On Sunday, the 11th of December, the Network for Public Education Action Fund held a dinner in my honor. It was a fundraiser, and we raised somewhere in the neighborhood of $15,000. This will help us beat the billionaires at their own game! They have money, we have numbers of people, who work because of conviction, not because of money. There were 140 seats that evening, and all were sold, a full house. As I said in my remarks, if each person there was a letter, we were a perfect 140-character tweet. Carol Burris created a beautiful, multi-color journal to celebrate the event.
Peter Greene was not able to be with us, as it conflicted with his son’s marriage (Congratulations! Mazel Tov!). But he nonetheless shared his very fulsome thoughts, for which I am deeply grateful. We missed Peter. The bloggers present were amazing, including EduShyster, Gary Rubinstein, Jersey Jazzman, Mitchell Robinson (from Michigan), Mark Naison, Mother Crusader (Darcie Cimarusti), Anthony Cody (from California), Leonie Haimson, Jeannie Kaplan (from Denver), Jonathan Pelto, Andrea Gabor, Arthur Camins, Julian Vasquez Heilig (from California), Arthur Goldstein, and more. These are the people who dominate social media on behalf of education, and they do it all for free, like me. Also in attendance was a star-studded cast of college classmates, educators, BATS, clergy (a rabbi, a priest, and a minister, Charles Foster Johnson, the leader of Pastors for Texas Children, who flew in for the occasion), old friends, and new friends, as well as my two sons. At one point, I said to a member of the Blogging Fraternity, we are missing some of our best friends, like Peter Greene, Mercedes Schneider, Steven Singer, Paul Thomas, and so many others. I knew that they were with us in spirit.
For the next four years, we will man the barricades of social media, we will be in the streets, we will work with our friends and allies, and we will not be silent. We will repel the vandals who storm the gates of public schools in search of plunder, profit, and power.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Diane, thank you for the shout out. Would have loved attending. If only we could have moved NYC to New Orleans, just for one evening…. 🙂
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Congratulations, Diane. Had I known earlier I would have been there with bells on! As I approach retirement, I am preparing to man the barricades with you – in spirit and in person.
Cheers,
Steve
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Dear Diane,
I know that The NPE needs to be strong in order to counter the voice of the billionaires who now have the White House, and in the person of Bersy Devos, an antagonist to the very ‘job’ which is hers…. to ensure that our citizenry has access to the kind of education which develops genuine skills, and offers real knowledge to all people. Public schools offer the only road to income equality! To thwart this, to create an ignorant stressed citizenry that will accept the lies and promises of charlatans and dictators, is why Devos and the Educational Industrial Complex (EIC) she represents is in charge. http://https://dianeravitch.net/2015/10/24/the-educational-industrial-complex/
I missed the NPE ‘party’, because it conflicted with my visit to my grandkids to see them perform in ‘Julius Caesar’, in Andee Kinzy’s, Shakespeare for Kids production, http://us7.campaign-archive2.com/?u=ed007b4fc0178bdb0477a7ce6&id=add30c6ab1&e=15603b9118
and then I flew to Delaware to spend my 75th birthday with my brother, and then on to our timeshare in Florida.
It was bad timing for me, and I was sad that I was ‘on the road.
I support you whole-hardledly, AS YOU KNOW…and even ‘on the road’ this week, I did not fall to re-post your important posts
I wish I had been there to meet the many writers whose words I read at your site, and post at Oped News.
I have written a few articles, important one which have been well -read over time, on the assault on education. These articles can be accessed at the bottom of my resume when my author’s page opens: http://www.opednews.com/author/author40790.html
But my value in the conversation about education, is to find the best voices, and to ensure that the readers at this well-read and important progressive site know what is afoot, under their very noses, as the EIC ensures that the ‘deep state’ (i.e the cabal oligarchs that think they own America) ‘gets em’ young!
Like all dictators know, to ensure their success, the children must be raised in ignorance of the truth, and to this end, they have waged war, first, on the professional educators so they could send them out of the schools, and bring in the charlatans like Gates. You, provided the evidence, Diane, which I pass on often in links.
