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Alitas · Joined: 19 May 2003 Posts: 187 Location: Maine

Friends of mine in the DR have asked if I would consider helping them start a bilingual school.

Any thoughts, positive or negative, on doing this?

moonraven · Joined: 24 Mar 2004 Posts: 3094

Depends--How much money do they want you to invest?

Alitas · Joined: 19 May 2003 Posts: 187 Location: Maine

None. The responsible party has lots of money but seeks an educated, bilingual American to serve as director. This would be their second school, the first that would be bilingual and serve the expat community on the north coast.

I am interested in knowing more about accreditation.

Initial ideas are to start at the k-6 level.

Carina_Cisneros · Posted: Thu Dec 02, 2004 2:18 am Post subject: Accreditation?

This is perhaps a silly question, but what does accreditation get you (or the school, or the students) with people so young, in a country probably lacking in grant-funding and such? Is the goal to get them into a well-known school, or later, an English-language university abroad, or are the goals more modest?

Alitas · Joined: 19 May 2003 Posts: 187 Location: Maine

Not silly...

The people who would like to start this school have a vision of it turning into an accredited international school. They seek to attract wealthy expat students or wealthy Dominican students. The Dominican economy is looking up. The current president is a fan of business and his policies favor economic growth.

(As an aside, this country is not lacking in grant funding. I have seen dozens of programs sponsored in the DR. My first contact with the country was via a sponsored program. The Canadian government sets aside a certain percentage just for grant proposals. There are projects all over the place and more being developed.)

This is not to say this is not a poor country with plenty of needs...however there are also many opportunities.

moonraven · Joined: 24 Mar 2004 Posts: 3094

Another elitist school for the brats of the oligarchy. Just what is NOT needed.

How about serving some of the needs of that poor country?

Alitas · Joined: 19 May 2003 Posts: 187 Location: Maine

A good, solid education is very much needed and wanted and willing to be bought. It's a niche market, not available to everyone.

This is not a thread about philanthropy, it's most definitely a capitalist idea.

naturegirl321 · Joined: 04 May 2003 Posts: 9041 Location: home sweet home

sounds like a good idea.

moonraven · Joined: 24 Mar 2004 Posts: 3094

Sounds 100% self-serving. But why am I surprised?

ls650 · Joined: 10 May 2003 Posts: 3484 Location: British Columbia

moonraven · Joined: 24 Mar 2004 Posts: 3094

The "somehow" is key. It really rubs me the wrong way when folks who can't make it in their home countries turn to exploiting conditions in the developing world--even fomenting the enormous social divisions and inequalities of education that exist.

But I should not be surprised, given the "escu�lidos" Alitas was apparently hanging with in Venezuela.

Alitas · Joined: 19 May 2003 Posts: 187 Location: Maine

Damn. I am evil and self-serving.

Ok, moving on.....

moonraven · Joined: 24 Mar 2004 Posts: 3094

Alitas wrote:

"Any thoughts, postive or negative, on doing this?"

If you don't want to hear the negatives, why ask?

Alitas · Joined: 19 May 2003 Posts: 187 Location: Maine

I think I heard you loud and clear.....

Carina_Cisneros · Posted: Sat Dec 04, 2004 7:44 am Post subject:

It is almost laughable (or maybe completely laughable?) that one could be faulted for posing the possibility of a venture which combines an income abroad along with the likelihood of an excellent education for local people. If in fact people learn at the proposed school, or better yet, learn a great deal, then by definition the venture is not self-serving, not to mention 100% self-serving. Too many “selves“ are “served“; get it? When it comes right down to it, it does not -nor should it- matter how one is “rubbed“. Either it is a good school, or it is not; students learn, or they do not; it is a good idea, or it is not. There is no other “thing” to discuss. Your “rub” is, perhaps, a problem for you (and/or maybe your analyst?). “Exploitation” (I ask, laughing out loud)? Do you even understand the definition of the word? The very idea only makes sense if one accepted the money from those who could least afford it, and then offered nothing or little in return. Hardly the idea proposed here. A school for expats is no more an exploitation of the people than is a bodega, cafe, baseball field, or internet cafe. Have you confused ESL with the U.S. Peace Corps?