I received this wonderful letter yesterday.
I offered to match the gift.
I will match any similar gifts sent to Network for Public Education for use as scholarships by a deadline of Feb 1.
The address is in the letter below.
Dear Dr. Ravitch:
I would like to receive your input whether other people can attend this event if I am paying the tickets without any problem due to the different names in payer vs attendants.
I would like to treat Mrs Susan Lee Swartz, Krazy TA, and Duane Swacker for both days in this special Chicago Conference. ($75.00 x 3 = $225.00 + fee)
Or it would be the best way is that I will mail the money order of $500.00 US in your name to the address of NPE which you gave to your readers in the past, as follows:
Robin Hiller, Executive Director
C/O Dr. Diane Ravitch, President
Network for Public Education
P.O. Box 44200
Tucson, Az 85733
The difference between $500.00 and the cost for three people to attend both days will be my treat to you and your loved ones.
If one or all three designated people cannot attend for any reason, then these available tickets will be your choice to give away as you please. Happy New year and Best Wishes to you, your family, and your advocacy to preserve American Public Education for all children.
Very respectfully yours,
May King from Canada, your secret admirer.
Please note that I will mail this money order to you through NPE address before Friday, January 9, 2015.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Fantastic! What a confirmation to you and those he’s sending that you are all doing good work!
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Great idea. I’m coming. Looking forward to it.
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Wow!! I’m am humbled and quite grateful Robin (and Diane). Thank you very much.
But I already have paid my fee so please use the fee for whomever you all deem necessary.
I have applied to do a seminar (hopefully, four of them one each morning and one each afternoon) on, who/what else?, Noel Wilson’s work.
I look forward to this year’s conference. It’ll be a lot easier of a drive, 6 hrs instead of 13 hrs each way (especially the way home last year with the snowstorm clogging the roads from Austin all the way to Missouri).
Again, mil gracias!
Duane
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Oops,
I’m a little confused. It appears that Mary King is the one I should be thanking (along with Robin and Diane for all the work they do).
So, Mary, thank you very much. I am truly humbled by your thinking of me. Wow! Don’t quite know what to say (unusual, eh) but again thanks!!!
Duane
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I’ll get it straight yet, May. My apologies!!
Ay, ay, ay!!!
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See my comments under the NPE posting from yesterday.
While I will not be taking advantage of such a kind offer, I thank May King and the owner of this blog for their generosity.
And it’s the best kind: not a hand out but a hand up.
😃
A Greek guy would come in very handy right about now:
“The charity that is a trifle to us can be precious to others.”
On to Chicago!
😎
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There are many self-centered Americans who could learn a lot from this very kind and generous Canadian, May King.
Like our new Republican Congress that spent its first day trying to undermine Social Security for those who are disabled and retired –which is what we teachers without pensions have to rely on to survive in our old age. It amounts to only $11K per year for low paid educators like me, which means that even though I’m retirement age, I can never really retire. Right wingers think I’m getting too much, when I have been paying into SS for 45 years, and I am STILL paying into it since I can’t afford to stop working.
Please sign this petition and send a message to our greedy right wing Congress: http://salsa.wiredforchange.com/o/6405/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=10757
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Oh yeah, and I just got a notice from SS saying that I also have to pay taxes on the SS retirement benefits I received last year, if I am not living on just that $11K income. WTF? It is not possible to live on $11K in my city, where my rent alone costs $17K per year –and I have no money to move somewhere else. Plus, I already paid taxes on the gross income that I made yearly before contributing portions of it to SS, so I feel that I’m being taxed twice for money that I earned which the government held and earned interest on for 45 years.
The GOP also thinks the $12 per month cost of living increase I just got for 2015 is too high. Yes, just $12.00! I could easily pay more than that per DAY just for “public” parking since it was privatized in my city.
Who are right wingers going to blame when America starts to see millions of homeless seniors dying on the streets?
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BTW, I hope there are plans to video tape this conference, because although I live in Chicago, I won’t be attending because I am disabled and very rarely go out because of that. (No, I’m not considered disabled enough to get Disability because I figured out ways to work from home, which automatically disqualifies me.)
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I will be going to the conference – if there’s anything I could do to help you get there, I’d be happy to do so? Could I pick you up?
