On April 14, we lost a dear friend of this blog, of public education, of the Network for Public Education, and of me personally. Dr. Jonathan Lovell, emeritus professor of writing at San Jose State University in California died in his sleep.
Jonathan was the director of the San Jose Area Writing Project. He described himself this way on LinkedIn:
“I am a teacher of teachers, with a specific focus on the teaching of writing. My objective is to do what I do to the best of my abilities.”
He was a gifted writer as well, and I was delighted to post several of his works on this blog.
The best way to learn about his creativity and his wit is to read his work, which he usually illustrated.
Here are the posts that he sent to this blog and that I was proud to publish:
Jonathan Lovell: Martin Luther to Walt Disney to Arne Duncan
Jonathan Lovell: How I Learned to Teach Writing Without Teaching
Jonathan Lovell Writes Secretary Duncan About Punishing Colleges of Education for Student Scores
Jonathan Lovell: What the Jabberwock Teaches Us About Education Reform
Jonathan Lovell on Creative Disruption, the Jabberwock, GERM, and Liberation
Jonathan Lovell Channels John Keats While Reading “Reign of Error”
Jonathan Lovell honored me with his friendship. I will miss him.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Diane, I am so sorry for the loss of your friend. He sounds like he was a wonderful person. Thank you for putting the links to posts. On a whim, I clicked the earliest one. I am stunned by the creativity in his thoughtful post. Such a treasured gift he wrote to you! May he rest in peace.
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Losing great education leaders is always tough. Dr. Lovell’s posts are well written and respectful of all points of view. Sorry for the loss of your great colleague and friend.
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And I am stunned to see that I commented on at least one of Jonatha’s posts. My memory is no longer reliable. He seemed to take pleasure in responding to each comment. I did not know him except throught this blog. It is clear that he took delight in his own blog and contributing to this one. Thanks for this blog and for his and for the wonderful use of these platforms for circulating ideas.
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Dr. Lovell was my father and my friend. I knew him as a kind man who always encouraged me. He had an infectious smile and was always quick to laugh. He saw the good in people and never said a bad word about another human being. He loved sailing, dancing, hiking and learning new things. He also enjoyed spending time with his family. I honestly knew nothing of his professional life until now. I just knew that he taught teachers. I will read his posts when it is a little less heart wrenching.
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