North Carolina Plans to Adopt Koch-Funded Social Studies Curriculum | Diane Ravitch’s blog https://dianeravitch.net/2014/12/05/north-carolina-plans-to-adopt-koch-funded-social-studies-curriculum and
Civics Lessons Financed by the Koch Brothers | Diane Ravitch’s blog
For two years, now, I have re-posted YOUR words and THOSE OF THE PEOPLE THAT you mentioned in your thank-you, bringing thousands of views TO YOUR SITE.
Tens of thousands do readers are following the destruction of the schools in my series at Oped, which have over half a million views….. like this one about the plethora of districts http://www.opednews.com/Series/15-880-Districts-in-50-Sta-by-Susan-Lee-Schwartz-140921-34.html
or this one about the legislative takeovers http://www.opednews.com/Series/legislature-and-governorsL-by-Susan-Lee-Schwartz-150217-816.html
or this one about the debacle of charter schools–http://www.opednews.com/Series/CHARTER-Schools–the-scho-by-Susan-Lee-Schwartz-141014-281.html
or this one on privatization.http://www.opednews.com/Series/PRIVITIZATION-by-Susan-Lee-Schwartz-150925-546.html
Dan Geery, and editor at Oped, often speaks about my voice and my dedication to telling the story of the assault on education at that site, which can be accessed in my commentary — which often leads back to your site, Diane. http://www.opednews.com/author/comments/author40790.htm
I am very much more than a mere ‘reader at your site, Diane, and thanks to the incredible blog that you offered when I looked for THE voice of education in America, I have built a reputation (an a google presence that is astonishing).
I have YOU to thank for this, but to be fair, I think that I have done my share, too.
Again, sorry that I missed the NPE event.
Yours
Susan Lee Schwartz
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Thank you, Susan, we missed you!
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Congrats, Diane. Though we haven’t met, I feel as though I know you and was so pleased to see the plans for the dinner. You have certainly earned the recognition you received! Your continued efforts on behalf of public education in this country are so very much appreciated – and needed. Thanks for all you do, and again – Congrats!
Debbie Rakestraw
Waukegan High School
Waukegan, Illinois
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Thank you, Debbie.
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Congratulations on the well-deserved honor. Priceless- a gathering of the best people to stop the rampage for “plunder, profit and power”.
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Well deserved honor for you, Diane. Keep on keeping on. Or as we used to say back in the day “keep on truckin. . . ”
Thought about attending but I did two long road trips to the East Coast this year-UOO and NPE conferences. Three would have been just a tad much.
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Congratulations Diane. And thank you and the Network for Public Education for all you do!
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Wish I could have been there. We met briefly in 1994. I was suspicious of you then but your reputation has been rehabilitated :-). You are truly a shining light in what seems to be an ever-darkening world.
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Dearest Dr. Ravitch:
Congratulations on NPE’s successful fundraising for dinner to honor you.
Life would be wonderful if we can have one person to understand us and stand with us through thick and thin.
In God’s blessing, you have 140 (in person) and more (in heart and mind) people whose convictions in fighting for American Public Education are in sync with yours.
In person and in spirit, all conscientious veteran educators will always be with you through thick and thin, through monetary support and through knowledge, expertise, writing support. You are the Angel whose mission is to unite and to reinforce the important meaning of humanity and civility on Earth in general and in USA in particular.
May God bless you, your NPE, your NPE Action, all of your supporters and all loved ones with health, happiness and success in all of plans to the advocacy for American Public Education, for unity in respect to humanity and civility for life.
Very respectfully yours,
May King
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It was indeed a fun evening. I only wish we’d all worn name tags so I could have known who I was partying with…
A pleasure and honor to say hello in person to you Diane, great to see a few people I know from other gatherings, and always wonderful to meet new people of like mind. Mary’s toast was particularly poignant and beautiful.
Kudos to all who helped put the party together!
Congratulations and thank you to you most of all, Diane.
