Kids and teachers at these schools are incredible - devoted, talented, and determined. Administrators are backwards. The board members are just plain crazy, and think they can appropriate public money for their private gain.
Dear 60 Minutes:
Growing up, I went to a Catholic grammar school and high school, so I know how a religious-based school works. My children have gone to one of the schools affiliated with Harmony school system (in Arkansas) for years and I am at a complete loss (after watching your preview video that appeared to focus on badgering an old man in the Poconos, a la Howard Stern) as to your why you attempt to tie these type of charter schools to some religious movement. About half the teachers are Turkish, which I see as a cost-cutting effort rather than bringing in a "Fifth Column." The school has NO religious instruction of any kind, and focusses on student achievement and college preparation. Instead of football or basketball trophies (they don't have an athletic field) their "bragging wall" has trophies from chess tournaments, robotic competitions, etc. Their "religion" seems closer to "Nerdism" than any Islamic sect. This report could simply be dismissed if its present context wasn't so poisonous. Have your producers looked at the ring of websites that see a Gulen conspiracy in these schools? The subtext of these venomous sites is patently Islamophobic, implying a form of American madrassas. Cultural communication is cast as indoctrination. Have you considered who are running these sites? Are they simply concerned, are they Islamophobes or do they have a real interest in seeing these type of schools fail? Your preview indicates you do not seem to care who is driving the furor. By focussing on who is generating this tempest and why (their websites are opaque as to who they are and their support) you could provide a real context for any societal discussion.
I hope you will not miss the real news here.
For your information, I am not a Turk. I am a PROUD, American-born, half white-half black woman from Texas. I am also a teacher, and not for the Harmony Schools either (I work for a large ISD in the Houston area), however I have several friends who work for Harmony Schools and a niece that attends an elementary. She went from being completely behind, to now reading on a 2nd grade level (she is in Kinder). Her teachers, both Turkish and American, dote on her, treating her as their own child. I have been to numerous functions at 6 different campuses. I have volunteered and had many meetings with teachers and administration. Never ever have I heard a single mention of this Mr. Gulen (in fact, I and other parents had no CLUE who this guy was until we read the NY Times article written last summer). Additionally, our family is Buddhist! We would never, ever tolerate sending our child to a school that teaches any one religion. I have also helped in the library, where the most threatening book I've seen was a Harry Potter book and where the text books they use are IDENTICAL to the ones at the public school where I work. I run an after school music program for some of the students - NEVER have any of them come to me and say their teacher, Turkish or otherwise, has ever said anything to them about Islam OR about Gulen. I will watch this 60 minutes broadcast with an open mind because I know there are 2 sides to every story. But in my own personal experience with these schools, the claims 60 Minutes is making are circumstantial at best and are not based on any hard evidence. It sounds to me like you have a PERSONAL issue with the Gulen Movement in Turkey, which honestly, I could care less about. I AM deeply sorry for any injustices you have suffered because of this movement, but I assure you as an avid HPS supporter and volunteer, that man has nothing to do with our schools.
THANK YOU, I AM 100% WITH YOU, THEY HAVE THE BEST EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM . ALSO THEY WATCH AND TREAT STUDENTS JUST LIKE THIER OWN. VERY NICE PEOPLE, VERY OPEN TO TALK TO THEM ABOUT ANY SUBJECT . ALSO THEY KEEP THE PARENTS INFORM OF ANY ACTIVITIES . LOVE THESE PEOPLE.
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Kids and teachers at these schools are incredible - devoted, talented, and determined. Administrators are backwards. The board members are just plain crazy, and think they can appropriate public money for their private gain.
Growing up, I went to a Catholic grammar school and high school, so I know how a religious-based school works. My children have gone to one of the schools affiliated with Harmony school system (in Arkansas) for years and I am at a complete loss (after watching your preview video that appeared to focus on badgering an old man in the Poconos, a la Howard Stern) as to your why you attempt to tie these type of charter schools to some religious movement. About half the teachers are Turkish, which I see as a cost-cutting effort rather than bringing in a "Fifth Column." The school has NO religious instruction of any kind, and focusses on student achievement and college preparation. Instead of football or basketball trophies (they don't have an athletic field) their "bragging wall" has trophies from chess tournaments, robotic competitions, etc. Their "religion" seems closer to "Nerdism" than any Islamic sect.
This report could simply be dismissed if its present context wasn't so poisonous. Have your producers looked at the ring of websites that see a Gulen conspiracy in these schools? The subtext of these venomous sites is patently Islamophobic, implying a form of American madrassas. Cultural communication is cast as indoctrination. Have you considered who are running these sites? Are they simply concerned, are they Islamophobes or do they have a real interest in seeing these type of schools fail? Your preview indicates you do not seem to care who is driving the furor. By focussing on who is generating this tempest and why (their websites are opaque as to who they are and their support) you could provide a real context for any societal discussion.
I hope you will not miss the real news here.
For your information, I am not a Turk. I am a PROUD, American-born, half white-half black woman from Texas. I am also a teacher, and not for the Harmony Schools either (I work for a large ISD in the Houston area), however I have several friends who work for Harmony Schools and a niece that attends an elementary. She went from being completely behind, to now reading on a 2nd grade level (she is in Kinder). Her teachers, both Turkish and American, dote on her, treating her as their own child. I have been to numerous functions at 6 different campuses. I have volunteered and had many meetings with teachers and administration. Never ever have I heard a single mention of this Mr. Gulen (in fact, I and other parents had no CLUE who this guy was until we read the NY Times article written last summer). Additionally, our family is Buddhist! We would never, ever tolerate sending our child to a school that teaches any one religion. I have also helped in the library, where the most threatening book I've seen was a Harry Potter book and where the text books they use are IDENTICAL to the ones at the public school where I work. I run an after school music program for some of the students - NEVER have any of them come to me and say their teacher, Turkish or otherwise, has ever said anything to them about Islam OR about Gulen. I will watch this 60 minutes broadcast with an open mind because I know there are 2 sides to every story. But in my own personal experience with these schools, the claims 60 Minutes is making are circumstantial at best and are not based on any hard evidence. It sounds to me like you have a PERSONAL issue with the Gulen Movement in Turkey, which honestly, I could care less about. I AM deeply sorry for any injustices you have suffered because of this movement, but I assure you as an avid HPS supporter and volunteer, that man has nothing to do with our schools.