A reader in Wisconsin has an excellent suggestion. What do teachers do best? They educate. Time to educate your legislators:
I just passed this information along to my state representative here in Wisconsin. She’s a Republican who leans to the choice, accountability, measuring aspects of school…not to mention voted to end collective bargaining with Scott Walker’s Act 10. Instead of writing her off as the enemy, I’ve instead developed a working relationship with her where we’ve exchanged ideas and she is working with me to try to bring about some change in Wisconsin’s education reform movement which is pretty typical of the reform movement in other parts of the country. I would highly recommend to the readers of your blog to do the same, especially if their state legislators are advocates of the Neo-Reform movement. After all we are teachers, and it is the difficult ones that we should be trying the hardest to reach and to help them discover for themselves knowledge and enlightenment. Also, I recently gave her a copy of the “Death and LIfe of the Great American School System” and assigned homework to read pages 1-14 in one week (2 pages per day). Also, I told her there would be an assessment. I’m going to let her choose between a multiple choice test I will offer to design that will require her to recall facts, information, dates, names, policies, etc…or an assessment we will make together consisting of dialogue, maybe answers to questions we ask of one another, perhaps questions to which we have no answers but lead to other questions, etc,,,you know, the good stuff. If anyone is interested, I’ll keep you posted through this blog if that’s OK with you Dr. Ravitch. LIkewise I’d like to hear if anyone tries out my suggestion.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Excellent idea, especially for Wisconsin where the conversation with elected officials has almost completely come to an end. Lots of rhetoric but very little real listening to each other. If that had happened before the ugliness of the recall, it probably wouldn’t have happened. Thanks to that educator for continuing to reach out. I will try to follow her example and encourage others as well.
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Wow, I am impressed with the level of contact and the time and effort this reader is putting into the endeavor. Absolutely spot on about educating the legislature.
We did something similar here in NJ this past school year, albeit as a state teachers association. The NJEA has been in constant dialogue with legislators on both sides of the aisle, and we have been able to stop “some of the bleeding” that was forecasted to continue under the proposals of a governor hell-bent on pushing through an anti-teacher agenda.
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This is terrific. It is also wise. We will make progress when we establish a respectful dialogue. I love the observation that we are teachers and can use our skills to help our most difficult students. Well done!
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Our legislator is openly hostile to public schools, emphatically sends his child to a religious values based school, and has presented almost every one of the anti school legislation and school district remapping/rezoning bills for consideration in our state. I wish it were possible to have a dialogue with this person. It is amazing that you have such a dialogue and it gives one hope.
Curious- was this legislator a public school grad or not? Chris Christie belies my thought that those who have been through a good public school will be more supportive of what public education can be like.
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I send stuff to my state rep but never get any acknowledgment…..I’m going to have to go to one of those library meetings she allegedly holds!
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May I suggest a sequel for that blog post? Teachers must CHALLENGE and BECOME legislators.
http://www.livingstondaily.com/article/20120724/NEWS01/207240302/Lawmaker-Novi-teacher-odds-state-House-race?odyssey=tab
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We had a teacher who tried to run for an elected position during the school year. It was a farce even though he was a smart guy with pay the teacher what they are worth value added platform. He outsourced all his grading during this period- his rationale was that a grad student evaluating his student’s work was a cost effect and good use of his time. He talked at length in class about the election ( civics education perhaps) and did a fair amount of coercion of students to help out with his campaign/ student volunteer hours. It rankled the parents no end that he was doing this since clearly running for office would indicate that he was not really vested in being a full time teacher if he did indeed get elected.
But, there would seemingly be better job security with being an elected official since no matter how well they perform ( or the lack there of) there is no value added measure to kick them out of office after two bad reviews and they can spin spin spin spin an issue to make them look bright and shiny instead.
No. I say that teachers should advocate for being treated like the professionals that they are.
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Well, he did it all wrong!!
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As luck would have it, there’s a catch —
— Charles Sanders Peirce
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I had a feeling, Diane, that you would pick up on this Wisconsin teacher’s plan. His lesson plan deserves an A.
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I tried! I invited our freshman Representative to my class…I teach an elective called Reading for Pleasure. While students were doing presentations with the classroom technology, he, according to three of my students, was playing “Angry Birds” on his phone. Then, when he got up to address the kids, he began by saying, “Ok, let’s be honest. How many of you hate reading? I do, too.” He told them he got into college and law school without a 3.0 GPA, and admitted his test scores were very high.
He used to respond to my letters, but once he figured out I’d been ‘gerrymandered’ into another House district, he began ignoring me. Even though I’m not in his district anymore, I’m working for his opponent, a former teacher who really ‘gets it!’ Wish us luck.
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How many ignorants are out there like him? Way too many.
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Talking about education…there is a very good Bill Moyers’ program online http://www.billmoyers.com) in which he interviews Chris Hedge. The title is “Capitalism’s ‘Sacrifice Zones’.” While we are focused on the corporate takeover of education, this program is a good education on the wider scope of the campaign.
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