when Oprah decided to save the kids in Africa and open an all girls school. I believe it ended in a sexual scandal.
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Mr. Pitbull is not a true pit bull!
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Mr. Pitbull is a true chicken shit who would rely on a dog to defend himself. Hell, this old fart Spanish teacher challenges “Mr. Pitbull” to a death cage match (hell, I ain’t got nothin to lose, he has his eyes and cojones to lose).
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Bring it on Mr. Pitbull!
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You can’t make chicken salad out of chicken sh*t
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Diane,
I read the lyrics, and this is a DISGRACE.
Let’s everyone reading this blog start a petition against this ersatz musician. . . . this ersatz human.
He has NO business educating or socializing children. A teacher or principal with this background would NEVER get a job in a public school.
This guy should not even be aloud to silently back ANY kind of school.
Pitbulls can be dangerous and have been known to be put to sleep . . . .
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“Pitbulls can be dangerous and have been known to be put to sleep . . . .”
Robert,
Please don’t disparage a great breed. The rapper already has done enough damage to the breed by misappropriating the name. It’s not the pitbull him/herself that is dangerous, it’s the human that raises them that is dangerous. All breeds of dogs have had individuals “put to sleep” due to over-aggressive behaviour against humans.
Just did a pause in writing this to feed my chocolate lab (which by the way have a higher biting human rate than pitbulls) and my son’s American Stafforshire Terrier, aka, pitbull. About the only thing that the pitbull will hurt you with is his tail wagging so hard when he sees you or smothers you with “kisses”. (We’re trying to break him of the kissing thing as it is a bit messy, especially after he drinks some water). He’s laying down quietly at my feet now.
Media coverage is very biased (what the MSM being biased?) against pitbulls and many people have bad misconceptions concerning the breed. I know I did until my son got one and I started reading up on them and interacting with them. Pitbulls really are intelligent and very dedicated to family/humans with which they are associated.
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Thanks for coming to the defense of pits, Duane! They are wonderful, intelligent, creatures with rich cognitive and emotional repertoires. Some of them, unfortunately, have owners with profound inferiority complexes.
In the same vein, it is unfair to pigs to compare them to the rapacious profiteers behind the education deform movement.
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Duane and others:
Thank you for pointing this out.
I am well informed that most pitbulls have to be trained and reinforced to really unleash their aggression. Left as is, most are no more harmful or innocuous as most any other breed or mutt. The media has slanted its coverage of pitbulls . . .
Therefore, an edit:
“Mean tempered dogs can be dangerous and have been known to . . . . . ”
I know of many toy and lap dogs that are likely to bite more than bigger dogs.
Still, I think our rapper friend in Florida should consider euthanizing his career in education among other things.
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“Still, I think our rapper friend in Florida should consider euthanizing his career in education among other things.”
Agree but with all the $$$ to be made, unfortunately I don’t think that will happen.
Can you imagine him being able to get a job in a public school?
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Is the Obama administration so anti public schools they would send Arne to celebrate the charter movement with this rapper whose lyrics clearly speak of the sexual exploitation women? Oh right, he’s a charter operator. That’s all that matters.
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Oh, how fitting! Arnie the idiot (I heard him opine that the “fix” for the high drop out rate with Sophomore’s was No problem…just graduate kids in their Sophomore year…Junior and Senior years, according to this jerk, is “just a bunch of study halls!”) so for him to bless the beast and the poor little children, literally, reveals the level of rot that the whole, money-grubbing charter school movement is about.
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“. . . according to this jerk. . . ”
You are being kind to only call him a “jerk”. I would use a lot harsher pejorative than that!
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So … It really is always about the money. Pitbull should stick with rapping, if he must. He should not be anywhere around children or have anything to do with education, period!
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But FL is SO pro-family values! We don’t let those evil gays marry, we refused Medicaid expansion so the poor can have the pleasure of paying for their own medical care, we create new laws every year to make it harder for poor women to get abortions, and we ruined the pension for teachers/public servants to save taxpayers money since they love their work so much they wouldn’t retire anyhow.
******
Seriously though, FL is FUBAR. I’m so glad I gave up. I swear too much sunshine rots your brain.
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Diane, I’m in Arkansas. Read the charter rules this afternoon, and I’m thinking, why not create a vocational charter school? We could leverage kinetic learning into ESL rather easily. I’m serious, what do you think?
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Well, exactly. If the road to Charters is now open, those who know what a good school looks like can and should do just what you are describing. Unless you want to make a statement by refusing to open one just on principle. With RttT and Common Core, opening a charter has that much more appeal even to those of us who did not want to see public schools derailed.
I figure it is like when a kid’s parents divorce. It is not what you want to have happen. But once it does, you figure out how to make the situation work so that you can still be the person you wanted to be. My generation is pretty good at that, as we were the ones who first (on a large scale) figured out how to survive between two homes and still be true to ourselves.
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Let’s make some lemonade!!!
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Number one reason why they pciked Pitbull, Gerardo of “Rico Suave” fame was not available.
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I might add (and please know I am a public school supporter who believes in honest dialogue) that the very phrase “distinguished badass teachers association” is not exactly the most classy choice of words. “Distinguished” and “badass” together might be a little like Pitbull opening a school.
