This is Mike Klonsky’s review of “Reign of Error.” I love his
metaphor of the Texas Paul Revere. I remember when I first met Mike
Klonsky. I wanted to find someone in Chicago who would help me
navigate the city to introduce my last book, “The Death and Life of
the Great American School System: How Testing and Choice Are
Undermining Education.” My blogging partner Deborah Meier
introduced me by email to Mike. I vaguely remembered his name from
the 1960s as a leader of the radical Students for a Democratic
Society. I googled and discovered he was one of the top leaders and
I thought, well, this will be a new experience for me! And indeed
it was. Mike and his wife Susan turned out to be wonderful, smart,
thoughtful people. They brought me to DePaul to speak and to the
University of Illinois. Mike is a great guy. I am grateful to
Debbie for introducing me to him. The world changes, and we must
change with it. Not abandoning our principles but remaining open to
evidence, experience, reality, and new ideas. Mike is no longer a
wild radical, and I am no longer a hard-edged conservative. We are
friends.
The world changes, and we must change with it. Not abandoning our principles but remaining open to evidence, experience, reality, and new ideas.”
I see that as your greatest strength, Diane. You are always ready to listen, to roll new ideas around, and adopt them or debate them. If we all looked back at our pictures from decades ago and said, “That is who I am,” we would be in big trouble.
Um, if Mike Klonsky is no longer a wild radical we are all in trouble and the foundation of my career is in jeopardy.