Fred Klonsky came to hear me lecture at Elmhurst College, near Chicago, and writes about how my last book helped him argue against some of the harmful policies mandated from the state and federal government.
He goes on to write that teachers are more than recipients of policy, bad or good, and I agree with him. But as I say in the book, it is important to stop doing the wrong things so that it is possible to start doing the right things–and to allow teachers to teach.
Klonsky writes:
Back when I was a grad student at the University of Illinois at Chicago, my advisor and mentor, Professor Bill Schubert, gave me (or maybe loaned it to me and I didn’t give it back) an old beat up copy of the Art of Teaching by Gilbert Highet.
Highet, a British educator, defined what he thought makes a good teacher.
It was someone who knew his or her students. Liked them. Knew their subject matter well. And had a passion for what they taught.
To that, I would add this.
Teachers are more than the beneficiaries of good education policies. We are more than the victims of bad education policies.
It is true about students and parents too.
We are not passive recipients of policies. We are not empty vessels.
Good teachers are engaged in their classroom, their schools, their districts, their unions and in their world.
Books like Ravitch’s focus on the policies.
I remember Highet because he focused on the art of teaching.
Both are important.
I hope Ravitch would agree.
Fred, I agree.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Fred Klonsky and Diane are both right. Good classrooms cannot be defended from the inside or managed from the outside. We need teachers who offer student-centered critical learning every day in classrooms well-resourced, limited in size, and focused on projects, arts, field trips, and problems legible to students. We need to fight outside our classrooms and communities for the policies and resources which stop high-stakes testing and which fund public schools to make critical learning possible. The policy and funding situation outside classrooms has undermined public education for 40 years now, horrendously moreso in last 12 yrs of NCLB and RTTT. The classroom learning Fred speaks for is hard to defend when CCSS invades school thanks to Gates, Broad, and Duncan. Both arenas need our best work and campaigns. We have to win in both.
Does he mean Gilbert Highet the Classicist? I use selections from his Poets in a Landscape with my Latin III classes regularly. If he wrote an education book, I’d love to read it.
Ira Shor. You (and Diane) are absolutely right. Bad educational policies make good teaching practice much more difficult. We teachers must find ways to do the right thing and work with each other to fight corporate-driven reform.
How about we all switch to the green party which is against corporate control of politics, education and government? If all teachers will consider the impact this could make, we might at least get our concerns discussed in a real public forum, where real parents could hear that their children, schools and communities are no actually failures.
1. GRASSROOTS DEMOCRACY
Every human being deserves a say in the decisions that affect their lives and not be subject to the will of another. Therefore, we will work to increase public participation at every level of government and to ensure that our public representatives are fully accountable to the people who elect them. We will also work to create new types of political organizations which expand the process of participatory democracy by directly including citizens in the decision-making process.
2. SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EQUAL OPPORTUNITY
All persons should have the rights and opportunity to benefit equally from the resources afforded us by society and the environment. We must consciously confront in ourselves, our organizations, and society at large, barriers such as racism and class oppression, sexism and homophobia, ageism and disability, which act to deny fair treatment and equal justice under the law.
3. ECOLOGICAL WISDOM
Human societies must operate with the understanding that we are part of nature, not separate from nature. We must maintain an ecological balance and live within the ecological and resource limits of our communities and our planet. We support a sustainable society which utilizes resources in such a way that future generations will benefit and not suffer from the practices of our generation. To this end we must practice agriculture which replenishes the soil; move to an energy efficient economy; and live in ways that respect the integrity of natural systems.
4. NON-VIOLENCE
It is essential that we develop effective alternatives to society’s current patterns of violence. We will work to demilitarize, and eliminate weapons of mass destruction, without being naive about the intentions of other governments. We recognize the need for self-defense and the defense of others who are in helpless situations. We promote non-violent methods to oppose practices and policies with which we disagree, and will guide our actions toward lasting personal, community and global peace.
