Wednesdays have become serious for me, as that's the day we record our weekly MOMocrats MOMochat podcast. I don't write about that too much here, as I prefer to keep my political views out of this space (which I imagine to be a peaceful, mostly happy, controversy-free zone).
But I've also kept pretty mum on my political webcasting activities for another reason: When we started doing the weekly radio show, listening to it made me wince.
I started my post-college career working in radio, and then in television. I learned a few things: including all the reasons why I wasn't destined to be an on-air personality.
We relaunched our podcast a year ago, when I was feeling depressed after the 2010 midterm elections. Because it was my project, I ended up producing and hosting the thing most weeks by default -- and while I like being the show's producer, hosting was something I have been begging the other MOMocrats to do. And for some reason (I dunno - intelligence on their part?) no one has stepped up to take that role. In fact, they keep telling me that they think I'm doing a good job of it.
And you know what? After a year of weekly podcasts, I can finally look at what we're doing there with some pride of ownership. I still don't think I have the right combination of personality, quick wit and brains to be hosting the thing -- but I've definitely improved. And I feel I can say that the shows we've done over the last several weeks have been... GOOD.
Of course, I share credit with the fabulous women who co-host the show with me: Cynematic, Karoli, Julie Pippert and Jaelithe Judy have been the most frequent participants. The show is basically an opportunity for us to have a weekly conference call to discuss what's happening in the world of politics, and I think our show's best moments are when we forget that others are listening, too.
In fact, this week's program was so good that I felt it was important to share with my readers here. The fact that I hardly spoke was only a slight contributing factor; the main reason is the subject matter: Public education - specifically, the movement to privatize our public schools and replace classroom teachers with online courses.
No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, I think this is a subject that bears closer scrutiny. My friend and colleague, Cynematic (K12 News Network), booked a knowledgeable guest: Investigative reporter Lee Fang, whose in-depth article about this is in the current issue of The Nation: How Online Learning Companies Bought America's Schools.
Education is important, and not just to parents of school-age children. As a society, we need an educated population, to fill jobs that now require more knowledge and technological skill than ever before. This week's MOMochat podcast will give you some food for thought.
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