Someone I do not know sent me a surprising gift: a memory of what I said, who I was.
Memory plays tricks on us, and sometimes I learn things about myself from people I met or knew many years ago. And I wonder, “did I do that? Did I say that?”
Here is my gift from Nathaniel Smith:
“A bit of history about Diane: In a post “Diane Ravitch on and since 1/11/88″ at http://politicswestchesterview.wordpress.com/, I wrote up my notes on a talk she gave 25 years ago to the day at Franklin and Marshall College on 1/11/88. I tended to agree with her then, and i agree with her even more now!”
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Wow. Know some will argue with the change in your position over the years, but you and the path education has taken proves them wrong. Your strong commitment can only be admired.
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“What should we think of someone who never admits error, never entertains doubt but adheres unflinchingly to the same ideas all his life, regardless of new evidence?” (from Diane’s The Death and Life of the Great American School System)
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“A student’s mind doesn’t belong to the state.”
Dr. Ravitch, you say it so clearly and profoundly. This simple statement sums it all up.
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Diane, your willingness to have changed your mind is what gives you more credibility in my eyes than anything else.
Too many people these days view commitment to an idea, even in the face of evidence or a changing world, as something heroic. I am much more likely to view it as just being stubborn.
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Diane, a question about who you were: How do you feel now about your work on Core Curriculum? I know you’ve long been a fan of traditional literature, etc.
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I believe in a humanistic curriculum. I wish that all students, young and old, had the opportunity to read wonderful poetry, plays, novels, essays, and history.
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I am grateful to Diane for her kind words, and to all who followed the link to read more on my site. Diane, you are a true inspiration to all who believe in humanistic education and public education… and that they can be the same.
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I am grateful to Diane for her kind words, and to all who followed the link to read more from 25 years ago (and since) on my site. Diane, you are a true inspiration to all who believe in humanistic education and public education… and that those can be the same.
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… conservative movement to reaffirm traditional studies and standards which is still going on today (with, one might add, depressingly little to show).
Wouldn’t that be consistent with a bipartisan movement to promote the common school vision of Horace Mann? How have Democrats (and teachers’ unions) advanced Mann’s goals? Who is leading the Democrats’ share of a (hopefully) bipartisan effort to promote an institution vital to she survival of our republic?
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