The Daily Howler has a few choice words for today’s opinion piece about how to reform teaching, by a Harvard professor.
The writer of the Daily Howler happens to be a former teacher and cares a lot about education.
Today he begins to dissect the NY Times article that I described as one of the dumbest ever.
He knows more about Harvard Professor Mehta than I do. He comes from Baltimore, where the Daily Howler livrs. His elite background may explain his contempt for public school teachers.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
I say “meh” to Mehta…see definition below and Professor Mehta….please, please stop the TFA recruiting at Harvard…it’s the least you can do to save us all.
“Meh” is an interjection, often an expression of apathy, indifference, or boredom.
Wouldn’t you think that someone who was going to publish a piece in The New York times might want to have some first hand knowledge of his subject. I would at least like to know that he took a field trip to a public school! I wonder if he has ever spoken to a public school teacher?
I doubt it, but maybe he sat next to one on the T riding from
Cambridge to Fenway.
I am not sure there has ever been an “Age of Thoughtfulness” but sometimes I feel we are living through an “Age of Thoughtlessness.” Not a cheerful prospect.
I perked up reading your postings. Reminded me of Mark Twain: “The human race has one really effective weapon, and that is laughter.”
Thank you for the pointed humor.
And let me repay you both for your kind encouragement. Riffing off a well-known bit from Mark Twain: “Reader, suppose you were an idiot. And suppose you were an education rheephormer. But I repeat myself.”
🙂
That was a shredder.
The article was atrocious. As usual, no real information in the press except garbage. Keep keepin on Diane. You’re the only one who has a clue and the only one I listen to. And god forbid, leave a successor will ya? We can’t let your message ever leave us.
Many years ago my young son had a second grade teacher who gave him low marks, which he mournfully said, “make me feel like a baby.” This was a child who’d lived in Namibia, Africa the previous summer for seven weeks, skipped “all around the mulberry bush” when learning piano to learn “Ode to Joy”, and built incredible lego buildings. I marched in and said to her, “tell me what you know about how my son learns.” She was stunned and speechless. I then marched into the principal’s office to report my dismay at how this teacher was leaching the creativity out of her students. He replied (and I quote) “I hired her for her pedigree.” Know where she received her master’s degree? Yup. Harvard. Now I’m sure not all Harvard students come out with no understanding of how children learn, but seems we have someone else now in a position to misspeak and spread misunderstanding.