When I first heard about the BadAss Teachers two years ago, I had trouble saying their name. It seemed ride and crude. But I overcame my reaction and celebrated the emergence of a group of teachers who were prepared to stand up and be bold and fearless on behalf of their students and their profession.
They asked me to share this news with you:
BATs are 2 years old on Sunday. two years of teachers speaking the truth about what is really happening to their schools, their children, and their communities
From July 23-26 BATs will be meeting in Washington, D.C. at the BATs Teacher Congress.
Suggested by Dr. Yohuru Williams at the BAT meeting last year with Arne Duncan, the Congress will convene over 300 educators, parents, students, and advocates from around the nation.
Over 20 BATs State groups will lobby their lawmakers on Capitol Hill July 22nd and 23rd.
BATs will conduct a protest parade on July 24th to the USDOE with Jesse Turner as he walks his last mile of a 400 mile journey from Connecticut to D.C.
SOS will host a mock trial of the USDOE on the 24th and “Heal our Schools”, an amazing documentary by Laurie Gabriel, will be shown after the trial.
300 BATs from around the nation will then convene on July 25th in a Congress where they will create resolutions on such topics as The School to Prison Pipeline, Union Strong, and Creating Positive Change. Dr. Yohuru Williams, Dr. Denisha Jones, Jesse Turner, Morna McDermott, and The Youth Dreamers will be the keynotes.
The event will be radio broadcast on The Rick Smith Show and livestreamed off several twitter feeds on Periscope.
After the Congress, United Opt Out will give a 1 hour book talk over their amazing book “An Activist Handbook for the Education Revolution: United Opt Out’s Test of Courage.”
Finally, on the evening of the 25th, the BATs will meet for the BAT Social with performances by The BAT Band “A Class Act”, Hip Hop sensation and NY teacher Jeremy Dudley, and NY Theatre Teacher Karen Sklaire will perform her one woman show “Ripple of Hope: One Teachers Journey.” The event will be groundbreaking and family friendly!!!
To learn more about the BATs Teacher Congress you can visit the BAT website
http://www.badassteacher.org/ or their open event Facebook page here https://www.facebook.com/BATsTeacherCongress2015
To contact BATs you can email Marla Kilfoyle or Melissa Tomlinson at contact.batmanager@gmail.com
Diane Ravitch's blog 
This is the REAL Civil Rights Movement of the 21st Century—-not the fraudulent one from the for-profit at any price empire of the RheeFormsters
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Hopefully they will oppose Randi on Common Core, another union funded advocacy group with Gates$.
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Many BATs are opposed to Randi’s choice selection of the Presidency, Hillary Clinton…
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Thanks to all the brave teachers who tell it like it is….and thanks Mary for pointing out that Hillary is not the candidate for public education. Two faced opportunists can never be trusted.
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BATs asked for transparency on funding at last year’s NEA RA. We want NO Gates strings-attached funding of our unions!
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Happy Birthday to a vibrant and vital group of educators.
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Better a Vernacular Augmented Meaning than a Value Addled Measure any time.
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John, Nice way to address this for some of us elders, but overall this event has the needed street theater and blasts to get energy going. One of my former students is a BAT and super savvy about the influence of bad policy on practice.
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Timely Trivia —
“Your boyfriend’s a badass!”
Notable Quote from Jurassic World
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Love to our BATs! They’re true warriors! Happy Birthday!
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The Union opposes charters, but is now taking money from businesses to design technical schools, generating more money for their advocacy non profits like BATS, who will not oppose the Union. They have one group called APES and one called BATS, like pets.
“Having worked out how to manage governments, political parties, elections, the courts, the media and liberal opinion, the neoliberal establishment faced one more challenge; how to deal with growing unrest, the threat of “peoples’ power”. How do you domesticate it? How do you turn protestors into pets. How do you vacuum up people’s fury and redirect it into blind alleys?”
Arundhati Roy (2014)
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BATs are not an arm of the union nor are they a non-profit organization. BATs support unions but not necessarily the direction unions take on specific issues. BATs have consistently challenged both the AFT and NEA on direction in the areas of Common Core, charters and corporate influence on public education. Many BATs are taking up leadership roles within their local, state and national unions in order to have an influence on issues.
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Exactly, Tina Andres. Thank you. BATs had to run AGAINST traditional union leadership in Hawaii, TWICE in order to take their state union in the right direction. BATs support unions but are not run by any union, and are seeking to change their direction in many places.
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BATs do not solicit nor accept union nor corporate funding! We’re grassroots!
