The Oprah Winfrey Show Meetups Everywhere

Has anyone gone to see the movie yet. Since its playing at Sandy Springs I would be willing to check it out. I would also like to know if the group is disbanded.

Kizmat & group: Greetings! I'm back from my trip but see there's been no activity at all here so wondering if the group has already disbanded or if it's still going......
I noticed that W.F.S. is showing in Sandy Springs, finally..... anyone interested in going?

Kizmat & group: Greetings! I just wanted to let you all know that I have been out of commission & heading to England this week - Will be back in town after November 1st! Hope to catch up with you all and resume my work on the 'plan' when I get back! Best regards! Sue

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Greetings!

Kizmat, Vinnie & Sue met yesterday, Saturday 10/09/10

Because there were just three of us sailing on our maiden voyage, our discussion was quite general & informal.

Since we are a 21 member group, it was our opinion that nothing formal should be decided until our next meeting when it was our hope that the other 18 members could participate and join the ‘brainstorm’.

TOPICS DISCUSSED:

1. INTEREST –

We shared what motivated us individually to sign-up and participate in the group and also had a general discussion about some possible goals & objectives.

WHILE WE CERTAINLY HOPE THAT WE HAVEN’T LOST ANY MEMBERS AT THIS EARLY STAGE OF THE GAME, IT WOULD BE APPRECIATED IF YOU COULD PASS ALONG ANY UPDATES WITH REGARDS TO YOUR PARTICIPATION AND INTEREST.

2. SOLICITING INTEREST -

While we wait on our group members’ feedback we decided that we would solicit interest and membership from some acquaintances in the education arena, including teachers & school administrators. We will also network with parents & others in the hopes of generating interest in our group.

Once that is established and underway we will proceed with the scheduling of our next meeting.

3. MOVIE –

As Kizmat previously posted we have planned to meet on Tuesday & attend the 1:45pm showing of ‘Waiting for Superman’. PLEASE FEEL FREE TO JOIN US! For details please see http://www.fandango.com/uat...

We've scheduled a movie date for Tuesday, October 12th at 1:45pm. If you're free to attend, we look forward to seeing you there.

We're here!!! Hope more people can join us!!!!

Kizmat, I will see you & Vinnie at Caribou - I was delayed at another appointment earlier today so I will be a little late but I'll be there! Unfortunately I will not be able to go to the movie afterwards today- Many thanks...Sue

The meeting will go on as planned. I will probably go see the movie afterward. Look forward to meeting everyone.

For the few that are attending, would you guys like to see the movie instead or also? I'll keep checking through out the night and tomorrow morning for responses.
UA Tara-Cinemas Atlanta 2345 Cheshire Bridge Rd NE Atlanta, GA 30324 1:45 4:30 7:00 9:40 (as of right now, this is the only location)

I am really looking forward to our meeting tomorrow but it would be nice to know how many people will be coming. The coffee shop is not large but I would think that it can hold a crowd of this size. If anyone else has a suggestion of a meeting place, maybe you can let Kizmat know.

So as of right now, I have confirmations from Sue-Sue Hammond and Vinnie James? Is that it?

I haven't caught the movie yet. Anyone else interested?

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Greetings! Due to my recently being laid off due to the recession I have been able to frequently view the Oprah show. Oprah began to air nationally in Sept. of ?86 which coincided with the month and year that I emigrated to the U.S. from Ireland. Having watched her 2 shows last week dedicated to the failing education system I was moved to sign up for one of these Meet-Up groups in my county of residence. I?m sure, like many of you, I selected this group because of its larger number

of interested persons because as we are all too familiar, these groups, like our schools, do suffer from a high drop out rate.

Pursuant to Kizmat?s request I would like to share my thoughts on where I thought we could begin to organize our direction and focus. Firstly, I believe that the organization of the group will be key to its success and truthfully I personally do not care to be part of a group who sit around and TALK about what is wrong and yet not plan any ACTION!...

From what I gathered the deficient areas that were addressed were primarily:

? The quality of training that teachers receive
? A negligent review system of teachers? performances.
? A Union whose focal point is to support its members
regardless of their performance and abilities.
? Lack of, if any communication between the teachers &
parents.
? Additional Support Programs to assist students in need
to improve grades?

