Arthur Goldstein teaches English language learners in a high school in Queens. He is active in his union and more often than not, a thorn in its side. He writes a blog where he speaks his mind, protected by tenure.
He addresses the question that most educators will have to face in the days ahead. What do you tell the students? What do you say to Hispanic students? to Black students? to gay students? Do you still teach an anti-bias curriculum? an anti-bullying program? If you do, are you criticizing the President-elect?
Goldstein writes:
In this post, he calls on the Chancellor of the New York City public schools to put a letter in his file. He also offers a graphic/meme that he hopes will appear in every classroom in the city (or state or nation).
Chancellor Fariña declared there would be no overt political talk in class. To a degree, I understand that. It’s not my place to tell kids who I voted for. It’s not my place to tell them who to vote for either. I would never do such a thing. But I knew they would ask me anyway.
Nonetheless, on Monday, I wore a tie a little bit like the one on the right. You wouldn’t notice what was on it unless you looked closely. When the kids asked me who I was voting for, I showed them the tie. I told them that a donkey represented Democrats, and an elephant represented Republicans. They didn’t know that. They looked at my tie and said, “Oh, you’re voting for Hillary.” I was glad they asked, because I needed them to know I would not vote for someone who hated them and everything they stood for, to wit, the American dream.
I also needed them to know that I stood against all the bigoted and xenophobic statements our President-elect made. I’m sorry, Chancellor Fariña, but I’m a teacher, and unlike Donald Trump, I stand for basic decency. My classroom rule, really my only one, is, “We will treat one another with respect.”
Donald Trump failed to treat a wide swath of people with respect. He’s a hateful, vicious bully. There are all sorts of anti-bullying campaigns that go in in city schools, and I fail to see why Donald Trump should get a pass simply for having lied his way to the Presidency. So I specifically repudiated a whole group of his insidious statements. I also added LGBT to my group, and told my kids that we would not tolerate slurs to gay people in my classroom. Even my kids seem to expect a pass on that. They won’t get one.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Bravo to Arthur Goldstein, a teacher hero with courage. Will he be accused of proselytizing via his tie?
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Ongratulations to Arthur Goldstein from a retired Public School Teacher in Denver Co.
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I just posted the following on facebook if anyone is interested.
I understand that scientists are not to be taken seriously, that to be among the elite is to be elitist, thus to be denigrated. But, if anyone should be interested this is part of what some scientists are saying.
Richard Dawkins and Other Prominent Scientists React to Trump’s Win
What the election results mean for science, in gut responses from Scientific American’s Board of Advisers
To get an idea of what top minds in science, health and research are thinking, we reached out to Scientific American’s Board of Advisers to get their quick-fire reactions to the election outcome. The excerpts, some of them edited for length, appear below.
President-elect Trump’s upset election caught many by surprise. We have not heard very much from him or his colleagues on his views on science and basic research, so I can only say that I hope that he recognizes the long-term value of basic research investment and will support the agencies of the U.S. government that support and pursue it, including the National Science Foundation.
—Vint Cerf, chief internet evangelist, Google
Fundamental research, dealing with climate change and the environment, nuclear weapons treaties, international relations, women’s rights, health and welfare, and more generally, public policy based on empirical reality, all have been dealt a blow.
The president-elect has expressed disinterest or disdain for the results of scientific analyses relevant for public policy, and the vice president–elect has been an open enemy of science.
It remains to be seen how this will play out, but a Republican congress seems unlikely to put many checks on this.
—Lawrence Krauss, director, Origins Project, Arizona State University
America’s prominence and international influence is largely based on the prestige and trust the U.S. enjoys, in part a result of the last century’s contributions to advancing science, medicine, technology and the pursuit of social justice. Our position as trusted members of the global community must be maintained and improved if we are to positively impact global development for the benefit of our own citizens as well as those of the world.
—Robert E. Palazzo, dean, University of Alabama at Birmingham College of Arts and Sciences
At this moment, November 9, 2016, I am sick in heart and spirit, bereft of even a shred of optimism.
All the ideals of the enlightenment on which our country was founded, all the principles of reason and open-mindedness that undergird the practice of science that we so fervently cherish, and to which we can rightfully attribute our progress in improving the welfare of humankind, have been effectively and thoroughly repudiated. The significance of the result of the election—that those opposing these beliefs will now either control or greatly influence every branch of the U.S. government—cannot be overemphasized.
It’s a shutout.
In such a moment it’s natural to search the past for lessons. All successful civilizations throughout history have ultimately perished. Further, the evolution of our country’s democracy is following an ancient script: the seeds of Trump’s philosophical victory can be found in the very multicultural, multi-viewpoint, open-armed inclusiveness of the democratic ideal America has pursued since its beginnings.
