Tom Ultican loved Steven Singer’s new book, “Gadfly on the Wall,” which also happens to be the name of Steven’s Blog. I often reprint Steven’s posts, because he writes very well, he is well-informed, and he is passionate in defending his students and public schools.
Tom writes:
“Steven shares a hoary story that has become a national crisis. Unlike a Steven King novel, this book, Gadfly on the Wall, is not a fantasy. It is impossible to overstate the damage being done to America and its children by the greedy, the self-centered and the stupid. They are set on destroying free universal public education in America.
“Billionaires be wary, Steven says he is ready kick your sorry asses.
“Many people were disheartened when Donald Trump became president and installed an evangelical who despises public schools as Secretary of Education. Her agenda seems to be ending public education and creating a system of government financed Christian schools. Here, I really love Steven’s attitude. He says,
“We lived through administrations that wanted to destroy us and actually knew how to do it! We can take Tiny Hands, the Bankruptcy King any day! This is a guy who couldn’t make a profit running casinos – a business where the house always wins! You expect us to cower in fear that he’s going to take away our schools. Son, we’ve fought better than you!”
“I first met the author of The Gadfly on the Wall at Chicago’s Drake Hotel almost three years ago. Educators, parents and others were arriving for the National Public Education (NPE) conference. The Drake’s lobby waiting area is at the top of a short flight of stairs next to the room where hi-tea has been served since the 19th century. It was here that I met Karen Wolfe from LA, Larry Profit from Tennessee, Steven Singer from Pennsylvania and many others.
“That evening the tall Anthony Cody was at the top of the stairs greeting new arrivals; many of whom gathered in the elegantly appointed waiting area. It was a conducive atmosphere for my first conversation with a humble bespectacled somewhat chubby Steven. I had been reading Steven’s new blog and really liked it. Later, I made some notes about the evening’s encounters intending of write about it when time permitted. Steven beat me to it. In the morning our arrival scene was covered by a wonderful post in his “Gadfly on the Wall Blog.”
“I have learned that Steven is disciplined, efficient and a very hard worker. He is emblematic of the teacher blogger. His opinions are sometimes hyperbolic but when he states a fact it is well sourced and the source is readily available. I have often used sources Steven provided when doing my own writing.
“Unlike education journalism in commercial and non-profit media, teacher bloggers show more integrity because their peers in the profession demand it. Also, billionaires are not underwriting their blogs. Teachers are providing unvarnished truths about the attack on public education. The Gadfly on the Wall is a compilation of three years of blogs calling out the perpetrators of the attacks on public schools for their false narratives about failing public schools, their often-racist agendas, and their manipulation of data used to justify charter schools, testing and vouchers.”
Tom concludes:
“I was particularly moved by Singer’s treatment of educating refugees. He noted,
“Some may shudder or sneer at the prospect of giving shelter to people in need, that is the reality in our public schools. In the lives of many, many children we provide the only stability, the only safety, the only love they get all day.”
“He concluded the article on refugees:
“So if we’re considering letting in more refugees, don’t worry about me. Send them all my way. I’ll take all you’ve got. That’s what public schools do.”
“I have tried to give a flavor of this wonderful book along with some of my own views. The bottom line is that Gadfly on the Wall is entertaining, informative and provocative. Thank you, Steven.”
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Thank you , Steven!
Thank you, Steve.
I hate to pick on the one point that Ultican chose to dispute in Singer’s book, but the idea that if you are white you are racist had not set right with me either. I may be ignorant of other cultures and other peoples’ realities/experiences, but I can’t say I have ever thought myself to be superior. At the most, I have felt lucky not to have to deal with the degradation more typically faced by non-dominant cultures and/or races. While cops might hassle my sons when they were teenagers, it wasn’t because of their skin color or accents, and it was much more likely to end with a slap on the wrist as opposed to a stint in juvie. My time as a high school teacher in a low income community certainly opened my eyes because I got to know people who lived a different reality, and they got to know me. It is amazing how stereotypical beliefs (on all sides) can drop away when people from different backgrounds meet and live together.
Since reading his book a few weeks ago, I’ve been thinking about Singer’s idea that all White people are racist but not necessarily bigoted, and Black people cannot be racist but can be bigots. Semantics. I’m not even sure what a “White” person is, or if I am one. My students tell me they don’t think I’m White, but strangers probably think I am. Word choice aside, I merely appreciate Singer’s willingness to accept the fact that shades of skin color determine how most strangers treat people, and that racial oppression persists in the United States. One must be aware of that fact to prevent oneself from participating in it.
That should have been how many, not most, strangers treat people.
” I merely appreciate Singer’s willingness to accept the fact that shades of skin color determine how most strangers treat people, and that racial oppression persists in the United States.”
Yeah, we all have grown up with stereotypes about people who are not “like” us. It is especially pernicious when those stereotypes are acted upon against a person or group who do not have the “standing” to combat it. There is no doubt that skin color plays a significant role in how people respond to each other especially when they have nothing in common, that is, they are total strangers. Nor can we deny that race, whether someone is a stranger or not, plays a significant role in our society in how some people treat others. Fortunately, at least we know it is not inbred but taught. Here is where we could learn a lot from little kids who have not learned to judge people by their skin color (or accents) yet.
Agreed.
Refugees are some of the most amazing people on the planet. Though they have suffered greatly, they often have a greater appreciation for life and peace. They know that the most important thing in life is not things, but people, relationships and freedom.
May many more teachers be inspired to write, sing, film, interview, paint, dance: the messages about school privatization and teacher abuse must GROW if we are to see change.