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The Gift of Education
April 12, 2007





The Washington Post is running an article entitled, "Kluge Pledges $400
Million to Columbia for Student Aid."

The article presents a brief biography on John W. Kluge: "Kluge, 92, an
immigrant from Germany who graduated from Columbia 70 years ago,
served in the military and went into business in the 1940s. He was
president and chairman of Metromedia Inc., overseeing a collection of
television stations and various businesses including the Harlem
Globetrotters. He lived large: In the 1980s, Washington Post articles
described his property near Charlottesville, with a golf course designed
by Arnold Palmer, a disco and pheasant hunting."

Kluge said that Columbia University could use the financial support since
it's endowment is not as large as other Ivy League institutions.

Read the Article!!


Discussion-Starters for Younger Children

  • Do your students think it's important to learn new things?
    Why/why not? If your students could pick one new thing to learn,
    what would they pick?
  • Consider asking students to select one thing that they will
    try and learn in the next few weeks. It might be easier to
    ask the whole class to decide collaboratively.

  • What do your students think is the nicest thing that one person
    can do for someone else? Why do they think this way?
  • Encourage students to do this thing. They could even write
    a few sentences explaining what they did.

  • Do your students think that its important to play? Why/why not?
    Should adults play? Why/why not? If your students could buy any
    one thing to play with, what would they buy? Why?
  • Invite students to make up slogans emphasizing the
    importance of playing and having a good time.

  • Do your students know what the word "charity" means? Do they
    think it's important to give charity? Why/why not?
  • Consider holding a charity drive in your own class. Even if
    your students cannot bring in money or food, consider
    promoting some kind of charitable behavior within the
    community.


Discussion-Starters for Older Students

  • Vocabulary terms to discuss: Estate; "Financial Aid"; Endowment;
    and, Philanthropy.

  • Do your students think that a high school degree is worth money?
    Why/why not? How much money? Is a college degree worth
    money? Why/why not? How much money? What about a license
    to practice medicine? a law degree? Are degrees from some
    schools worth more money than degrees from other schools?
    Why/why not?
  • Ask students to come up with a system for determining
    how much money a particular degree is worth. What
    variables should they consider? They could do this work in
    small groups.

  • Do your students think that people should have to pay for an
    education? Why/why not? Is it fair that some people cannot go to
    college because they cannot afford to pay for it? Why/why not? If
    this is not fair, is there any way to resolve the problem? How?
  • These questions could prompt an interesting class
    discussions.

  • Tell your students to imagine that they had a conversation with
    Mr. Kluge. What would they ask him? How do they think he
    would answer? Encourage them to explain!!
  • Students could write these conversations in dialogue form.
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