Sara Stevenson, the librarian of O. Henry Middle School in Austin, Texas, is on a roll.
Two days ago, she had a letter printed in the New York Times refuting its editorial about the need for “carrots and sticks” in dealing with teachers and principals.
Today she has a letter in the Wall Street Journal, taking issue with computer scientist David Gelernter’s claim that children learn best online. Gelernter, by the way, was the chief computer scientist for the for-profit online charter corporation K12 (founded by Michael Milken, current CEO Ron Packard of Goldman Sachs and McKinsey, and former Secretary of Education Bill Bennett).
Sara Stevenson is a model activist for children and the education profession.
If every teacher, librarian, social worker and principal was equally active in telling the public what they do and why it matters and speaking out against bad ideas, we could turn the national education debate.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Yes, that would be Michael Milken, convicted felon, and William Bennettt, moralist gasbag and compulsive gambler.
Children and Students First. Always.
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The Sept. issue of Redbook has an article called, “Career Confidential” written anonymously by a Middle School Teacher. This woman speaks very truthfully about the challenges of the profession of teaching, in the present time, and why there is such a high burn-out rate. I am a School Counselor and a credentialed K-8 teacher. We are under attack in California, I am tweeting, facebook posting, writing letters and talking to anyone who will listen. Isn’t it sad that the only way someone is able to write an article in a national magazine is without her identity shown?
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This is why the politicians are so aggravated with teachers and want to put TFAs in our place, Teachers do not respond to extrinsic rewards unless they are directly related to their professional development, which makes them intrinsic rewards. The paycheck is what pays the bills so we can follow our calling. We don’t teach for the paycheck. We teach because we are teachers. The politicians are Skinnerian and Pavlovian in their approach. We don’t like using behavior modification techniques on our students, much less having it used on us!
I hope the lady’s union is ready if she needs them and the administration is not plotting a way to get her fired for telling the truth in nationally read papers.
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The lady’s union is Education Austin, American Federation of Teachers Local 2048, and rest assured the union is proudly supporting this activist!
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I told this very thing to the head of the Baton Rouge Chapter of the Black Alliance for Educational Opportunities (BAEO), a national charter school organization. His mouth fell open when I told him that teachers do not respond to financial incentives, but only to opportunities for professional growth, leadership and respect. Did not really know what to say. Of course he was not a teacher. Also I cornered one of the leaders of the so-called Recovery District. He wasn’t a teacher either and was trying to say that it was the veteran teachers who were not any good. He was black too.
One of the things that the charter school politicians in Louisiana are trying to do is put a black face on the charter school movement. This is real dangerous because they tend to believe these lackeys, especially if they can stick a “Reverend” in front of their name. And then they come up with these religious charters that use curricula that are disrespectful of minority communities and they don’t even realize it. But the parents and grandparents hopefully will.
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I think it will probably take the retired teachers and those who have well off spouses to speak up like we need. Remember, they are also taking tenure and losing one’s job is a real possibility if you speak out. Speaking out will likely have to be done very quickly, before we lose the teachers who are hard to fire.
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Having a blinding flash of the obvious here. This would mean that a a childless taxpayer and community member I have no say when current parents want to give away the schools. My money is good enough, but my vote not o much? Seriously???
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Sara is a great human being and like many in Austin Texas are out fighting for the future of Public Education every day. Really nice to see her mentioned in this blog.
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