5. DECENTRALIZATION
Centralization of wealth and power contributes to social and economic injustice, environmental destruction, and militarization. Therefore, we support a restructuring of social, political and economic institutions away from a system which is controlled by and mostly benefits the powerful few, to a democratic, less bureaucratic system. Decision-making should, as much as possible, remain at the individual and local level, while assuring that civil rights are protected for all citizens.
6. COMMUNITY-BASED ECONOMICS AND ECONOMIC JUSTICE
We recognize it is essential to create a vibrant and sustainable economic system, one that can create jobs and provide a decent standard of living for all people while maintaining a healthy ecological balance. A successful economic system will offer meaningful work with dignity, while paying a “living wage” which reflects the real value of a person’s work.
Local communities must look to economic development that assures protection of the environment and workers’ rights; broad citizen participation in planning; and enhancement of our “quality of life.” We support independently owned and operated companies which are socially responsible, as well as co-operatives and public enterprises that distribute resources and control to more people through democratic participation.
7. FEMINISM AND GENDER EQUITY
We have inherited a social system based on male domination of politics and economics. We call for the replacement of the cultural ethics of domination and control with more cooperative ways of interacting that respect differences of opinion and gender. Human values such as equity between the sexes, interpersonal responsibility, and honesty must be developed with moral conscience. We should remember that the process that determines our decisions and actions is just as important as achieving the outcome we want.
8. RESPECT FOR DIVERSITY
We believe it is important to value cultural, ethnic, racial, sexual, religious and spiritual diversity, and to promote the development of respectful relationships across these lines.
We believe that the many diverse elements of society should be reflected in our organizations and decision-making bodies, and we support the leadership of people who have been traditionally closed out of leadership roles. We acknowledge and encourage respect for other life forms than our own and the preservation of biodiversity.
9. PERSONAL AND GLOBAL RESPONSIBILITY
We encourage individuals to act to improve their personal well-being and, at the same time, to enhance ecological balance and social harmony. We seek to join with people and organizations around the world to foster peace, economic justice, and the health of the planet.
10. FUTURE FOCUS AND SUSTAINABILITY
Our actions and policies should be motivated by long-term goals. We seek to protect valuable natural resources, safely disposing of or “unmaking” all waste we create, while developing a sustainable economics that does not depend on continual expansion for survival. We must counterbalance the drive for short-term profits by assuring that economic development, new technologies, and fiscal policies are responsible to future generations who will inherit the results of our actions.
Ten Key Values of state and local Greens
There is no authoritative version of the Ten Key Values of the Greens. The Ten Key Values are guiding principles that are adapted and defined to fit each state and local chapter.
Taken from http://www.gp.org/tenkey.php
Diane..I just figured out (and posted) why you were not included as an expert in Education Nation: you’re overqualified. http://www.yomizthebook.com
Elizabeth Rose, funny, that’s what I was told when a member of the State Assembly wanted me to become a Regent. The chief of staff to Shelly Silver, the leader of the Assembly who picks Regents, interviewed me and told me I knew too much to be on New York’s top policymaking board..
Priceless!!
Will Diane get an invite?
http://tv.msnbc.com/issues/education/
Indeed. I remember the Highet book well. Too bad our politicians are so abysmally ignorant of the great writings by recognized AUTHORITIES. But then, why confuse them with the facts when they already have made up their minds. It is tragic now that we have to cater to those who are too ignorant to know they are ignorant and worse who believe that they alone possess all knowledge and wisdom.
Fred and I are both experiencing the same payback (non-payback) for being retired Illinois teachers – the “pension reform” scams that will ensure that no sane twenty-something will even consider making teaching a career choice. Fred’s latest blog using an article by David Serota in Salon magazine explains the scam being run against active and retired teachers in state after state.
The comment below this attached article calls it Financial Fracking! No wonder my co workers won’t talk to me anymore and tell me I read too much……it sounds unbelievable, bit I do.