by kathye in Schools and Youth
Posted on May 28, 2010 at 11:38 am
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Do you know a child who struggles with reading or writing? The Donald D. Durrell Reading and Writing Clinic, located at BU’s School of Education, has a few spaces remaining for its second summer session, from July 19 through August 5. The Clinic provides intensive one-on-one tutoring that advances the literacy learning of students in grades 1 through 11. The summer session meets Monday through Thursday mornings, from 8:30 to 11:30.
For more information, please visit our website at
http://www.bu.edu/education/readingclinic/tutoringservices.html
or contact Evelyn Ford-Connors, Associate Director, at 617-358-0910.
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I have a real problem with tutoring at $1690 to $3800 advertising itself on this website. Surely the BU Services are of a quality to merit funding, but BU – like Tufts – pays no real estate taxes and no corporate income tax for a reason – and that reason is to provide community benefits. If they were a little more transparent about their fees, their scholarships and their philanthropy I might trust their promotions!
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I passed along the posting and agree that the fee is awfully steep. I thought twice about whether to post it here, for that reason, but have known some very well off families with some very challenged (often adopted) kids.
If you believe in a strict meritocracy (I can’t really imagine what that would be) you could argue that these families have no business buying their challenged kids tutoring that many people can’t afford. I’d love to see more income equality but can’t bring myself to argue against people doing what they can for their kids.
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I agree with Kathye. I will do whatever I can to help my children. They are my responsibility.
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Boy, you guys missed my point completely! It’s not income equality which I’m arguing, it’s institutional elitism and racism from institution we support with a very substantial tax exemption. They OWE IT to THE COMMUNITY, and should at least make an attempt at a sliding scale, some scholarship, or some parental involvement options. Nobody’s challenging parental authority, but it’s ridiculous to insulate our social institutions from their real and apparent social responsibility – to everybody, rich and poor!
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How do they “owe it” to the community? As far as I know, there is no “quid peo quo” attached to the tax exempt status.
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Then why don’t they pay like everybody else?? There surely is. In fact, the Board of Trustees at Harvard is the Massachusetts Senate, and the state constitution describes four branches of state government – legislative, executive, judicial, and “the college in Cambridge.” Oh, for sure they have a public purpose, that is WHY they’re tax exempt! And that’s also why Tufts has Tisch college, to express that exemption in a less contemptuous way, and to empower their students to learn more creatively. And why MIT has its Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program, and Harvard its Phillips Brooks House. Don’t ignore that all of these institutions were created with a public purpose – and, for that matter, so were the hospitals. And that’s why the entire health care bill is so complex – they are ALREADY public entities. In point of fact, there is at least one Catholic hospital whose nonprofit status is being challenged because it does no community pricing!
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It really would be a good idea to check stuff out. Google can make anybody – like me – seem pretty smart; and shooting from the hip, before checking, can do the reverse. http://tinyurl.com/38pongl
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Wow Joe, maybe you should chill out.
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Uh, yeah!
I actually agree with some of what you’re saying, Joe, but the hostility level–not just toward BU but toward anyone who isn’t immediately on your precise wavelength–just invokes avoidance.
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Thanks Kathye for putting this info out.
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I agree with what I think was Joe’s main point. Sure it’s fine for BU or any other institutions to offer tutoring and, sure, most people do everything they can for their kids but why should this site give BU free advertising?
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Last time I checked, this site was free. Maybe Somerville Voices should charge for postings.
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Reading the front page of this blog, it is about life in the city of Somerville. I do not beleive that this ad for a BU program qualifles. I’m sure at the prices charged BU has the ability to advertise for this program. For those parents who can afford the tuition I am also sure that are aware of this program and the many other programs that are available to them.
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It won’t happen again any time soon!
Two years ago, at the request of people with long involvement in Somerville Voices, I helped create a permanent repository for lists of activities that Somerville parents might want to know about during the summer: see http://www.somervillevoices.org/kids.
I received this email at work and, after some misgivings about the class issues, passed it along, thinking it was another summer activity that might interest Somerville parents.
I’m ready to fight our real enemies at any time, but this level of hostility from people I probably agree with about most issues sends a simple message: there are a lot of really angry people here. Your energy might be more kindly received elsewhere.
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Then let’s shut the blog down. I don’t want to read anything else about how the neighbors hate the Armory, Coffee Party invites, Coffee with Carl, etc. But you know what? It is on here. I swear most people on here love to just complain. Get a life!
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Kathye, please do not let these beyond ignorant people deter you from posting anything. I am glad to see that there is a tutoring program through BU.
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Kathye – are there scholarships available to the program, and what are the thresholds for qualifying? There is “doing what you can for your kids”, but then there’s coughing up in excess of fifty dollars an hour for summer school.
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Tricky,
I don’t know. I passed along a message that I thought might be helpful for some people. I wouldn’t do it again.
Kathy
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My interest in this blog is to bring together a common community. I see invitations from BU for expensive tutoring as, frankly, remarkably insensitive to the needs, interest, or aspirations of a low income parent with a child who needs help. I see such invitations as destructive, and as – in short – cruel. I also see the opportunity to raise the consciousness of places like the BU vendor to at least establish some kind of sliding scale, and to acknowledge a social conscience that includes, rather than excludes because of externalities like income.
Think of all who might read this when you address many who do read this and you might tune such messages with a little more compassion.
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Joe, I hope others who post think about all those who read before posting insensitive things too (such as yourself). Stop being a hypocrite.
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Janine,
You’re confusing sanctimony with hypocrisy. You ought to sleep later.
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Your tone is obnoxious, Joe. It is as plain as can be. And you become this way when people do not side with you on issues that are important to you. Your issues are not important to me and many others on this blog. We all have a right to voice our opinions and should not be chastised for them.
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I agree with Janine and Kathy (who happens to be someone I’ve known for 25 years). This was a simple announcement, and deserves a civil discussion, but not the insults that have been hurled here.
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munch….munch…..munch….that’s the sound of me munching on popcorn and enjoying the progressive circular firing squad on this forum on this issue and many others.
Please resume.
Oh… and Joe, I agree with you. BU/Tufts/Harvard and other colleges get enough “public support” from us that they ought to give back a little. But then how could we keep the liberal, progressive brainwashing professors in the lifestyles that they’ve grown accustomed to?
munch…munch….munch… munch…munch….
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