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Read other letters about this article
Here I thought you were going to say what was really wrong with the question: There is no context-appropriate answer.
Gee, let's think of some:
1. because the state of education in this country is crap
2. because teachers are underpaid and overworked
3. because teachers are underqualified
4. because the rich people send their children to private school, taking their time and resources away from the public ones
5. because we've abandoned poor districts, which will only be exacerbated by the recent supreme court decision regarding school diversity
6. because no child left behind sucks
7. because we're a culture that favors brawn and looks over brains, hailing beauty queens on prime time when we relegate the national spelling be to the look-at-the-freaky-kids late-night timeslot on the Ocho.
How would any have these have played well in a beauty contest? You can't speak truth to power when you're trying to get the power (and the network they broadcast on) to give you the crown.
I still think she was sloppy for not asking to have the question repeated if she didn't hear it the first time. But seriously, when you think about it, there was nothing she could say.