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BATs believe in Union solidarity and serve members by approaching national Union heads to voice for us our stance on the many issues.
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Thank you for all your support Diane!!! It means volumes to us – Year 3 will be full of hard work for our kids and public education.
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^0^ Yaaay Diane!
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dear diane…thank you for your tireless efforts, and for the many times you include BATs in your blogs! we appreciate you SO much! ^0^ kathie, national BATs admin, AZ BAT
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Happy birthday, BATS! I am so proud to be part of an organization that actually listens to teachers, parents and school children! We aren’t making any backroom deals, we aren’t taking money from anyone, we’re just out there every day telling truth to power and pushing to save our public schools. Thank you, Diane, for recognizing our efforts. You are totally badass! ^O^
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Thank you Diane! You are an inspirational role model! ^o^
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Thank you Diane Ravitch for supporting BATs. I am proud to be a member of BATs and work with a group of people so dedicated to REAL school reform that involves parents, students and teachers in decisions and preserving the promise of public education for EVERY child.
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Diane, thank you for your continued support of not only the Badass Teachers Association, but for your continued support of the public school system. The students, parents, and communities have benefited from your continuing efforts. ^0^
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Happy Birthday, BATs! Thank you SO much, Diane! We’re making progress every day…every day…every day…and we SHALL WIN OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS BACK!! ^0^ -a proud Virginia BAT
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Happy Birthday, BATs! I’m proud to be associated with a group that fearlessly takes on the powerful in order to protect public education, students, teachers and families. BATs are the Rapid Response Team to policies that will damage our schools and our whole public education system. At 55,000+ members, we actually have an impact against the gazillionaires and their propaganda machines. We have altered the outcome of elections. We have forced our issues out into the light. We support unions and elected officials when they do the right thing for our schools, and we oppose them when they don’t.
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Thanks, Diane. Yours is an important voice in education today. I appreciate your support.
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So BATS is against Randi on Common Core? Yes or no? BATS was soliciting funds recently and visiting Randi’s summer house in the Hamptons. The Union supports BATS, which will not challenge Randi on Common Core. The Union has really sidelined parents on this Opt Out Issue, which they adamantly oppose, and BATS is ok with that.
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Joseph, I don’t know where you get your information, but it is incorrect. The NEA does not “adamantly oppose” the Opt Out movement. In fact, at the Spring RA, BATs managed to propose a motion to lobby ODE to inform parents of their right to refuse the tests. The movement passed.
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We are talking about Common Core. If BATS will not come out against the Union and Common Core, they are not supporting parents.Randi supports BATS and BATS support Randi, Parent need to fight alone fore the kids against Common Core.BATS does not want to lose that union support.
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Badass Teachers are not aligned with any union officially since unions do not always do what is in the best interest of families, students, and teachers (especially when $$ kickbacks are involved). If you have seen an educrat like Randi wearing a BAT shirt, it is because she needs us, not the other way around-but actions speak louder than words-no matter what you post or wear. BATS are about action!
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Congratulations. In my view this type of fighting back is ESSENTIAL. ONLY with citizens in huge numbers fighting for their rights has this country, probably all countries, have democratic principles for ALL been implemented.
Our government way too often proclaims our freedoms but when push comes to shove, forget them. African Americans flooding D. C., actually dying, finally obtained a measure of equality. My father among others in our unions fought, some died for their rights, rights now in jeopardy. Etc etc/
Again, read the June 15th edition of the NATION. Appalling in the “land of the free”. Indentured servitude.
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As long as prominent friends such as yourself continue to validate this courageous grassroots group of advocates, we can all be reassured that democracy still has a chance.
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Dr. Ravitch, you are a true warrior for public education. I am grateful for your strong and steady voice that sheds light on the injustices our children face in the name of accountability. As a BAT, I want to thank you for the shout out on our big day! Many blessings upon you!
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Proud to be a BAT. Thank you for, as ever, Diane. ^o^
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Thanks so much for your unwavering support for BATs over the past two years. You are such an inspiration to us! Please keep us all informed of your speaking schedule so we can show up in our BAT shirts and hear your words in person!
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Ms. Ravitch,
Thank you so much for your courage and leadership. In these dark times for educators, you are a shining light of hope. Your books and blogs are spreading the truth in the face of terrible lies. Thank you for supporting BATs and being one of my heroes.
Sincerely,
Jennifer Rumsey
Texas educator
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Thank you Diane! I love being a BAT and on the leadership team. Your support means the world to us and we appreciate you!
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Thank you for the happy birthday BATS it was you talking about BATS in Sacramento that got me interested!
