I just taped a show for CNN with Christine Romans, the chief business correspondent.
I wore red for Ed, as so many teachers recommend.
At Mayor de Blasio’s inauguration, I will wear green at the request of Lace to the Top, an advocacy group of teachers. On the Jon Stewart show, I wore a green plastic bracelet sent to me by Lace to the Top.
Now I learn that on December 9, there will be a national day of action to reclaim the promise of public education. Instructions: wear blue for solidarity.
So there you have it: red, green, and blue.
Anyone want to add some more colors so we can truly be a Rainbow Coalition?
Diane Ravitch's blog 
I like red because of the red felt square that started in the Québec student movement in 2012, and has quickly spread to colleges and high schools across the US, signifying activism to defend and advance free, accessible, equitable education.
I understand that the event on December 9th is headed up by the American Federation of Teachers. I do not really understand where they fit into the picture for reforming schools.
Sandra L. Wickham Woodland Park\, CO
As a parent, I haven’t agreed with all of the views of aft and nea, but recognize that balance of power is important. If the unions have all the power, things would be bad. If the businessmen running districts have all the power, things would be equally bad, just in a different way. Pity that there isn’t a three way balance of power among parents, CEOs and unions. The system of sorting students by birth year is one of the problems and instead of trying to fix that, society blames teachers. “REFORM” is a tragedy.
“Pity that there isn’t a three way balance of power among parents, CEOs and unions.”
Who the hell died and went to heaven and declared that “CEOs” and/or the unions should have any say whatsoever in public education???
The CEOs, the Chief Extortion Officers shouldn’t even be part of the conversation/discourse, other than as parent advocates for their own children. Oh, I forgot that’s what the au pair is for, isn’t it???
The “unions” should only be in as advocates for the TEACHERS and other workers for better teaching and learning conditions.
Where are the teachers, administrators and STUDENTS in your triumvirate of power????
Your declaration is true edudeformer speak.
Duane,The status quo is that the ceo/superintendents and teacher unions run the districts, generally disregarding how their actions impact the students. I don’t think it should be that way. Public education in this nclb.rttt world would be less destructive to students if parents and students had some power. When there is no elected school board in a district ( which is becoming the norm), parents can only move (often economically impossible) or pay for private school (again economically impossible). Unfortunately, some teachers think that nclb.rttt is valid and just blame the students for not trying hard enough and say the parents are bad. Individual students academically mature at diferent rates. Some students aren’t developmentally ready for the concept that is being tested, so not getting the test problem correct is not their fault. The system is failing. Cheers to the many teachers that recognize that sorting by birth year is not an effective way to teach.
It’s a purple issue. Both D and R, red and blue, grassroots people support public education, while both D and R, red and blue, leadership, with rare exception, are taking us in exactly the wrong direction. Plus purple is just a great color anyway.
I like this idea.
Brown for the ugly roots that provide life upon a beautiful tree.
Black and blue to symbolize the beating we take from refomers.
How about carrying the South African flag — red, green and blue stripes. And a fitting tribute to Nelson Mandela as well.
Don’t drink the KOOLaid! Sip Hemlock on the rocks. http://www.hemlockontherocks.com
I’m going to the Reclaim event in Toledo on the 9th, which for some reason begins at 7:30 AM.
O for orange, representing ornery teachers becoming badass ones willing to take on the innumerate data bullies;
Y for yellow, meaning Yes we will win some day, as did the ANC;
I for Indigo, meaning I am indeed a part of this team; and
V for violet, meaning that Vuctory will be ours.
We can also add:
C for Cyan, because we know that data bull-$#]++€£s like Michelle Rhee and Beverly Hall and Steve Oerry and Arne Duncan lie and Cheat their way to the top.
So you have the full ROYGBIV rainbow spectrum, but cyan should be in there too next to blue, for accuracy.
All of the ideas above are wonderful and creative! We are all, indeed, a rainbow coalition. However, marketing wise, we need to choose one color for all of us and stick with it to effectively be easily recognized and get our message across as our momentum and message continues to grow, expand, and be heard.
Patriotic white. Then we’ll have red, white and blue and Diane too!
I go right to my point: colors mean nothing to these destroyers. With whom do you think you are dealing? These people play fast and loose with anything other than what is required to pull off their ‘con’.
Take all your efforts and band together. Fight like hell for your kids, your schools, your teachers, your communities. your selves. If wearing ‘colors’, or identifying and assigning the ‘reformers their true colors, go for it it.
The only concern to be entertained is saving public school education by wresting it back from the hands of the ‘reformers’: those who would destroy public schools in the name of the sundry slogans we all know too well.
On any and all occasions, these saviors (in their own minds) must be confronted by those whose rights they seek to trample. The bankers, the businessmen, the public school ‘doomsters’, the ‘privatizers’ and ‘standardizers’, the school choice and options mavens’ and their ilk will have to know ‘where they live that every time they show up in public to ‘spin’, obfuscate and spout lies, they will have to deal with an ever growing alliance of truth tellers. We know that they can hide behind their cloaks of deception for only so long.
Now wouldn’t that be a day!
I’ve sent many a letter and comment to Christine Romans (a mother of precious little boys) on how she should be more open to what’s really happening in education if not as a news correspondent, then maybe as a mother. I hope she is finally coming around. Bet she wore red.
I will wear black with a white stripe down my back to show solidarity with ALEC.
Yes you often can smell a skunk before you see one.
Yours was my favorite reply 🙂
If you are a teacher, you’d show what ALEC did to you by wearing something brown–because of what they’ve dumped on teachers.
White with thin notebook blue stripes. Stay within the lines. A thin red margin on the left would also be a nice touch.
Bubble wrap.
You crack me up!
