I am pleased to add one of the blog’s faithful readers to the honor roll of this blog.
Her name is May King. You may know her as m4potw.
She is a hero for several reasons.
First of all, she can be counted on to comment thoughtfully and reasonably in every contentious discussion.
Hers is the voice of conciliation and wisdom.
When a reader expressed disappointment that he could not afford to attend the annual conference of the Network for Public Education, May King sent a check to NPE to cover his expenses.
I realized by reading her comments that she was not born in the USA, like most of us; at one point, she mentioned that she was from Vietnam. I asked her on the blog some months ago about her voyage to the West.
She replied:
Dearest Dr. Ravitch:
I failed many attempts to leave VN from 1975, then escaped many jail terms in 1976 and 1977, until my first shipwreck in China Sea in 1978 and second shipwreck in water area between Thailand and Malaysia in 1979.
Finally, I arrived in Canada in 1980. It took me 5 years to work all odd jobs to pay rent, bus, food and tuition fee in order to graduate from College. After working 3 lowest paying jobs non-stop, I had a lucky break from college degree to work two jobs with better earning wages. This opportunity has helped to save enough within 10 years for my university degree from 1990 to 2010 due to having my only child at the age of 40 and two major illnesses: severe kidney infection and a mild stroke.
I am glad to go through all challenges with success so that I am able to sustain my hope in humanity and my belief in the universal law of karma.
You and all of your supporters are the main reason that has given me the hope and belief in the American Freedom Spirit in order to have a courage to escape Communists.
I do not expect all immigrants can be as strong will as I am in treasuring democratic freedom and spirit. However, I am truly disappointing in the majority of today immigrants who follow and support the dark money for an easy way to earn their living without shame, without appreciation of American people’s kindness and without concern of their offspring’s future to live like “a cog in machine” society that they inadvertently help to build today.
Very respectfully yours,
May King
I am in awe of her courage, her generosity of spirit, her kindness, and her wisdom.
I humbly add her to the honor roll and thank her for her daily contributions to our discussions.
Diane
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Wow, I am in awe, too. Thank you for letting us know about her.
Excellent! So many great untold stories out there. So many struggles. Some people run sprints, some run hurdles. It is time we honor more hurdlers as they, too, can reach the finish line.
An amazing story of courage, determination and persistence. May is a true hero and an inspiration to us all.
Congratulations May King.
Excellent choice!
Felicitaciones, May.
Thank you señor Swacker.
I respect your perseverance in Presidential choice. I hope that you can motivate young people to work toward the Green party from now until 2020, so that your support will be fruitful soon.
IMHO, all gurus in this website are on Dr. Ravitch’s honor roll for being agreement or disagreement on certain topic.
Respectfully yours,
May
“Walking with a friend in the dark is better than walking alone in the light.” [Hellen Keller]
Thank you for walking with us, no matter how dark it gets.
😎
Hi KrazyTA:
Many people wish to be like you, being krazyTA. Yes, I am one of many.
People mistake the meaning of FRIEND.
IMHO, the only friend that we trust is our own being detachment of all emotional trivialities on this yin yang world.
My mother always reminded her children that our good deeds are the BEST friend who is like the shadow of our life in many incarnated lives until this best friend will help us to immerse with the universe as the ONE.
In short, good deed returns good deed, so we will live with happiness and harmony in dark or in light alone or with a company. May.
I am in awe as well. What an incredible journey indeed. But I am also curious why Ms King denigrates most other immigrants. I do not believe that the majority of immigrants “support dark money” or live shameful lives. I’m also surprised that Diane included those claims without comment, especially in light of our new president-elect’s views of Muslim and Mexican immigrants.
Thank you, that’s a good catch. When I read it I overlooked the phrase “majority of today’s immigrants”. I wonder if she just meant the majority of the ones who voted for Trump and it didn’t quite come out that way in her letter. Or if she lives somewhere where it seems as if the majority of immigrants she knows are voting for Trump.
Many immigrants have endured nightmare experiences of violence, persecution and prison. I am in awe of their resilience, and the capacity of the human spirit to mend itself. That may be why so many immigrants choose to work hard and seek out ways to elevate themselves and their families. They appreciate the freedom we take for granted. As an ESL teacher, I taught many Haitians, Vietnamese, Cambodian, Srilankan, and Salvadorian students that shared horror stories in their quest to have a better life. Most immigrants are an asset to our country, and a net positive to our economy.
“I do not expect all immigrants can be as strong will as I am in treasuring democratic freedom and spirit. However, I am truly disappointing in the majority of today immigrants who follow and support the dark money for an easy way to earn their living without shame, without appreciation of American people’s kindness and without concern of their offspring’s future to live like “a cog in machine” society that they inadvertently help to build today.”
I’m sorry, but that’s just insulting to most immigrants.
I agree. But I chalked it up to her past struggles and let it pass.
Vale Math:
Much said in few words. And look at her comments below in this thread.
The first thing that jumped out at me was a single word: “stroke.” Note how she describes how it affects her.
And knowing firsthand how so much can get “lost in translation” (due to culture and language) I would humbly urge everyone to read the latest posting on this blog: “A Few Words to Readers of this Blog.”
😎
Dearest Dienne:
We did not meet, but through your argument, you are the mirror image of me in the teen age = smart, stubborn, believe in all fabricated facts from wiki-Leak or from media outlets controlled by puppet master (= mistaken as theoretical knowledge)
People, who go through all stages of hardships but being intelligent with a strong character in PURE kindness, loving, caring and forgiving, will be a leader to SEE THROUGH others with the virtue of PATIENCE.
