WOW! Read this!
The revolution is beginning. The reformers are in trouble. People are waking up and catching on.
“Dad Gone Wild” writes about how he loved Punk Rock. He thought he was the only one. No one understood. That was back in 1977.
Now he found himself wondering about education reform. It didn’t feel right to him. He started looking, and he discovered he was not alone.
He writes:
“Then a crazy thing happened. Slowly but surely punk rock began to creep into the mainstream. I can remember the first time I heard the familiar chorus of the Ramones blasting from a car commercial. Iggy Pop music was being used in Carnival Cruise ads. New bands were being formed that sited the forefathers as instrumental in their formation. The truth was beginning to reach people and they were embracing it. It was all very magical and validating.
“I see a similar thing taking place in the world of education. A few years ago when I first started paying attention to education policy it was all about the power of Teach for America, Charter Schools and Choice. These were tenets that never felt right to me but the voices of support were so great I felt like I was missing something. After all Michelle Rhee, Arne Duncan, Wendy Kopp, David Levin and Mike Feinberg are all highly educated individuals who have studied education policy extensively. How could they possibly be wrong? Then I discovered Diane Ravitch.
“Discovering Diane was a feeling akin to the first time I heard a Clash record. Wait a minute there are people that feel like I do who can help formulate these feelings and give them voice? It was awe inspiring and I wanted more. So instead of hanging around record stores I started hanging around Twitter and other social media sites. Instead of discovering the Ramones, Undertones, Replacements and Husker Du, I began to discover Bruce Baker, Gary Rubenstein, Anthony Cody, Edushyster, Crazy Crawfish and Julian Vasquez Heilig. I read, and still do, everything they wrote. I followed the people they followed and my mind once again just began to expand.”
And he joined with other parents and they started fighting for their schools, and they started pushing back against legislation that would hurt their public schools.
“These days it seems everywhere I look there is a parent group or community group pushing back against the reform agenda. People are starting to realize that our schools may need work but they don’t need scrapping. They need us all to get in together and work to improve them. There is realization that schools are a cornerstone of our community and a healthy school translates to a healthy community. They are starting to realize that poverty in America is very real and fighting it is essential to improving our schools. I can not express to you how much it makes my heart sing to see this uprising. If it continues, not only will we improve our schools but we’ll improve our communities.”
WOW! The wheel is turning, the revolution is underway.
How refreshing. Let’s all join the movement to secure our public rights and schools!
Arne Duncan: the Toto of educators.
Wonderful Lisa Haver!
The Common Core…..Muzak to my ears…..
Great piece, “Dad Gone Wild”.
The rheeformers seem to be asking themselves this Clash classic…”should I stay or should I go”? Rhee has left to peddle another form of fertilizer, may others join her for “greener” pastures.
It’s always heartening to read how someone has both caught on to the destruction of our schools and democracy, and is getting engaged in the effort to save our society.
“Teachers Calling” (apologies to the Clash, London Calling)
Teachers calling to the faraway towns
Now war is declared and battle come down
Teachers calling to the PTA world
Come out of the houses, resistance unfurled
Teachers calling, now don’t lecture us
Phony Reformania has bitten the dust
Teachers calling, see we ain’t got to swing
Bow to the reign of that Common Core King
The Teachout is coming, the sun’s zooming in
Meltdown expected, our patience growing thin
Time to stop running, and just have no fear
Reformers are drowning and they live by the river
Teachers calling to ed imitation zone
Forget it, Arne, you can go at it alone
Teachers calling out the Zombies of VAM
Quit testing us with your junk and your spam
Teachers calling and I don’t wanna shout
But while we were talking I saw Rhee running out
Teachers calling, see we ain’t got no hacks
But we got support of the parents and facts
The Teachout is coming, the sun’s zooming in
Meltdown expected, our patience growing thin
Time to stop running, and just have no fear
Reformers are drowning and they live by the river
The Teachout is coming, the sun’s zooming in
Meltdown expected, our patience growing thin
A Billyan error, but I have no fear
Reformers are drowning and they live by the river
Now get this
Teachers calling, yes I was there too
An’ you know what they said, well, all of it was true
Teachers calling at the top of the dial
And after all this, won’t you give me a smile?
Teachers Calling
i never felt so much a-like
LOVE this! And we love Diane! Love that he compares her to discovering his first Clash record.
From the blog post accessed by the link:
“Education right now is no different. There are certain aspects we may disagree on but I think we are united in the core beliefs. Education should serve all children. Teachers are essential and we need to commit to excellent teacher recruitment, development, retention and pay. A commitment to making sure every child comes to school ready to learn. All students should have access to a rich broad curriculum. Ensuring that children get more then just tests, that they get the required physical activity. These beliefs form a foundation we can build on.”
Yes. In other words, exactly what the leaders of the self-styled “education reform” movement ensure for THEIR OWN CHILDREN should be provided for OTHER PEOPLE’S CHILDREN.
Let the support and funds provided to Lakeside School [Bill Gates] and Sidwell Friends [Barack Obama] and U of Chicago Lab Schools [Rahm Emanuel] and Harpeth Hall [Michelle Rhee-Johnson] and Delbarton School [Chris Christie] and the like be the norm for all public schools.
Claims that it can’t be done? No excuses allowed.
😎
The first time I read Diane, I had the same mind-blowing experience. It was her book The Death and Life of the Great American School System, and all I could think was, “I’m not nuts. I’m not paranoid. It’s actually happening.” I immediately wrote her a letter, and she wrote back. Since then, I’ve tried to influence and convince as many people as possible to open their eyes. Perhaps it is finally having an effect.
I am tired of hearing people who want to privatize public education as “reformers.” Can’t we think of another more accurate term for them?
Nice post – I knew there was a reason I think of Diane as a rock star!
Great piece! If Dr. Ravitch sold posters, I’d place them on my walls where the rock stars used to be.
Momma Bears are totally groupies for Diane Ravitch. She is a rockstar in our book!
Thanks, Momma Bears!
Actually, the Iggy Pop song “Lust for Life” was used by Royal Caribbean, not Carnival in national TV commercials several years ago.
It’s a long way from here to there.