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Thank you for your never ending advocacy for our schools and our children. You are our inspiration!
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@DianeRavitch Thank You for all you’ve done to spread the word about what BATs, the Badass Teachers Association, is doing to take back our profession from the ravages of privatization and stem the tide of hedge-fund charter school operators takeover. Thank You.
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Thank You Diane! You are an inspiration!
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Thank you for your support and inspiration for teachers everywhere! I am proud to be a BAT!
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I’m sorry, but I cannot join the party, not in good conscience. I’m from Maryland, where a charter-loving governor has “gifted” us with Checker Finn and Andy Smarick on our state Board of Education (because apparently Broadie Lilllian Lowery wan’r enough of a pro-reform voice?) and as of this past weekend ALL the MD administrators were removed from our state BAT page due to an exchange on the National BAT page just as MD BAT’s were gearing up for a membership push at the state level.
I joined the BATs early on and left early on as there were more and more stories of “scorched earth” bannings and clearing-outs of dissenting voices, when we were told in no uncertain terms that TFA weren’t even to be mentioned on the page without condemning them (not even former Corps Members whose experiences got them into full-time certified teaching!). I’ve watched as petitions calling for Arne Duncan’s ouster garnered a scant handful of signatures while BAT leadership was boasting about having over 55K members (and was myself Twitter-blocked for commenting about it).
Happy 2nd birthday indeed.
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So, the BATS thought police are still banning people for the crime of unorthodox thinking?
I had hoped the censorship would end when they purged former Great Dear Leader Mark Naison, but I guess diversity of opinion is still considered threatening in BATSville.
Hmm, lockstep opinions, exchanged in an echo chamber: it doesn’t seem so different from the behavior of the so-called reformers…
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I just heard another NatBAT story that made my hair curl. Unreal.
There are some fine individuals who are members of BAT’s but the organization as a whole has some big-time issues at the top. 😦
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I know what you’re talking about. I also had a run-in with some BATs that had what appeared to be lockstep thinking.
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This is a deceptive post trying to tie dismissal with fight over charters. I believe dismissal was due BATs uncompromising stance against racism, as relating to the dismissal of the McKinney racist post by a Texas teacher. BATs will not condone racism in any shape or form, including the defense of a racist teacher inside or outside the classroom.
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I’m sorry, Maria Glass, but removal of one BAT from a position because she once upon a long time ago was defended by the admin whose posts you don’t like – and have you saved their content so the accusations against him can be supported? – is guilt by association, and is indefensible. The admin you removed and banned had no chance to defend himself, and none of the other administrators of the MD page received notice that they were being removed, despite assertions that they had been contacted. There is no deception here on my part whatsoever; the posts are on the MD BAT page and have been screenshotted so we at least can defend ourselves against allegations of deceit.
The MD group had plans for expansion of membership and of action and we are left without any leadership from our own state. If that is what constitutes a “happy birthday,” then you are welcome to it. I am sorry to rain on your parade, Diane, but once upon a time I wouldn’t have believed it either. 😦 The email that Deborah received from NatBAT admin banning her from a completely different BAT group speaks volumes.
New term: “guanopsychotic.”
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I am a proud FL BAT. As I recall a few weeks ago, I sent a letter in to the MD governor about this very deal. In fact this was a campaign that National BATs was running for MD BATs. Many a FL BAT also wrote the MD Governor (I know at least 5 friends of mine sent in letters based on the BATs campaign for MD). As far as petition signing, how about we address what BATs are doing on the ground? If you read the BAT blog you can see what BATs are doing, they aren’t signing petitions, they are meeting people face-to-face, running for office, refusing to test, and winning union offices. If I also recall, the first BAT action resulted in 1000’s of calls to the White House to remove Duncan (which shut down the phone lines). I have been in the group since after the 1st year, and see people like Priscilla, Love, Maria and all the volunteers working hard – creating a clearinghouse for teachers and parents. My advice to you, don’t like how they run the show; leave and start your own group! ^0^
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Brian,
I hope BATs move to direct action: sit-ins, protests, die-ins, whatever BAT brains dream up
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Brian, I was one of those BAT’s that clogged the White House phone lines. I’ve been a contact for parents in my state and district who wanted to know how to opt out in a state that has no opt-out option and several hours a day for weeks went to that alone. I was the one who asked the MD BAT’s if NatBATs could help us with a Twitter storm (and some of you FL BAT’s probably reTweeted some of my Tweets and vice versa). I was on board and recruiting, as were a number of others who have been forcibly removed in MD, where it’s now pretty much a rudderless ship. NatBAT’s have stopped answering our questions entirely on our page.