LOL. I like the way you think! 😛
Don’t forget red, white and blue to protect our democracy.
Below is a link to a ” Sea of Blue” video entitled
It’s our time to speak
Wear blue 12/9
Thanking our educators in Valley Stream.
How about bright yellow with black accents, think classic school bus.
Also warning coloration!
😉
YOU SHOULD ONLY WEAR red, white, and blue! PERIOD KEN
You know what I think ……=]
I always knew you were a very “colorful” person. Once more you have vindicated how very much of one you are.
LOL
I wish the unions would have gotten the word out about colors to wear for solidarity etc,
As usual , my UFT is behind the curve on things that would bring teachers together
Dear Teacher,
That is often the case,
( poor organization ),but I am sure that through social media, you will see blue Monday. Your union may not have come together, as they should have. But parents and children are ready and willing to carry the flag of blue. Spread the word to as many as you can. That’s all you can do. As we tell our children, “do your best. ” We all start as one solitary voice , so then we learn to speak louder . Whether unions organize or not, as in some districts, teachers will still be wearing blue, I know this from other districts in your situation .
Please share the video that I posted above. Someone , maybe you will be the spark, that others have waited for.
We don’t care what color you wear, Diane. As long as you keep speaking out and showing up, we’re happy.
perfect. keep it simple.
The “Defining Moment for Public Education in America”
http://willrichardson.com/post/69169952322/the-defining-moment-for-public-education-in-america#!
Green for hope that the curse will be lifted from our schools, and that that all those flowers, our children, will once again be allowed to grow in their unique ways, nurtured by their teachers. This stands in stark opposition to the factory model that sees kids as parts to be identically milled by a centrally controlled curriculum machine.
In Spain, where I live, anti-austerity/privatization protests are organized in “mareas” or tides, each with their own distinct color showing support for that sector. Green is for education, white for health care professionals, black for public services, orange for social services for dependants and the disabled, etc. Sometimes these collectives organize individual actions, but often these tides unite to form a single massive wave. It’s good to work for the specific needs of your particular area, but also important not to feel isolated and have this broader, connected social vision.
In L.A. we will be wearing funeral Black in mourning for those of our teachers that are targeted for removal by uber-reformer superintendent John Deasy. Also our persecuted teachers will be wearing Orange because this is the color of prison jumpsuits. These are strange times and the future of our profession and the society that we serve hang in the balance.
You may have to wear black if the rumors about Byrd-Bennett are true. Why is he even meeting with these people????
Everyone wear whatever color they want to show how each individual is unique and not standardized. It’s not the color, it’s the message. Besides, I have heard deformers make fun of the “red shirts” when a group gathered here and wore matching red t-shirts.
Reformers make fun of people? And they are modeling what education should look like to the rest of the world? It infuriates me beyond belief. If teachers think they are respected by these goons, think again. It is time to take these arrogant, privileged little brats down once and for all.
Oops, pardon me…DEformers.
Yellow. Fnish off the primary colors. We always teach them to the kids.
Black!
Johnny had it right back then and it still holds for today:
Well, you wonder why I always dress in black
Why you never see bright colors on my back
And why does my appearance seem to have a somber tone
Well, there’s a reason for the things that I have on
I wear the black for the poor and the beaten down
Livin’ in the hopeless, hungry side of town
I wear it for the prisoner who is long paid for his crime
But is there because he’s a victim of the times
I wear the black for those who’ve never read
Or listened to the words that Jesus said
About the road to happiness through love and charity
Why, you’d think He’s talking straight to you and me
Well, we’re doin’ mighty fine, I do suppose
In our streak of lightnin’ cars and fancy clothes
But just so we’re reminded of the ones who are held back
Up front there ought to be a Man In Black
I wear it for the sick and lonely old
For the reckless ones whose bad trip left them cold
I wear the black in mournin’ for the lives that could have been
Each week we lose a hundred fine young men
And I wear it for the thousands who have died
Believin’ that the Lord was on their side
I wear it for another hundred thousand who have died
Believin’ that we all were on their side
Well, there’s things that never will be right I know
And things need changin’ everywhere you go
But ’til we start to make a move to make a few things right
You’ll never see me wear a suit of white
Ah, I’d love to wear a rainbow every day
And tell the world that everything’s okay
But I’ll try to carry off a little darkness on my back
Till things are brighter, I’m the Man In Black
Songwriters
COLLEY/SARACENO/MANTZ
Diane,
When does this segment air on CNN?
Reblogged this on Roy F. McCampbell's Blog.
Here in Valencia (Spain) We begun by dressing in black, mourning the public school. Then we changed to green, a more hopeful color. The press talks about a “green tide”. A rising tide, I hope. Take a look to our shirt: http://stepv.intersindical.org/campanyes/posatWert
Love the color and graphics……looks like Portuguese?
Does it translate…..estimate the public schools?
Can you clarify…….just wondering about the situation there?
Sorry for the delay… It’s catalan, not portuguese, and it translate “We love public school”. Our situation is quite serious: the Spanish government has just approved an education reform that fits the GERM guidelines: privatization, cuts, segregation, evaluation of schools, competition between schools …
In addition, it has increased the workload and bureaucracy of teachers, their salary is cutted down by 10 to 20%. Government has increased the ratio of students per classroom. It is estimated that in Spain have lost their jobs 20,000 teachers in the last two years.
In València, my land, the local government threatens with sanctions to protesting teachers. As you can see, almost our only hope is a change of government.
You can see more pictures of people wearing our green shirt here:
http://stepv.intersindical.org/campanyes/mobilitzacions2013-14
Thanks for your interest.
Wow! Thank you for sharing! Your pictures are a powerful demonstration of democracy in action! Green is good 🙂
Best wishes! This is truly a global issue.