In his article in New York Magazine, Andrew Sullivan finds in Plato’s Republic, written 2,400 years ago, the view that a “rainbow-flag polity” is the most inherently unstable, and that “tyranny is probably established out of no other regime than democracy.” It does indeed make you wonder if last night wasn’t inevitable.
My deepest worry is that this transition really could signal the end of the American Republic and the light it tried for 240 years, at least on paper, to shine on all the world.
What it means for the practice of science in this country, the rights of women and minorities, the future of our planet’s health, the survival of all the creatures with whom we share the Earth and for our relationships with other nations, I have no stomach to predict. But it does very much seem right now that the winning faction of the U.S. populace has decided that the Earth really is flat, and that will be the guiding principle for governance from this moment on.
—Carolyn Porco, Cassini Imaging Team leader; visiting scholar, University of California, Berkeley; director, CICLOPS, Space Science Institute
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Ed reformers are “giddy” about the Trump Presidency:
http://nypost.com/2016/11/14/giuliani-trump-presidency-will-be-best-thing-for-charter-schools/
As usual in ed reform- no mention AT ALL of public schools. None.
20 billion to charters/vouchers is a lot of money. It’s an absolute bonanza for the privatization movement. On the plus side for public schools however, it makes DC all but irrelevant re: public schools.
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Dear Teacher with the spirit of humanity, Teacher Arthur Goldstein:
I have lived my life with human dignity and at the best logical mind in human decency.
In the situation of life and death, I told myself that evil can own my physical death, NEVER can subvert my spirit in humanity.
In this dualistic life on Earth, there is eternally contradict within human mind. Until people overwhelm with hatred, fraud, bully, and suppression, they will awaken and liberate themselves through fighting back in order to have what they just lost in 2016.
In short, being wise educators, IMHO, we would not head on with mountain, but we need to be divergent like water whether we can be in the form of liquid, vapor or iceberg which we can shift, or blind (deprive to be active)or freeze mountain out of its position by tsunami, thick fog, and iceberg.
BEING DIVERGENT is the best form to sustain justice in peaceful and harmonious way of fighting from the mass with humanity. In God, we trust and be patience, unity and caring for all. Back2basic
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Sorry, eternally contradictED ( b/c of typo)
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May, my license plate begins with the letters CDT. My partner says it stands for Certified Divergent Thinker. Funny contradiction, since no divergent thinker seeks or needs certification.
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Don’t give ’em ideas, Diane. There will be a webinar on Divergent Thinking with an accompanying certificate of completion. I’m sure someone somewhere one is considering planning a credential of some kind in critical thinking. After all, what teacher doesn’t need to be certified in thinking? (snark)
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Yes, Dr. Ravitch, you are indeed the chosen divergent thinker from God’s certification. I strongly believe in your profound patience, and kindness to all readers in your website, but you do not tolerate people’s crude behavior.
I hope that educators will unite NOT ONLY within USA, BUT ALSO in the worldwide in order to sustain humanity in spirit and in teaching under all IMPOSSIBLE conditions. This is what we call the teaching profession the TRUE CALLING work from God.
If educators cannot bring hope and motivate learners to strengthen their belief in humanity, civility and tolerance to other cultures, then educators should leave their teaching profession to save their sanity.
I hope that you would agree with me.
Very respectfully yours,
May King.
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Diane I was curious to hear your thoughts are where do you think public education will be ten years from now. Any thoughts? Thank you.
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Where public education will be 10 years from now depends on what we do in the next four years. If we and our elected representatives stand by idly, federal and state money will be diverted to private corporate charters and religious schools. Public schoools will exist in affluent suburban communities and in urban districts as holding pens for the kids rejected by the charters.
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Take a letter, Farina,
Address it to my file,
Give a copy to my lawyer,
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😎
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On Wednesday, when I returned to work (we New York City teachers attended professional development sessions on Election Day, as we always do, because our schools are closed) I found an email in my NYCDOE mailbox from Chancellor Farina. The message? I quote directly: “Voting is a privilege. Exercise it.”
I don’t care much for the chancellor, but that’s nothing new–since I started teaching in New York City in 2003, I’ve thought our schools chancellors little more than political hacks (and in particular Kathy Black and Dennis Walcott). Nonetheless, I was compelled to respond to her email by reminding her that voting is, in fact, a right. That may seem like splitting hairs, but that’s a hair I think the chancellor of a major metropolitan school district ought to split.
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protected by tenure…
Thanks for posting this and reminding readers that some blogs are threat-free zones and the absurdity of being a certified divergent thinker.
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Thanks to Diane for posting this and thank all of you for your kind comments.
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