Whatever your religious views, or if you have none at all, please pray for or send powerful thoughts for the healing and speedy recovery of our friend Karen Lewis.
Karen is in the hospital in Chicago following serious surgery. We will wait to hear the details of the surgery from those who speak on her behalf.
What we do know is that the surgery was serious and that Karen is resting comfortably.
I first met Karen in 2010, spent four hours talking at our first meeting, and came to have great respect for her vision, her intelligence, her compassion, and her courage.
In fighting against the forces of corporate reform that seek to destroy public education, Karen Lewis has been a model for all of us. She is a teacher. She has taught all of us how to organize from the ground up, how to rally resistance, how to live in truth and integrity.
She is my friend. I love her. I love her as a kind and strong human being. I love her for her work on behalf of others.
She is in my thoughts and prayers, as I hope she is in yours.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
YES!
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Hope Karen’s recovery goes well, I’m praying for her. 🙂
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Yes , blessings and warm healing thoughts for this incredible woman who is my hero as well I too love her and respect her strength, courage, wisdom, and humor in the face of battle. A speedy recovery is needed for Karen is needed now more than ever in our world.
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One of the best things going on in Chicago right now in addition to prayers is circulation of the petition to put Karen Lewis on the ballot for mayor in the February 24, 2015 election. Last night after we all heard the news that Karen is taking a leave from her job as President of the Chicago Teachers Union, we all were receiving phone calls from Karen’s campaign office asking people to increase their efforts to get the nominating petitions signed. In Chicago, you have to have 12,500 signatures on the petitions, and Karen’s campaign is aiming for many more than that. The reason is that in Chicago, if you are not part of the machine, every — as in EVERY — signature on every one of your petitions is challenged by people who will work a week to dump you from the ballot before you even get on. So if you’re in Chicago and don’t have a nominating petition (yet), get one and enjoy the work — while you are praying.
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#Love4Karen
After meeting Karen at the NPE conference last spring in Austin and then visiting with her again in Los Angeles last summer, the image of her I hold in my mind is one of calm and elegance. Not the stereotype of a union leader and certainly not the picture portrayed by her adversaries. She is kind, intelligent, dedicated and fierce. She lifts us all up in this fight to save our schools. I send her and her family my prayers and thoughts for healing.
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May all the doctors and nurses who have her in their care bring to bear all of their knowledge, all of their skill, all of their experience, and all of their compassion to restore her to robust health as smoothly and quickly as possible. As the others have said, she is a hero and an inspiration to all of us who value the current and future well-being of our children and our democracy.
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Karen Lewis is on our prayer list and will remain there as long as necessary.
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All good thoughts and wishes to Karen. Thanks for keeping us updated, Diane.
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An abrazón [big hug] of well wishes and hopes for a speedy recovery.
😎
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Best wishes to Karen as she begins her road to recovery. Her strength and drive have only been dwarfed by the thousands of admirers and supporters who look to her for inspiration. Godspeed, Karen.
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In solidarity. In perpetuity.
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Blessings for full health and recovery. You showed us how to fight as a union against tremendous odds. Counting on your continued leadership if you choose
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Sending prayers for complete healing!
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To our beloved union leader, Karen Lewis:
Breathe in and out with full consciousness of a breath, that flows short or deep and without any distraction, will speed up all recoveries. I trust Dr. Ravitch’s love for you. So, I love you too although I live in Canada and have not met you yet.
Your fight for American Public Education will influence Canadian Public Education in many helpful aspects. Please accept my sincere best wishes on your health and on your mayoral election. May King.
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Absolutely. Una
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Thank you for letting us know.
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As a proud CTU member & 27 year teacher (22 in public schools in IL & AZ) thank you to all of you for thinking good thoughts for Karen……we would be in far dire straits if not for her leadership
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She is in my thoughts. Please keep us informed.
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Prayers coming your way!
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May God heal her and bless her.
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Sending light and healing prayers of support from New York. Much courage to you and your family and friends.
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