“I actually haven’t read any book,” West said. “Reading is like eating Brussels sprouts for me. And talking is like getting the Giorgio Baldi corn ravioli.” (As a non-famous person, looking up this “corn ravioli” revealed that it’s actually somewhat of a delicacy from a popular Santa Monica Italian spot. So take this to mean: reading icky, talking yum.)
The off-hand comment from West would feel like more of a throwaway if it didn’t fall so ironically in line with raised questions about his still-to-be-accredited academy. Named after his mother Donda West, a former professor, Donda Academy opened the 2021-2022 school year with roughly 100 students in August.
Per the K-12 school’s website, Donda Academy’s “project-based learning model allows students to guide instruction based on their interests and skills. We promote ideation, prototyping, and real-world implementation.” Per Rolling Stone, that can look like anything from parkour classes to choir to “restorative justice instruction.” The curriculum itself has promise, but the school’s lack of accreditation (and allegations that the principal has no formal teaching experience) are certainly eyebrow-raising.
Students at Donda Academy sign NDAs as part of their $15,000-per-year enrollment, so much of the day-to-day remains under wraps. But another message from Donda’s website (put forth as Donda Rule #51), states “Students must be confident in forming ideas. If not, their writing will suffer.” In short: there’s nothing wrong with talking things through first, even if reading about them is less encouraged.