?Since this seems to encompass all areas of the school system, I think it would be extremely beneficial to discern if our groups? members include:

? Teachers (especially if they are familiar with union
policy)
? Parents (from all school levels)
? Members of administration at the school, city and/or
county levels.

I believe at this juncture we can then proceed with action items, goal setting and hopefully formation of teams to focus on specific areas?

?I?m quite sure that there is much to discuss & change here, but thought I would throw out my five cents on what I see the foundation to be? Looking forward to meeting you all on Saturday!

Namasté

Hi Kizmat, I am planning on being there! Hope everyone who signed up is going too.....

Does anyone plan on meeting this Saturday?

I meant "their child" lol

I truly believe its a concern that involves all. I think it starts with the parents being vigilant in making sure there child is getting the best education they can get. Next the teachers need to take more control of their classrooms. I know when I was in school which was many years ago..they had control. Then there's the local government that needs to get involved in making sure all the schools meet the necessary criteria to induce learning..that's just a start.

@All - There is so much debate going on regarding this issue. Some blame the schools, teachers, parents, government, society, neighborhood, etc. Everyone is looking to point a finger at the other, but what is the solution? This problem is so big that it almost becomes overwhelming. Where do we start? How can we be effective? Do we start in the schools, with our elected officials, where? We can get the dialogue going now. Your thoughts?

Thumbs up to education in American!

Michelle Rhee (Chancellor, DC Public schools), Robert Bobb (Emergency Financial Manager, Detroit Public schools), Randi Weingarten (Attorney), Senator Duncan (Secretary of Education)

They're discussing Education on "Meet the Press" this morning. Michelle Ree and others are on the panel.

I can't believe there aren't other theaters in ATL that's showing this movie. I checked the dates up to November and that's the only one that's listed. Hopefully, there will be other's when it gets closer to the date.

Sorry, typo - should be "conducting" not "conduction" in previous post.

I am a Georgia educator that is recruiting teachers to help me organize the state charter of the National At-Risk Education Network here in GA. This is an organization that supports teachers of at-risk students in bringing them to at-promise status. We will be conduction workshops throughout the state for teachers and parents of youth in danger of not receiving a quality education because the school systems can't or won't meet their needs. Visit http://www.atriskeducation.... for more info.

UA Tara-Cinemas Atlanta
2345 Cheshire Bridge Rd NE
Atlanta, GA 30324
1:45 4:30 7:00 9:40
(as of right now, this is the only location)
Let me know if anyone is interested in seeing the movie.

That's an excellent idea. I'm game if everyone is.

@All - The release date for "Waiting for Superman" is scheduled for October 8th. I think it would be great to see the movie before the meeting, if at all possible.

@Vinnie - Great suggestion on location. I will update the group. I'm really excited about making this happen in our community. I'm not an educator, but I'm a Mom who wants to see Change. I can no longer sit and shake my head in disgust and not attempt to do something about it.

I am a retired math teacher who recently moved to the Atlanta area from California and I would love to meet fellow educators to find out ways to help students.
-Wendy

I am teacher here in the suburan atlanta area and I would love to get to know other educators who are concerned about the current state of our education system and those who would like to find ways to do something about it.

@all - There is a coffee shop @ 2275 Johnson Ferry Rd (Caribou Coffee) if that's convenient to all. The date is ok with me.

@All - I think Saturday, October 9th would be a good day. We could use this meeting to figure out the direction of our group. How does 12-2 sound, Location TBD. Please let me know your thoughts.

I'm a retired educator who has experience in teaching and teacher training. In my past, I have worked with unions, writing federal education grants and designing new ed programs. I taught in GA for tens before retiring. I would love to be part of a group that provides positive input on how to better our schools. Please let me know if a meeting place is found.

@Vinnie - Please feel free to suggest any locations that you are aware of. I was thinking the Marietta Library, but it would be nice to choose a place where we can drink coffee or have light snacks.

I am willing to join in the brainstorm to offer suggestions on a meeting place and a plan on how to tackle this problem. I live in Marietta and there are several venues to choose from if you're interested in my input.

If you live in GA, then you already understand the crisis that we deal with in our educational system. I'm not sure what to do or how to make it happen, but I'm willing to partner with others to figure it out. I haven't chosen a venue or date yet, I figured we could all brainstorm and come up with a plan.