Writing Boots

On communication, professional and otherwise.

What kind of bullshit slogan …?

09.04.2009 by David Murray // 9 Comments

Scout's starting kindergarten Tuesday, and I got an automated call from the Chicago Public Schools telling me, among other things, that this year's CPS slogan is "Just Go to School and Become …"

This sounded too inane even for educators, assuming I'd misheard, or had hung up too quickly to hear the end of the slogan.

Nope.

A key message in this year's back-to-school campaign is "Just Go to School and Become …", CPS officials told the interfaith group. The idea behind the message is the key to achieving dreams, [chief education officer Barbara] Eason-Watkins said.

"Education prepares you to become a doctor, a scientist, an entrepreneur, a teacher," she said. "You can become whatever you want to become if you go to school, study, focus and work hard … and become."

Oh, so it actually isn't enough to "Just Go to School." Ya gotta study, focus and work hard too.

As Eddie would say, "I knew it didn't work."

Education may not be the scene of the worst writing in the world. But educators are the softest thinkers, most shameless liars and smilingest bullshitters in all the world.

Categories // Uncategorized Tags // " liars, "Just Go to School and Become ...., Barbara Eason-Watkins, Chicago Public Schools

Comments

  1. Tina says

    September 4, 2009 at 8:04 am

    Amen, brother!

    Reply
  2. Glynn says

    September 4, 2009 at 10:11 am

    And they probably paid some marketing firm a lot of money to come up with that, too.

    Reply
  3. EileenB says

    September 4, 2009 at 11:08 am

    Our school district slogan is “Whatever it takes….” Stealing, cheating, drugs. Yeah, that kind of stuff too?

    Reply
  4. David Murray says

    September 4, 2009 at 11:10 am

    @Glynn, you know of what you speak.
    @Eileen: That’s hilariously close (for a school district) to the old Oakland Raiders slogan, “Just Win, Baby.”

    Reply
  5. EileenB says

    September 4, 2009 at 11:17 am

    I had to stop reading their discipline policy because of the errors in word usage and subject/verb agreement. Oy! And this came from the district office, you know, the ones who are “better” than the teachers. Not a good sign.

    Reply
  6. Jenny Babich says

    September 4, 2009 at 1:29 pm

    This reminds me of a slogan that we had when I was in high school: “Together we will.”
    The students kept saying “Together we will what?”

    Reply
  7. David Murray says

    September 4, 2009 at 1:34 pm

    Children, and their simpleminded insistence on meaning in language ….

    Reply
  8. Steve C. says

    September 5, 2009 at 9:35 am

    If you believe the right wingers, you can finish the sentence:
    “Just Go To School And Become Indoctrinated Into Comrade Obama’s Socialist Agenda!”
    Ha ha ha ha ha ha ah ha ah ah ahhhah ah ah ah aah ah
    Steve C.

    Reply
  9. Steve C. says

    September 5, 2009 at 9:35 am

    If you believe the right wingers, you can finish the sentence:
    “Just Go To School And Become Indoctrinated Into Comrade Obama’s Socialist Agenda!”
    Ha ha ha ha ha ha ah ha ah ah ahhhah ah ah ah aah ah
    Steve C.

    Reply

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