Other groups are springing up, but why would a national group want an entire state – one adjacent to DC, by the way, and which might have brought a fairly large number to the BAT march in DC since it’s relatively local! – more or less shut down, especially in light of Maryland’s new BoE appointees? MD BATs already felt vulnerable to attack from our governor; turns out it was NatBATs we had to worry about more. At the same time as Fordham mouthpieces are being strategically placed in policymaking positions in MD, so too are National administrators now in charge of our MD BAT page. The irony is not lost on us. 😦
If NatBATs have concrete evidence to back up their accusations, let them present it, let the supposed perpetrator defend himself. Otherwise, they are losing what might have been powerful allies in MD, which was starting to ramp UP. BAT’s had a great thing going, and in many ways it still does; I didn’t believe the stories about people getting shut down for a long time. When it happens to your state, will you be so cavalier?
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If you want to support racism and TFA, BATs is not the group for you.
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Who was supporting racism? Can you give examples of what was said in support of racism?
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I’m curious what was said in support of racism too.
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The BAT admins are liars. I was one of the first 1000 BATs two years ago, very active, bought the t-shirt. Suddenly, the group disappeared from my list of Facebook groups, and I couldn’t “see” it at all – I had been banned. I messaged several of the admins and finally got an explanation – which was a lie.
In the group, whenever someone questioned another member’s sudden disappearance, we were always told that people who violated the rules received multiple warnings before being banned, which was a last resort. That never happened for me (and I have since talked with dozens of others who say the same).
I remained in the Maryland BAT group, however, and was one of the admins. We had a good thing going until National BAT admins took over. Suddenly this weekend, I was banned from the Maryland group as well. Others in the Maryland group say that the new admins (who are not from Maryland) told the group that we were all sent private messages explaining what had happened. Lie. The first message I received was today:
Deborah you have been removed from BAT DREAM based on removal [name of another admin]. He advocated for you to remain in BATs groups despite your inappropriate comments about co-founder Priscilla Sanstead, and we respected that. Seth was removed after insisting with inappropriate comments in a thread about race. Trying to defend a teacher’s after her public racist rant by comparing her racism to being gay or Muslim is not only a false analogy (unlike being gay or Muslim, being a racist teacher is wrong), it also shows bias. BATs do not/will not condone/excuse racism in any shape or form. We wish you luck in all future endeavors.
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The ideological purge seems to have spread to at least six groups. There is shady stuff happening in BAT right now.
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Thank you Dr. Ravitch for recognizing BATs. I am a proud FL BAT!
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Thanks for supporting us Diane, as we celebrate our BAT 2nd anniversary!
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Thank you, Dr. Ravitch for being a steadfast and uncompromising role model for integrity and a voice for teachers. Happy 2nd Birthday, BATs! I am proud to be a member since (almost) the very beginning…thank you for all your hard work for the good of teachers and our students.
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^♡^ One BATs love. In solidarity against racism, sexism, ageism, homophobia, intolerance, fear and intimidation. BATs Congress is where we must united to get attention for our common struggle against edDeform.
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and why not your Union? BATS is the charade to attract disenfranchised teachers because the Union does not give a RA.
It is all one organization.
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BAT was created as a place for teachers who were getting the shift from DOE AND UNION BEAURACRACY. BAT believes very strongly in the IDEA of the teacher’s union, but also realized that we could do things as a group to benefit ourselves and our students, when it seemed that the Union’s hands were tied. We are an ACTION group!
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Diane,
Speaking as myself as well as the mod of BAT in NYC and MADBATS (music, art, dance, and drama bad ass teachers), you are one of the strongest sparks who continue to inspire teachers to be badass and follow their hearts to do what is right for teachers, students, and family, even when corrupt politics in the union as well as the DOE may instruct us to do otherwise. Keep inspiring us to search for the light of truth!
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Thanks DIane for the shout out….. and trust me….. when I tell you…. I just posted slews of pictures the other night on twitter of large large groups of actions with BATs present…… we are getting there….. WOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOO
Louder and Prouder every year…….
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Diane, I feel an enormous debt of gratitude to you for speaking truth to the powerful corporate forces seeking to privatize public education. We BATs are a large, diverse coalition of teachers who are fighting to protect our schools from the destructive reforms that are hurting our students and our profession. Your articulate voice and continued engagement in our struggle gives me hope and courage each and every day.
