I received this comment after writing that Moses had to take his people into the desert for 40 years because a new generation had to be born who would think as free men, not slaves.

Kathy wrote this:

Dear Diane: Learning how to think like free people/educators and not slaves really is the central message. I am hoping you have a slew of press appearances when the September book debuts. I know that will be physically taxing so please, everybody send Diane the required energy because we desperately need you to broadcast loud and clear. This may be our collective last chance to really get the word out. The corporate culture of NCLB and the advent of Common Core are the new Jim Crow but this incarnation is attacking the growth and development of every USA child. Crippled citizens won’t take this nation forward and neither will an oligarchy nurtured in a wave of not very good, (segregated by color and class) private and charter schools. This is a democracy where we receive our possibilities from one another, a gift and a responsibility. Kathy

Kathy, I need your good wishes, and even your prayers. Given my age, I need all the energy you can send my way.

There will be many speaking engagements, many opportunities to explain to the public what we should be doing instead of demonizing teachers and public education.

Hopefully, even some TV time, though I don’t know about that yet. Until now, the privatizers have commanded the air waves.

I promise I will stand up for you, I will fight for you.

I can’t do it alone.

I need you.

I need all the Badass Teachers.

I need everyone to speak up, act up, act out, in defense of children’s right to a childhood; in defense of a noble profession, which is being destroyed by heedless politicians; in defense of public education, which is an essential institution in a democratic society.

You may find this hard to believe, Kathy, but I think the tide is turning.

I think the whole ed reform project is collapsing in slow motion.

Not only is the public awakening to the damage the “reformers” are doing, but every one of their ill-founded ideas has failed.

Thus far, they have “succeeded” only in demoralizing teachers and principals, closing public schools by the dozens, and turning education into nothing more than testing and test prep.

We will win, because we are on the right side of children and of education and of democracy.

I mentioned a few days ago that I will have a regular Monday conversation with Pete Dominick on Sirius-XM at 7:35 am EST or thereabouts. At the time I did not know which channel the show is on.

It is 104.

Last week we talked about testing. Pete takes callers, so call in.

Today, this blog passed the three million page view marks.

That represents the number of times someone has read a post here.

The blog started April 24, 2012.

Thank you, readers.

We will continue to learn from one another.

We will continue to stand strong for a high-quality education for all.

We will continue to advocate equality of opportunity.

Thank you!

Thank you for reading the blog.

Thank you for joining what must surely be the liveliest discussion about education issues anywhere on the Web.

I did not know how this blog would evolve when I started it on April 26 last year. Since then, it has had more than 2.7 million page views. So I know it meets a need for a place that welcomes candid exchanges about the issues that concern us all.

This is an unusual platform. It is a place where the voices of educators, parents, and students get a full hearing. It is a place where those who exhibit unusual courage on behalf of public education and freedom of expression are honored. It is a place for the candid exchange of ideas.

I want to share a few thoughts.

Some bloggers post once or twice a week. I post anywhere from six to twenty times every single day.

In other words, I work very hard to provide you with information and discussion from all parts of the nation–and occasionally from other nations as well.

And I expect a lot from you. You get lots of posts from me every day. Some people don’t like that. They have a right not to like it, and if they don’t want all that information they should not subscribe. No one is compelled to read here. You have freedom of choice to stay or go.

I also count on you to correct any errors I make. Sometimes I forget to add the link. A few times I have posted without the title. Sometimes I make typos. You help me by pointing out my errors so I can fix them.

I don’t have all the answers. I often turn to you to get your thoughts. I lean on you for your knowledge. I respect your experience as teachers, students, administrators, parents, and school board members. If we put our heads together, if we listen to one another, if we learn from one another, we can move forward. I believe we are having a national impact. Some posts from this blog have been quoted in the national press.

Because I respect your views and want to hear them, because we need a space to share our ideas, I take offense when people use the comment section to behave in a rude and uncivil manner. I won’t permit it. I also won’t permit anyone to ride a hobbyhorse and bash teachers or any other group. There is unlimited space on the blog for disagreement, but not for prejudice and bile..

Sometimes people ask me how I get so much information from districts across the nation. The short answer is that I depend on the kindness of strangers. Readers send me clippings from their local and state media. I don’t post everything I get but I try to share what I find interesting. And I frequently post your comments. If you sign your name, I include it. If you don’t, then I reprint your words without your name. I understand why many people–especially educators–need anonymity in a time when dissent is not welcome.

Sometimes I get guest posts, and I share them with you.

As I have pointed out in the past, I am the sole moderator of the comments. I read them all. The only ones I block are those that contain obscenities; those that insult me personally (sorry, it’s my space); and those that go on a rant about how Newtown never happened or 9/11 was a U.S. government plot or other nutty themes. I believe in freedom of speech, but I have my limits. This is my living room, and I don’t want rude, uncivil people to dominate the conversation or to insult the host.

This is a site to discuss better education for all. It is a conversation. I thank you for joining the conversation and making it a place where the voices of parents, students, and educators are welcomed with respect.

Let me know what you think. My goal is to let you know you have allies in our shared vision for better education for all. My goal is to provide a forum where we can figure out how to survive the deluge of misguided reforms that are overwhelming our schools. My goal is to support those who are doing the work of society by educating children. My goal is to give you a realistic picture of where we are, what is happening, and why we must continue to work for real change.

I believe that good sense and good ideas will eventually prevail so long as we work together and demonstrate courage on behalf of what’s right, not what’s demanded or imposed by higher powers.

We are everywhere.

Diane

Someone I do not know sent me a surprising gift: a memory of what I said, who I was.

Memory plays tricks on us, and sometimes I learn things about myself from people I met or knew many years ago. And I wonder, “did I do that? Did I say that?”

Here is my gift from Nathaniel Smith:

“A bit of history about Diane: In a post “Diane Ravitch on and since 1/11/88″ at http://politicswestchesterview.wordpress.com/, I wrote up my notes on a talk she gave 25 years ago to the day at Franklin and Marshall College on 1/11/88. I tended to agree with her then, and i agree with her even more now!”

Faithful readers of the blog may recall that I started a new book last June.

I am pleased to announce that it will be published next fall by Knopf, the finest publishing house in the United States.

The title is under wraps for now.

If you have been reading the blog, you know what it’s about.

Thank you, readers of this blog.

Last week, this blog has passed the mark for 2,000,000 page views.

I started it on April 26, 2012. It reached one million hits in mid-September. And reached a new milestone a few days ago.

The number of page views, however, is far less significant than the fact that the blog has created a space where educators, parents, school board members, and many others concerned about the future of schools tune in. We have become a community, a place to discuss issues, a place where the voices of educators and parents are heard and respected.

I moderate everything myself. I don’t censor any opinions, although I do not permit cursing and as a matter of personal privilege, do not like insults directed at me. It is my blog, after all. Those who feel they must write something nasty about me are invited to post it elsewhere.

My goal is to have a place where we can discuss better education for all. I don’t expect readers to agree with me, nor would I want them too. We have some regular contributors who disagree with me and with most readers consistently, but so long as they are civil and don’t try to monopolize the conversation, they too are welcome.

We haven’t solved the big problems, but we have together created a good place to discuss them.

As regular readers know, I sometimes forget to add a link, and you are quick to let me know when it happens so I can fix it. And sometimes my iPad makes an autocorrect error. You always forgive my trespasses, for which I am grateful. Bear in mind, whatever you see on this blog passed through my hands, no one else’s. I have no staff, no social media specialist. It’s just me.

I thank you for helping me and joining in this unusual endeavor.

Diane