Republican Chris Gibson recently criticized Governor Cuomo for his recent proposals to “reform” education by attacking teachers. Gibson understands that you can’t reform education by harassing those who do the daily work of education. He also criticized Cuomo for his love of standardized tests.
Blogger Perdido Street quoted this news story:
“This idea that Cuomo thinks he is basically going to ride roughshod over education and somehow end up with a better product, I don’t see how he does that,” Gibson told The Daily Star in an interview from Washington, D.C. “He has got to include teachers in that process….
“Gibson also graded Cuomo’s education agenda as being deficient for not addressing what he contends is New York’s over-reliance on standardized tests via the so-called Common Core curriculum.
“When you rely heavily on this standardized testing, you end up with teachers teaching to the test,” said the congressman, a former assistant professor at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. “That is stifling creativity and it’s stifling learning.”
“He also predicted Cuomo’s approach to solving problems in the classrooms is doomed to fail.”
Perdido Street blogger says Gibson’s comments are a hopeful sign that some members of Congress are listening to their constituents, the voters who elected them.
“The governor’s approach I think is wrong-headed, and ultimately I think he is going to be frustrated,” Gibson said.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Gibson’s wife is a teacher and he’s probably already running for governor in 2018.
So his comments are not so unusual for a Republican.
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Chris Gibson has been talking about excessive testing for at least two years if not longer. That’s a fact.
As a side note to the story about education: he’s also been way out front in trying to do something about Lyme Disease, which if you know anyone who has it can turn out to be a crippling illness. Our kids playing outside are endangered every day by this tick-borne disease, which is rampant in some of the most densely populated areas of the U.S., including the metro NYC area.
I was just listening to Congress member Gibson describe his efforts to do something about Lyme Disease and it was fascinating to hear him describe the specifics of how Washington, D.C. is being controlled by the big money interests, including insurance companies who don’t want to pay out for Lyme coverage. It’s both sides who are playing the game, Democrats and Republicans, he said more than once.
No, I don’t agree with everything Chris Gibson stands for. And, I’m sure he gets contributions, too. But I’d love to see him standing on a stage debating Cuomo. The contrast could not be clearer. Gibson, who is self-made and earned a Purple Heart serving this country versus the feckless, shifty-eyed Cuomo -who we all know has only made it this far by riding his daddy’s coattails. (And Is now trying to prove to the world what a big man he can be. Please, spare us more George W. Bush-style drama and collateral damage to our nation!)
Sure, Cuomo has supported some liberal social issues. But you can argue that he was a latecomer…a follower, who stepped in only when the risk to him politically was diminishing. And, the SAFE Act might have done more damage than good to the cause of protecting us from gun violence. The gun law was so rushed and poorly drafted that it ended up serving as a great talking point for the NRA. I bet it helped the NRA raise a heap of money.
If they haven’t already, New York State Democrats should start distancing themselves from Andy Boy Cuomo……he’s a toxic, loose cannon who is harming our families!
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You are being far too kind about Andrew Cuomo . . . .
🙂
Gibson is a master politician, and the bottom line is: Does he support charters, privatization, tenure, small class size, and addressing poverty through redistribution of wealth OUTSIDE the school district?
Not liking over-testing is not the same as not liking it while not liking how public schools are being deliberately underfunded and not liking teachers’ rights are being eroded left and right.
Yet, he seems a lot better than Cuomo since every ounce of evil lies somewhere on a good/evil spectrum, and Gibson is not anywhere near Cuomo.
Cuomo is neither liberal nor conservative. Cuomo is out for one thing only: Cuomo. He worships in the church of Cuomo and likes to manipulate people using fear and bullying on Cuomo Plantation.
I would love to see every square inch of Andrew Cuomo covered in vibrant, hungry tics . . . . .
SLURP . . . . .
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Cx:
“. . . and not liking how teachers’ rights are being eroded left and right.”
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No democrat that votes against my profession will ever get my vote again. I could definitely cross the aisle if the candidate was otherwise reasonable.
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