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Diane, thanks for your vocal support of BATs! We came out loudly and proudly against Common Core in early July 2013 – 23 months ago. A lot of BATs got mad at us then and quit. Imagine that! Diane opposes Common Core and so do we. BATs supports parents and has many parent and non-educator members (like college students majoring in ed) whom we support in opting out. BATs is PRO opt out……… And what??? Someone mentioned that there was a party at Randi’s summer house in the Hamptons? When? No one told any BAT that I know. Did anyone here go? Did the union give any money out there? We sure did’t get any, but we don’t want any money with strings ……. Soliciting funds? Yes, BATs do that. We will gladly take more donations to help us defray expenses for our “BATs Teacher Congress 2015th at the Holiday Inn near the DoE in Washington July 23-26th. We have a Facebook page with that name set up for donations. Otherwise we have no funding – no one owns us or tells us what to do. We are all volunteers. We’ll be sending Diane Ravitch a commemorative “BATs Teacher Congress” t-shirt when our union shop gets them printed – as thanks to her for being so awesome! 🙂
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Diane,
Thanks for the birthday shout out. I have been with BATs since the beginning and your support has meant the world to us. Year 3 may well involve much more direct action.
Sincerely,
DMace
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I don’t like to harp about a group that is fundamentally irrelevant, despite it’s grossly inflated sense of its own importance, but having publicly opposed so-called education reform for almost twenty years, I resent people making overheated and unsubstantiated claims of their role in opposing the privatizers, and usurping the efforts of teachers who’ve taken actual risks in their schools and in public.
For example, I have never, repeat NEVER, seen even a few members of this group come out in public demonstrating against public school closings and/or charter school invasions in NYC.
If BATs has all these thousands of members, then where are they when parents and teachers are actually out in public trying to stop the so-called reformers from pursuing their malign ends? Where are they at the UFT Delegate Assembly, when teachers are trying to re-direct a misguided (to be kind and polite) leadership? They are nowhere to be found, except beating their chests on Facebook.
Despite their claims, and despite the “congress” they plan to hold in DC (where the outcome is sure to be a list of going-nowhere resolutions and an embarrassing air of self-satisfaction), this group is a social media phenomenon and little else; even it’s membership claims should be treated with skepticism, since people are added to the group without their knowledge or consent. In another time, that kind of behavior would have been condemned as fraudulent, but I guess the Internet changes things.
Also, their playing footsie with Randi Weingarten, who has spent the last twenty years betraying teachers in NYC and nationally, suggests that their claims of Badass-ness (a cringe-worthy name that in real life is conferred, not self-proclaimed) takes a back seat to their political maneuvering and desire, like Randi herself, to exchange purported beliefs for proximity to political juice.
Even Diane, who supports the group, indirectly validates this criticism, by recommending that they actually do something in the non-digital world. Well, after two years of existence, one would hope so.
There are many people of good will in or allied with this organization; hopefully, they will realize what a waste of time it is, and go on to other, more tangible and reality-based levels of political engagement.
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Michael, the best way to kill a grassroots uprising is to foment division among its constituent parts. I won’t do that. I welcome all who are ready and willing to oppose the assault on public education. Some do it anonymously, some publicly. Some disagree about parts of the agenda. All are welcome. There is too much money and power against us to engage in fights with those who are our allies.
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But – BAT’s are doing that on their own! They themselves are disenfranchising those who would ally (or would HAVE allied) themselves to their cause. 😦
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Diane, I would normally would agree with you, but I just can’t shake the feeling that defenders of public education will, at best, be disappointed by working with BATs, and at worst will regret it.
It’s a paradoxical situation: I’m sure I agree with 90% or more of the BATs program, but I’m troubled by many basic things I see in how this organization functions, and I think they should be pointed out.
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the money and power against us Diane runs through the Teachers Union and the Gates foundation and their affiliated organizations, which they support. The “grass roots” uprising opposes Common Core along the the parents, we need to be discerning.
When the Union rebuffs these corporate raiders on education and spurns their funding, then we can come together. These are the powers undermining the “grass roots” and manipulating it, it is a very old game. Identifying it nurtures the grassroots. It is not like we have made much progress against the Leviathan already, except through parents opting out of Common Core, where the Union and their minions quietly remain silent, making their financial bargain with the devil. Parents need to recognize this, if not teachers.
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I have been censored from two education blogs at the behest of BATS, when they can not answer direct questions, this is the result. Fortunately Diane, and the other most powerful site, have become wise to this strategy. I am hoping that NYC Opt Out will not tolerate this kind of undemocratic machinations. i have no personal animus, but only ask direct questions. The Parents and their children are the real players here, not the funded entities.
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