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Thank you for your very thoughtful offer, Dienne. Transportation is not the issue for me though. The problem is that I have a digestive disorder. It is a qualifying disability, but I made the mistake of becoming a subject matter expert years ago, so that I could continue to support myself while being confined to my apartment. (I can’t go out after I eat or drink, and if I don’t eat and drink, I get terrible headaches, so my outside time is a very limited window and not always predictable.)
I greatly appreciate your kindness, and I really hope you enjoy the conference.
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I’m so sorry to hear that. I will be thinking of you.
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Chi-Town Res,
How about we’ll bring the party to your place?!?!?!?!
Duane
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I’m going to be there on the Saturday, and hope to meet some of you! I’ll be coming from EPISD in El Paso, and representing for the local federation and BATS.
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What a wonderful gesture to three worthy individuals.
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Look forward to seeing again and/or meeting anew all the folks at the NPE conference.
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Looking forward to meeting you. I might have to go to one of your Wilson seminars, even though I’m pretty sure I can quote the guy in my sleep by now. 😉
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For those of you coming to the conference w/o resources to pay for hotel accommodations, I am going to be organizing housing. This retired teacher can house 5, & will provide transport to/from The Drake. I will be contacting those at NPE as soon as I get the ball rolling/some commitments, & arrangements can be made.
We’re very excited to have you all in Chicago in April (when the weather SHOULD be warm–as I now write, just having gotten in, from below 0 outside–wearing 3 layers of clothes!)
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rbmtk,
I might be interested in taking you up on the offer. Please contact me at dswacker@centurytel.net .
Thanks!
Duane
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I wish I could go meet all the blog regulars, but that weekend is right in between my four musicals at school and that’s too much for me in a two week period.
I will send a donation to help out another person.
Maybe next year the event can be in the south! 🙂 How about Raleigh?
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Diane,
Just dawned on me. If May doesn’t mind take her offer of a scholarship for me and offer it to our Secretary of Education with the stipulation that he has to come hang with me the whole time and doesn’t get any special treatment.
Duane
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Duane, I would personally pay for Arne to attend, ESP if you could explain Wilson to him
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Dear Dr. Ravitch:
Hopefully the priority mail will arrive at NPE office address as early as this Friday, Jan. 9th or at the latest is on Saturday, January 10th, 2015.
Hi Duane, you could take up my treat and use your own ticket to personally invite Bill Gates or Arne Duncan. If not, it is for Dr. Ravitch’s decision.
Hi retirebutmissthekids, your idea is marvelous. I hope that more retired teachers could arrange your idea.
Hi Chi-Town Res, I understood your situation because I had my health problem. My high blood pressure, severe knee arthritis, and self-frustrated management (not anger at bad people, but at my own disability, without social recognition from government’s viewpoint). My family Doctor told me that I can only apply and receive disability allowance if I cannot function on my own regarding eat and hygiene. Good grief! I would prefer die peacefully than live without ability to do hygiene on my own.
To all other conscientious educators and parents who will be at NPE conference in Chicago, please do your best to restore, NOT DEMAND, but TAKE AN ACTION to show our power of the mass on PUBLIC EDUCATION AUTONOMY. Please remember that nobody can be healthy and live forever. Nobody can bring wealth with them, except fame and shame after death. However, we will definitely get our peaceful surrounding where we sow the seed of kindness.
This is here and now for all conscientious AMERICANS to speak to the world that history of American Public Education has nurtured the highest level of creation in technology innovation in the 20th century. In this 21st century, Public Education shall be autonomy so that teachers can fulfill their potential in teaching and cultivating humanity, civility under the rights of tenured track and due process.
Please observe and learn from communist countries around the world. With interaction within your fingertip, and with your logical mind, please critically examine and analyze the SOLID reason that RICH, EDUCATED, TALENTED and POWERFUL people migrate to USA, CANADA, GERMANY, and AUSTRALIA…
This will energize us to stand tall and unite to fight back any oppression that will not only RUIN our career, family, meaningful lives, and our democratic society, but also HARM our children generation to be robots and modern slavery WITHOUT ANY CHANCE to learn with creativity. May King from Canada. Back2basic
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