Dr. Ravitch has been the best example for the true figure of being leader with WISDOM.
You can tease other writers in this website and can provoke them. I were you in 50 years ago. Hopefully, you will arrive to my age for patience or to achieve Dr. Ravitch’s wisdom, then you can laugh at your today writing.
My eldest sister passed away two years ago at the age of 80. I am the youngest one 18 years junior to her. I annoyed her with my theoretical knowledge when I was 30-40. She kept repeating my mother’s sentence:
“I let life be your true teacher.”
= “hyenas cannot be lion”
= “sheep cannot be leader”
= “In reality, cannot hope and trust CON ARTISTS to have the slightest DECENCY”
= ” trustworthy is shown through good deeds, NOT LIP-SERVICES.”
Please, Dienne, keep up with being honesty, stubbornness, BUT you need to add a caution in theoretical knowledge from people or source that is impartial and without a donation from corrupted business owners. Love. May
I have long admired May’s comments, and her acumen and respect re the US Constitution. Her words are beautiful and full of feeling, and her life experience makes her a reliable reporter and teacher for us. She is a wonderful fellow American. Glad Diane gave her this kudo.
I haven’t commented in quite awhile, but when I read your recommendation of May being on your honor roll, I had to comment. What a wonderful inspiration which is badly needed at this time. Thank you for sharing this.
Dearest Dr. Ravitch:
I am really honor to be on your list of honor roll regarding my sincere admiration of your dedication which draws many wonderful experts in educational and legal field.
I am truly grateful to be cultivated in your website by many gurus, veterans and experts. For this alone, it is worth for all hardships that I have been endured since 1975.
I am very lucky to marry a Canadian man who represents the true spirit in humanity (help others if we can, BUT NOT verbally HURT or physically HARM) for 33 years- my true love in college. We supposed to go straight to university for engineering degree in 1985 after graduation from college. We are both Industrial electricians with (for him) and without (me) licences (due to requirement to work in electrical field for 5 years).
I am very aggressive and very competitive in all subjects. However, the need to have a child and to build a happy marriage was always stronger than to have a career, so that I decided to stop learning and to start having a child.
I have met and worked with people of different educational and cultural backgrounds. I have found that people of all races tend to live and to bend themselves to the gravity of greed, ego and lust for fame and sexual fulfillment (= SELFISH DESIRES.)
Yes, I was one with selfish desires until I pass the age of 60 with a minor stroke. This break time is useful for me to laugh at my selfish desires and to treasure the nano second enlightenment that I had during first shipwreck and during very quiet early morning (3 am) on the day I left refugee camp to come to Canada.
The stroke impairs my look, my speech, my movement and my short term memory. (please note that I cry when I read Teacher, Lawyer Vivian’s Diary before her death)
I am thankful for my parents who have instilled in me the importance of being kindness, patience and respect for humanity since I was very young. This teaching is intact in my long term memory.
In short, I would answer to some inquiry that is about the majority of TODAY immigrants who gear to achieve selfish desires. Please take a look at immigrants at the age from 40 to 60+ = immigrant from the year in period 1955 -1975. They can be born on the boat to get to America or they could be between baby and teen age in those years.
Please take a look at from the position of leadership to workers like Governor, entrepreneurs (Peter Thiel, Mark Zukerberg’s wife) Mayor in Chicago, Chancellor Mrs (Spanish?) Michell Rhee, Superintendents Deasy, John King, AFT and NEA Union Leaders, Eva of Charter movement, and gullible parents who follow charter movement…
These leaders COULD make lots of difference in Public education ONLY IF they were thoughtful thinkers who make effort to alleviate poverty on children in K-12.
Life would be peaceful if the MAJORITY of people in leadership or in blind faith are being patient, thoughtful and considerate for the unfortunate, NOT FOR CON ARTISTS.
We all need to remind ourselves to work within our own pace, own path and let others to work within theirs. Most of all, we learn to STOP verbally bullying the unfortunate because people do not wish to be born poor and in both mental and physical challenges.
Thank you Dr. Ravitch for your precious time and money to create this website to gather all experts in education to exchange ideas. I truly love all conversations in your website.
Without you, I would miss to upgrade my learning directly from all gurus about history of civilization in USA and many other countries.
Very respectfully yours,
May King
May King is surely worthy of honor.
I join with Krazy TA in urging readers of this blog to read Diane’s recent post “A Few Words to Readers of this Blog.”
She spent 7 ours in the sea when her ship was wrecked, and it has affected her health. Her spirit is so great, that I felt across cyber space.
I love May. She and I are spirit-sisters. We knew it from what we read.
We correspond. This site brings good people together.
HOURS!
May is a hero for all of us. I have had friends who were Holocaust survivors and have had the same optimistic look on life as May despite their suffering. The many students I had in Philadelphia who were able to escape the horrors of the Viet Nam war and its aftermath who tell similar stories, a war created by the US after the French defeat. Colleagues, great friends, from the Cambodian Holocaust and elsewhere, Africa, Latin America etc., the USA complicit in virtually all. After suffering pogroms in Europe my 19th Century family could come here, they weren’t Chinese (1882 Exclusion Act) or Japanese (Gentlemen’s Agreement). We were the cheap labor they wanted, no laws against them. It goes on and on but you citing May King just brings this all back. At the moment I am I am disappointed as to what my country has done and on the anniversary of Kristallnacht.