That's fast thinking

[andrewducker]

I wouldn't be able to answer a question like that off the cuff.

via

Comments

[fub.livejournal.com]

Being a teacher is indeed a calling, and not a carreer. I know a few teachers, and they do a very good job -- and I'm happy for that, because I couldn't do it.

I also like how he looks pissed off at her.

[marrog.livejournal.com]

I think he just looks incredulous. It's like, "Did you forget that I'm not just an actor but actually an incredibly smart and well-educated actor who will verbally kick your ass?"

[cybik.livejournal.com]

I like her look of "oh, ah, actually, yes, you're totally winning this, aren't you?"

[gonzo21.livejournal.com]

I like that she left the microphone with him and really let him answer the question though.

[channelpenguin.livejournal.com]

I'll go with the incredulous and her realising he is stomping all over her (intellectually). All cred to her for staying shut up - many interviewers would not....

[daveon.livejournal.com]

Obviously, the cameraman didn't get the memo for the shutting up.

I did like the, "...well maybe you're a shitty camera man?"

[steer.livejournal.com]

Brilliant -- that's an incredibly good answer.

[ladysisyphus.livejournal.com]

I consider myself a teacher, but hell, I'm going on to do it at the college level, which is a whole 'nother ball of grief. I work every day, however, with people (mostly young women) who are either trying to teach or teaching K-12, and the stories they tell are horrifying. Not only do you have to go through mountains of training, when you get there it's nearly impossible to find a job, administrators will dick you around, parents will complain about everything, local and state governments will do their best to pay you as little as humanly possible, standards boards demand performance on standardized tests -- and that's before you even start dealing with the kids.

So sure, 10% of teachers may be shitty. But that leaves 90% who are there doing a terrible job with no respect because they love it, you ninny with a microphone. Needless to say, Mr. Damon's answer -- and the rest of the speech he gave -- warmed my heart.

[andrewducker]

Thank you for that!

[tanyad.livejournal.com]

I think I love him a little bit for that answer. Thanks for this.

[fyrie.livejournal.com]

His first response is awesome enough, but his response to the heckle from the cameraman is just as brilliant :D

[captainlucy.livejournal.com]

Really, did she think she was interviewing the Team America puppet?

[spacelem.livejournal.com]

See, take this MBA-style thinking, right? It’s the problem with Ed policy right now. There’s this intrinsically paternalistic view of problems that are much more complex than that.

Can someone explain what this bit means?

[andrewducker]

MBA = Masters of Business Administration. Standard training for "people that want to run big companies".

And basically it's the teaching that people are _only_ interested in external rewards (like money), and therefore you have to constantly watch/grade them, in order to make sure that they're living up to the reward you're offering them.

As opposed to the belief that people are internally rewarded (by, y'know, a sense of achievement), and that constantly grading them means they spend less time working, and work to the criteria you set rather than what's actually useful.

[spacelem.livejournal.com]

Ah, thanks. I don't mind admitting my ignorance with that kind of jargon.