Free copies of Lincoln for Schools?

And right after I finished my last blog post, I came across something else. With all the hubbub around Lincoln, I thought it might still be relevant to post about this.

Apparently, ever single middle school and high school in the United States is set to receive a copy of the movie on DVD, along with a teaching guide to provoke student discussion and learning. We could argue until the cows came home about whether this is a good idea or not. I think that would lead back into the historical accuracy debates, so I will just direct you to my first blog post on that subject. Anyways, back on point. 

There was a quote that reminded me a bit about something I recently read in Andrew Ferguson's 

Land of Lincoln: Adventures in Abe's America. At one point, the author visits a seminar where the main ideas were teaching business management based on Lincoln's leadership skills. Never mind the fact that Lincoln was a terrible business man and failed multiple times at being one in his lifetime. Nevertheless, these people were able to take his leadership of a country and translate it into business success. The quote from the article reads as follows: "Each school will receive a DVD package compiled by Disney Educational Productions that includes a teacher's guide for spurring discussion among students and lesson plans relating to Abraham Lincoln's leadership and the significance of that period of U.S. history."

 It sounds eerily familiar to what was going on at the business seminars. Granted these seminars turned out to be fairly successful and thought provoking, but as someone who is only 3 years out of high school, I can wager a bet that the majority of High School students will not receive the same benefits as the seminar attendees. Most students, I can almost guarantee will see it as a free movie day and nothing more.I think its a noble attempt to try, but I just question how successful it'll be.

The article in question can be found here.