Nancy Bailey provides 91 examples of the confusion that surrounds returning or not returning to school during the pandemic. The complete lack of national leadership has contributed to the confusion. Her opening quote from Betsy DeVos, who said that the coronavirus is “a good thing” for the schools because it is forcing necessary changes; it’s a statement that ranks right up there with Arne Duncan’s ludicrous assertion that Hurricane Karina was the best thing to happen to the schools of New Orleans because it wiped out public schools and the teachers’ union and opened the way for mass privatization and Teach for America.
By the way, Nancy and I have never met, but we collaborated in writing a book called Edspeak and Doubletalk: A Guide to Decipher Hypocrisy and Save Public Schooling. I promise you will love it. We worked very hard to disentangle “reformer speak” from doubletalk. You can order it on Amazon for about $10. We both donated our royalties to the Network for Public Education, so you can not only have a delightful read but send a few pennies to a good cause.
I just saw an ad for a tv special tonight sponsored by CBS & Sesame Street regarding discussion about children going back to school during Covid-19. So now we’ve come to the point where we’re expected to rely on Sesame Street for information while Federal leadership remains silent. It’s getting pretty sad indeed….
That’s pathetic. MaybeSesame Street could create a Dr. Fauci puppet.
Actually, Dr. Fauci could be a guest on Sesame Street! The grandfatherly doctor who smiles & explains.
(Although, I can imagine a Fauci Muppet–it would be so cute!)
a perfect metaphor
Wow. It’s all too overwhelming. To see all the conflicting opinions and information in one place is powerful. By the end of this school year I wonder how many public school teachers will leave the profession.
Those who thinks it’s a “vacation” – there are a tons of job postings for teachers of all levels right now. In some circumstances the need is so high they are waiving certification. So now your chance to give it a try and enjoy the “vacation.”
It will take time and perspective for those who support DeVos to see how wrong she is and that she did not meet this moment.
I’ve placed an order for EdSpeak and Double Talk. For years I’ve asked myself, “Who teaches people to speak this way?” I look forward to reading it. Thank you.
Thank you!
There is much we do not know about Covid, and Trump’s misinformation is not inspiring anyone with confidence. Supporters of public schools should realize that Ted Cruz is one of the impediments keeping Congress from passing a Covid relief bill. Along with DeVos, Cruz is trying to attach a $5 billion dollar universal voucher bill to the relief bill. Supporters of public education should contact their state representatives and urge them to reject Cruz’s attempt to undermine public education and send more public funds to unaccountable private and religious schools.http://curmudgucation.blogspot.com/2020/09/will-pandemic-give-devos-her-5-billion.html
I do not generally buy from Amazon, but my children do. I have asked them to designate The Network for Public Education as the non-profit recipient of the Amazon Smile program. It is an easy way to get Amazon to make a donation to NPE. It’s not a lot of money, but collectively it could be simple way to help out NPE.
Thank you. I too have designated NPE as the recipient of a percentage of my purchases through Amazon Smile.
What’s diabolical about this moment in U.S. history is that the confusion has been created deliberately -during a crisis. It’s worse than criminal….it’s evil incarnate.
Agreed. All for greed and power. Chaos is not a form of governing. It’s a way to disrupt governing.
What do we expect if we have a Trumpkin for a leader?