A reader in Texas responds to a post about the Dallas superintendent, who has sent out directions to schools to express themselves only in positive terms:
This blog reminds me: we got a new superintendent in our district where I was the deputy superintendent. His FIRST act was to send out a memo to all staff. His directive was that absolutely everybody had to start all letters and all memoranda and all emails with this statement: “Today is November 21, 2012, and it is a wonderful day!”
Many of us spent the rest of the day writing and sharing parodies. “Today is xxx, xx, xxxx, and it is a wonderful day! I am writing to tell you that due to budget restraints we have eliminated your position, effective immediately.”.
“Today is…., and it is a wonderful day! Due to the flu epidemic, we have determined it prudent to close our schools for the next three days in order to prevent more cases.”
“Today is …, and it is a wonderful day! Please join me in sending condolences to the parents of the young man who lost his life in the school bus accident last week.”
“Today is …., and it is a wonderful day. This letter is to inform you that since your daughter failed the exit assessment, she will not graduate with her class next week.”
“Today is …., and it is a wonderful day! The Texas legislature cut $5.4 billion from the education budget, so we must close schools, lay off staff, and eliminate preschool programs.”
Needless to say, we formed a pact and swore we would commit civil disobedience, and we did! He continued the ridiculous practice, but he never said a word to those who refused. This man lost every iota of credibility that he might have enjoyed simply by virtue of his position with that one demand for happy talk.
I know, I know. As deputy supt., I probably should not have led the coup. 🙂
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Why is it that this type of false praise seems to be what all administrators think effectively inspires students and teachers? It is as if the value of hard work has to be sugar coated instead of just recognizing the self satisfaction of a job well done.
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Today is a fantastic day. Mayor Bloomberg has changed the law again, and is all set to buy himself a fourth term as mayor.
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Today is a super-duper day. Your February break is canceled.
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It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood. Your VAM score precludes that contractual raise we promised you.
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It’s the bestest day ever! Arne Duncan will be education secretary for another four years.
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Sounds so 1984
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They love the cant these clowns. ChildrenFirst! for example.
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Love YOUR parodies! Thanks!
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THIS POST REFS UNCHILDREN DOUBLE PLUS UNGOOD. REWRITE FASTWISE AND UPSUBMIT ANTEFILING. TODAY IS NOVEMBER 21, 1984, FREEDOM IS SLAVERY.
….. down the memory hole we go…..
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As a 52 year old high school white guy math teacher in Seattle for 7 years at a school with over 60% FRL, a guy who grew up on as a teen on welfare and didn’t step foot inside a k-12 from ’78 to 2003, the Happy Talk edu-babble ethos must be 1 of the greatest idiocies I have to live with.
ONe thing I find interesting about Happy Babble is where is comes from, and how widespread it is. It comes from this dinky sliver of society who don’t have to deal with the work of making reality work because their serfs keep everything working, and, the sliver ain’t gonna lower themselves to discuss serf work. There are the deliberate aspiring toadies of the dinky sliver who gotta talk master talk if they’re gonna get into master’s club. Then there are the other 49 out of 50 who do the happy talk thing, and 95% of them don’t even know what I’m talking about.
How do you fix problems when you don’t acknowledge them?
(ooops! STOOPID MOI! Why would anyone want to fix anything!!)
Girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes
Snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes
Silver white winters that melt into springs
These are a few of my favorite things
When the dog bites
When the bee stings
When I’m feeling sad
I simply remember my favorite things
And then I don’t feel so bad
happy turkey day, all
rmm – seattle
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I also teach in a district where positive talk is highly encouraged and talking honestly about reality is viewed as making excuses or being negative. I was just walking the dog a couple of days ago and was thinking two of the same thoughts you had: (1) If I could make all my problems go away by picking up my phone and making them someone else’s problem, I probably would be happy all the time, too. But as a front-line worker, I have no one to pass my problems on to, so I am sometimes less than super-bubbly, ’cause I am concentrating on trying to fix my problems, which sometimes makes me grumpy and aloof. (2) If we don’t acknowledge problems, how can we ever fix them?
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Reblogged this on CENTURY21SCHOOLS and commented:
Whats next customer service training? Wait that is already happening in a lot of districts. Interestingly the consultants are the ones that profit the most from the “initiatives”.
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