Dunbar students didn't recognize Jeff Bezos the surprise speaker, DCPS is Embarrassing

[Anonymous]

The Dunbar student body is 94 percent black and 5 percent Hispanic. Nine percent of students are homeless, according to city data. Sixty-five percent of students are considered at-risk, which means they are homeless or in foster care, their families qualify for public assistance, or they have been held back more than a year in high school.

Way to go for picking on these kids, OP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think this is typical of Dunbar/DCPS - pretending to prepare students for the real world while staying in their low-achievement bubble. I would have loved for the kids to be properly prepped and then see what questions they asked of Bezos. Too bad this opportunity was wasted, for all of them.

The school or teacher did not know he was coming until he suddenly showed up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The principal/teacher looked ridiculous.

Bezos means nothing to those kids and why should he. He has done nothing to help them or their community and has in fact had a detrimental effect on working people in the US and other countries. Good for these kids for not giving him and his PR people the photo op they were looking for.

So this is the culture? They only know people giving out handouts?

It isn't handouts -- it's cultural relevance, which he doesn't have. If they wanted it to be a more engaging visit, they wouldn't have made it a surprise, had students learn about Bezos -- good and bad -- and ask questions. He went looking to be applauded; maybe he should have gone to learn.

White kids know black celebraties and historical figures

So any white kid in Arlington will know who this is right? Otherwise we get to call them ignorant on an anonymous website.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm 42 and work at a law firm with a lot of old white men. I'm white. My friends and I refer to them as "the grandpas." As in, "the grandpas are meeting on the 25th floor." Or, "I have a meeting with two of the grandpas to get notes on the amendment to the Bezos agreement."

You’re not that young either.

I know right? Don't be so smug. To the teens at Dunbar you look just the same as grandpa.

[Anonymous]

He spent 15 minutes at Dunbar per the Washington Post. This was not a serious event by any stretch, and I'm glad the students didn't fawn all over him.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:He spent 15 minutes at Dunbar per the Washington Post. This was not a serious event by any stretch, and I'm glad the students didn't fawn all over him.

I would bet if it was better planned he would stayed longer

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:He spent 15 minutes at Dunbar per the Washington Post. This was not a serious event by any stretch, and I'm glad the students didn't fawn all over him.

I would bet if it was better planned he would stayed longer

He had PR people in tow, and lots of cameras. Got what he needed/wanted and took off. Sounds like he was pretty awkward with the kids.

..."Awakening students can be tough work, even when Bezos stands in front of a high school class surrounded by television, video and still cameras. Bezos tried asking a few questions, loosening them up with questions about their teacher and joking about his own children’s vague responses to his questions. He prompted one student to tell him about his current project that involved coding for computers that operate systems in a house.

“Very cool,” the business mogul responded.

Then, after a group photo and a few more words of encouragement, he was gone. And even if several of the students were not sure who he was or why he came, they said they appreciated the 15-minute drop-in visit."

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/dc-politics/jeff-bezos-visited-a-high-school-class-the-students-werent-sure-who-he-was/2019/10/21/1a83b8e8-f413-11e9-a285-882a8e386a96_story.html

[Anonymous]

Just watched that video. I love that kid. He was unimpressed yet still respectful. My UMC kid at Deal would not even know him by name. Eh!

[Anonymous]

Ask 100 16 year-olds who "famous" people are, see what you get.

[Anonymous]

Clearly you don't have teenagers......

[Anonymous]

Who cares if they knew who he was? What matters is that they were in class, and they were working and understanding what they were doing.

[Anonymous]

I only know him because of his public divorce.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Who cares if they knew who he was? What matters is that they were in class, and they were working and understanding what they were doing.

This. Unless a teacher preps the class ahead of time, most teenagers wouldn't know who the guy was. Much less teens who are struggling, or whose parents are trying to figure out how they are going to feed everyone.

[Anonymous]

Whole Foods just cut health insurance for part time workers.

If he wanted to help these kids and their families he could offer better benefits at his companies from his own pocket and still be a billionaire. Not do a self serving drop by that was unplanned that benefits him and not the kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:He spent 15 minutes at Dunbar per the Washington Post. This was not a serious event by any stretch, and I'm glad the students didn't fawn all over him.

I would bet if it was better planned he would stayed longer

He had PR people in tow, and lots of cameras. Got what he needed/wanted and took off. Sounds like he was pretty awkward with the kids.

..."Awakening students can be tough work, even when Bezos stands in front of a high school class surrounded by television, video and still cameras. Bezos tried asking a few questions, loosening them up with questions about their teacher and joking about his own children’s vague responses to his questions. He prompted one student to tell him about his current project that involved coding for computers that operate systems in a house.

“Very cool,” the business mogul responded.

Then, after a group photo and a few more words of encouragement, he was gone. And even if several of the students were not sure who he was or why he came, they said they appreciated the 15-minute drop-in visit."

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/dc-politics/jeff-bezos-visited-a-high-school-class-the-students-werent-sure-who-he-was/2019/10/21/1a83b8e8-f413-11e9-a285-882a8e386a96_story.html

He is not historical or even famous, in many ways. He's a business owner and clearly very good at it but to expect kids to know what he looks like is bizarre.

If he really wanted to help those kids, he'd bring them computers, kindles or something useful to practice coding on. Be a bit generous and not just use it for free PR as the press as painted him very poorly lately and some for good reason. It sounds like Amazon employees were mentoring the kids.