(PS Wish we could have regular gatherings. The in-person meetings give me more hope that there’s a way through this scary mess…)
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Dear Dianne: Can’t you do a blog on me. I have been bullied and stripped of my Constitutional Rights by the Newport-Mesa Dysfunctional School District. I know that your focus seems to be on Charter Schools right now. However, I am in need of conveying the horrible treatment that I have received by a school district. That is newsworthy too!
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Read this dear Gordon. Your story is our story, and it began two decades ago.
When I wrote :NO Constitutional Rights: http://www.perdaily.com/2011/01/lausd-et-al-a-national-scandal-of-enormous-proportions-by-susan-lee-schwartz-part-1.html
Sixteen years ago, I was a celebrated educator in NYC, http://www.opednews.com/author/comments/author40790.htm when they came for me.
Betsy Combier nailed our sad NYC stories at her site http://nycrubberroomreporter.blogspot.com/2009/03/gotcha-squad-and-new-york-city-rubber.html
IN Chicago Karen Horwitz tells of how they got her in her book WHTIE CHALK CRIME http://www.whitechalkcrime.com
and at her site hundreds of teachers tell the story of abuse. http://endteacherabuse.org/
In LA, they came for Lenny Isenberg and he created Perdaily.com to tell the story of ten of thousands of teachers fired based on fabricated charges. http://www.perdaily.com/2015/01/were-you-terminated-or-forced-to-retire-from-lausd-based-on-fabricated-charges.html
Hey…its is the ploy : Blame the experienced teachers, the professionals. Take the practitioners out of the practice (classroom) and replace them with trained personal… because anyone can teach… according to Deasy and Cortines.
It worked… Fabricated charges emptied the schools. 10,000 teachers charged…ALL fired!
Then the story to end all stories, that of Lorna Stremcha in Montana, who would not leave despite horrendous harassment, so the principal, knowing that THERE IS ABSOLUTELY ACCOUNTABILITY FOR HIS ACTIONS, set her up to be sexually assaulted in her classroom.
Read her book Bravery, Bullies & Blowhards – https://www.facebook.com/lessonslearnedinamontanaclassroom/photos/np.1475506601992954.1476611960/1777867745834429/?type=3&theater
I want to cry, when I hear stories like yours, told as if it was a unique experience, even though it IS WHAT A HUNDRED THOUSAND TEACHERS FACED, over two decades, as the schools were emptied of teachers, and the top-down administrators were given permission to whatever they pleased.
The reason my dear that you do not hear of the ASSAULT ON THE TEACHERS, whites the MAIN PLOY to end public education, is because THOSE WITH THE VOICES AND THE PULPIT to tell THE STORY, OF THE FAILURE OF THE TEACHERS UNONS, do not wish to do so!! PERIOD!
THAT IS WHY IT IS STILL HAPPENING TO YOU!!!!
But, go to this link http://www.perdaily.com/2016/12/in-watching-the-our-revolution.html where Lenny Isenberg explains: “Weingarten and AFT have systematically abandon falsely targeted teachers and cooperated with their removal on false charges and the premeditated dismemberment of public education without objection, while tacitly supporting the 1% corporate agenda of the exclusively profit motivated corporations in their incessant move to privatize of public education for profit and the further dumbing of America.”
SIXTEEN YEARS AGO Gordon, and nothing stopped them not Randi Weingarten and the UFT in nYC as the principals were given a green light.
NYC schools were decimated
and thus, Charter schools and little Eva M, could use public schools for her charter school… and save enough to buy a condo for millions.
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and the NY Times wants to know Can We Interest You in Teaching? – and explores why this profession does not attract people… AND THEY HAVE NO IDEA that teachers have no civil rights when it is time for them to be sent packing!
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Susan, that is an important point. Why are people in the media and opinion leaders so clueless about the damage done to the teaching profession? They tout TFA as a remedy, but its numbers are shrinking along with its bloated reputation.
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Oh, my name is Gordon Easton and my e mail is: Gordoneaston@aol.com
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