Hip hop culture is all around us and challenges what is acceptable in many areas (fashion, cars, relationships, social order), right down to how teachers describe themselves. I figure “badass” would not have been the word choice for this situation pre-hip hop.
Just something to think about before we go judging. I understand people are just trying to make a point that unlikely notions of school are popping up because of charters, but once that system has been enabled, I think we all just have to wait and see how things play out. We were not able to keep that system from being enabled, so now we shall see.
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Joanna I totally agree with you about Badass…& while I think the premise of that group is great, and the people who initiated it should be lauded for their efforts, I’m bothered by the word choice. Ironically, I’m the last person who should criticize, as one of my worst habits is admittedly my own propensity to use profanity like a trucker, but “Badass Teachers Association” negates it’s credibility, I think. (not only that, but shouldn’t the acronym BAT wrong? its not the Badass Association of Teachers). Anyway, I hate to be judgemental abt such things, but this has bothered me since I first read about it the other day. They should rethink the title and find a better “B-word” to replace the 1st. 🙂
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badass (n.) “tough guy,” 1950s U.S. slang, from bad + ass (n.2). (from: http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?l=b&p=2&allowed_in_frame=0 )
I concur with Jill and Joanna about finding a better word and acronym. And as with Jill (and I assume Joanna who has evidently done a lot of singing in bars and has more likely than not been exposed to all manner of vile phraseology) I use profanity in my writing (but never in my classroom other than discussing the appropriate and inappropriate usage of words) as a means of emphasizing a point, riling up the reader, shocking the reader etc. . .
But if I am trying to organize a push against the edudeformers I wouldn’t choose “Badass Teachers” as a moniker. It’s all about context, when does a word become a “foul” word versus when is the word properly used in the proper context. A lot has to do with tone of voice, social setting, intent of speaker/writer, etc. . . . So, no I haven’t signed up for the facebook group. Don’t need to as I’m already a “certified” “difficult teacher” according to Mr. Teachbad.
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Put this together
ASH-O-LE
0-pronounciation-long 0
LE …E-pronunciation-long A
Just a thought…
Kill two birds with one stone…(though I deplore the thought)
Please both sides maybe!
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If you are outraged, please sign my petition to Arne Duncan asking him to cancel his appearance at the NAPCS conference.
http://www.change.org/petitions/arne-duncan-secretary-of-education-cancel-your-appearance-at-the-napcs-conference-with-pitbull#share
Also, here is more proof that Pitbull is not deserving of public money to run a school. His attitudes towards women are clear. To him, they are sex objects.
http://mothercrusader.blogspot.com/2013/06/charter-school-hustling-101-old-school.html
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Rappers buy small percentages of Sports teams and call themselves “owners.” It was only a matter of time before they would startup Charter Schools and call themselves “educators.” Is there anything a Rapper can’t do?! Why should our youth look up to Pres. Obama when they can be like Pitbull. (Being sarcastic , of course!)
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You, of course, mean “ironic” rather than sarcastic. You are saying you are saying the opposite of what you mean. Unfortunately, President Obama is as much of a thief, liar, and degrader of the the working people of this country as Pitbull is, except the President’s crimes are hurting more people. He’s sold drugs, done drugs, sat 20 years in a racist church, married a profiteering, liberal elitist (I worry about his daughters’ souls), permitted the private sector to assault public education, and even leaned in on the knife himself, has tried to steal the health care system for his philosophy’s aggrandizement.
Most public school classroom teachers espouse the same statist philosophy as the president. It is the theory that labor creates value and thus any theft from the capitalists is justified as taking back what working people created anyway. Pitbull and the President are the same in outlook, only Pitbull is honest whereas the President is not. If Pitbull and the President are the same, then there can be no irony, no saying the opposite of what you really mean, because there is no opposite to play off of. It’s like saying why should our youth look up to a lawless arrogant thief when they can be like a lawless arrogant thief.
If President Obama, however, is a decent, truthful, responsible man, then your comment makes sense as irony.
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Hu,
“Most public school classroom teachers espouse the same statist philosophy as the president.”
That is not true. Please cite studies that back up your POINT OF VIEW/OPINION.
“It is the theory that labor creates value and thus any theft from the capitalists is justified as taking back what working people created anyway.”
Yes, you are correct in stating that “labor creates value” but what follows is not a given. The “given” that follows from your statement is “. . . and it’s the capitalist who then steals the value from the laborer in the form of ‘profit’.”
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Generation Y input from the younger of my musician sons, who has been creating hiphop music since 2004: the sexist bit is widely typical of mainstream commercial rappers– in musician’s circles, pronounced with the same dripping disdain as ‘pop’– who exist to make big bucks off what he calls ‘the garbage on mainstream media today’.
As for pitbull in particular, youngest opines he is suffering from the early-onset midlife crisis one observes in many successful rappers. He cited a bunch– I was lost amid the nutty names & only retained Ice-T who created the streetwise L&O cop with heart, & Questlove, erstwhile Roots drummer now NYU professor.
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Re Pitbull: read the first post tomorrow morning and you will see what is worse than garden-variety misogyny
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