By Tamara
We talk a lot here about reform: change in education. But do those conversations lead us to action? Or more conversation? Not that more conversation is bad. More conversation is often needed to flesh out ideas.
It's New Year's Eve. That time when many of us are making resolutions. Some that will stick, some that wont. This year one of mine is start taking real action based on my education policy conversations. I don't know exactly what those actions are going to be. This is probably the year I take the leap and try some lobbying in Olympia.
What about others? Are there actions you are looking forward to taking in the new year that support your thoughts and conversations here?
And I’ve been too tired over the last two weeks to read let alone write….
I look forward to hearing about your strategies to get people to come together.
See, Tamara? We’re all too tired out from the conversatin’ to come up with resolutions.
When I started writing for this blog I thought TFA was a bunch of snotty nosed rich kids. I thought charters were the end of public education. Then, I swung to the other side and thought unions were full of hysterical, lazy part-timers, people who subbed a few days a year, had lots of time to attend meetings a wave badly-spelled signs, tie-dye their parkas and generally make the rest of us look bad.
Now I’m a little worn out, and have found a not-so peaceful middle position. And my resolution is to try to get each sign to quit it with the labels, the poorly-informed generalizations, the rage and the blame. I’m going to spend this year trying to get people to come together. Having been staunchly on each side, I can say with certainty that each has its faults, its misconceptions, and its misdirected energy. Enough.