By Rob
Me: Teacher- youngish, energetic, and looking for new perspectives. You: an inspiration- must be willing to share ideas and be a good listener. Let’s build a relationship based on good intentions, trust, and a common vision.
Earlier this month Diane Ravitch spoke on school reform at Town Hall Seattle. Her message to a friendly audience was a critique of the “corporate reform movement.” It was a mix of motivating rhetoric, valid points, and verbal grenades. Her positions concerning Race to the Top, NCLB, merit pay, the use of student assessment data to evaluate teachers match my own. I appreciate she is speaking on my behalf.
A week before Ravitch’s visit to Seattle Michelle Rhee spoke at Boston Symphony Hall. I can only assume her speech was equal to Ravitch’s in passion but opposite in perspective. I expect someone in the audience found her perspectives matched their own and they are thankful she is speaking on his or her behalf.
Diane Ravitch, Michelle Rhee, Randi Weingarten, Bill Gates, and Arnie Duncan give speeches around the country. Each has plenty to say about the state of education and the path to reform. Each represents a constituency, an ideology. When their analysis’ conflicts; each claims truth. From my experience when opposite sides claim to be true the truth usually lies in the middle.
For the sake of education reform I’m willing to meet in the middle. I seek somebody who speaks with nuance and can build a constituency of centrists.
I didn’t hear a nuanced path to reform from Ravitch. I haven’t heard it from Gates, Duncan, Rhee, or anybody else. Where is Mr. or Ms. Right? If they are out there, they aren’t loud enough, abrasive enough, rich enough, or well-connected enough to be thrust onto the stage of education reformers.
I’m still searching.
I have been hesitant to mention it until the website is up and things are moving, but there’s a group of teachers in Seattle and Tacoma who have formed a group called Teachers United who meet your seeking requirements. As a member of Teachers United I firmly believe that we can’t leave what happens to our children up to education groups, or philanthropists who have spent less time in public schools than I’ve spent in strip clubs, or union leadership who all too often are the mouthpiece of people who are part-time substitutes instead of full-time, career-length teachers. The people who should be talking about education are teachers. Period. The people who should be directing education policy that affects classrooms are teachers and public school parents. Period. Those who have opted for private schools, who don’t entrust their children to public education and won’t write checks to support public education, or who have never stepped foot in a public school should just shut up. Period.
@ Tamara and Tom. I think the most effective place for centrists is at the grassroots. But the fact that “most real teachers are too busy teaching to think about policy, and too tired after teaching to read about it” speaks to a need for a coherent centrist voice to speak on behalf of those too busy to engage in the debate. By not having a voice in the national debate the positive intent collaboration can be undermined by policies instituted at the national level.
I have always thought that the overhaul in our education system should look at ALL students – currently we focus only on the college bound students.
I dream of an education system that allows students to play to their strengths – I believe that the decline in the graduation rate is a direct result of the reduction in technical education.
As a middle school teacher, I believe that the divide begins in middle school – when students realize their own strengths and weaknesses.
I think there should be two tracks…a college bound track and a vocational track. I think the choice should be made during 7th or 8th grade.
The two tracks should be completely different. One that focuses on preparing students for college and one that focuses on preparing students for vocational work – one is not easier or harder than the other – they are equally challenging, as the work in both fields is equally challenging.
Why is no one looking at something like this?
And don’t get me started on Bill Gates practically running education (subtly of course) – a man who has no education degree, has never worked in a low income school or stepped foot in a home without electricity or water.
Took the words out of my mouth, Tamara. It seems the farther from the classroom people get, the more extreme their opinions.
In reality, most real teachers are too busy teaching to think about policy, and too tired after teaching to read about it.
Perhaps the stage of education reform is not where we want the centrists. The minute they are there, corporate interests will work to capitalize their voice of reason/common ground platform. Just as they have with the two extremes you described. Perhaps the best place for the centrists is at the grassroots. Doing what Tom has been discussing in his posts: good, solid, consistant teaching. Using their example of positive intent collaboration at the local level to change the culture in small yet impactful ways.