Blockbuster Teaching

With all of the hype focused on several educational documentaries on the crises in our public schools, I would like to pay homage to a special group of public school educators who made a REAL difference in their students’ lives. The stories of each of these educators caught the eye of Hollywood. Consequently, from 1981 to 2007, a movie was made depicting the stories of each of these educators.

There were several commonalities theses movies shared. In each movie, the educator was portrayed by a well-known veteran actor or actress; many of them won or were nominated for Oscars and Emmy awards. Each educator depicted was passionate, dedicated, yet caring to the needs of the students. Each educator depicted taught at a public school; one of the educators eventually created her own school. Each educator depicted overcame professional odds and made some sacrifices in their personal lives to make extraordinary contributions to education. Each educator depicted was certified and credentialed, and has devoted more than two years to the teaching profession.

So, without further adieu, this is my list of eight movies I categorized as Blockbuster Teaching:

The Marva Collins Story (1981-TV film) -- Marva Collins portrayed by Cecily Tyson

Hard Lessons: The George McKenna Story (1986-TV film) -- George McKenna portrayed by Denzel Washington

Stand and Deliver (1988) -- Jaime Escalante portrayed by Edward James Olmos

Lean on Me (1989) -- Joe Clark portrayed by Morgan Freeman

Dangerous Minds (1995) -- LouAnne Johnson portrayed by Michelle Pfeiffer

Coach Carter (2005) -- Ken Carter portrayed by Samuel L. Jackson

Fighting The Odds: The Marilyn Gambrell Story (2005-cable TV film) -- Marilyn Gambrell portrayed by Jaime Gertz

Freedom Writers (2007) -- Erin Gruwell portrayed by Hilary Swank

With the exception of Jaime Escalante, who passed away earlier this year, each of these educators continue to make a difference in the lives of kids and countless others, thanks to their Hollywood exposure.

So, educators, please remember these movies and watch them to inspire you to be better in your craft and deepen your passion to make a difference in the classroom and/or schoolhouse. For Blockbuster Teaching may become extinct in the next few years if ed deformers have their way...:(

TFA - Giving Back or Moving Up?

Since its inception in 1990, there has been intense debate on the effectiveness of Teach for America [TFA], an non-profit organization that recruit recent graduates from selective colleges and universities to commit two years into teaching in low-performing schools, urban or rural. It is like the Peace Corps for education. It is great to see young people who are willing to sacrifice jump-starting their careers in their respective fields to work in hard-to-staff schools with low pay and under challenging conditions. However educating children should be a life-long investment of personal time, money, and effort, not a temporal charity gig to make your resume look good. While its intentions are good and it does supplement additions to an already-struggling teaching workforce, TFA is deeply tied to the current education reform movement as a cost-effective, simple means to train and hired future teachers.

How effective are TFA recruits in the classrooms? Several research studies over the years showed mixed results. However, it doesn't matter to me. TFA recruits are required to teach for ONLY two years. For most teachers, they are still going through the blues of surviving the kids, while learning and improving in their craft. In addition, most TFA recruits leave the classroom after their two-year commitment expires. So whatever impact they did make in the classroom will be short-lived. Ironically, several TFA alumni, such as the darling of education reform, former DC School Chancellor Michelle Rhee; her replacement, Kaya Henderson; and Mike Feinberg and David Levin, founders of the famous KIPP network of charter schools; have stayed in the education arena by moving up the ladder after fulfilling their two-year commitment. With its TFA connections, New Leaders for New Schools [NLNS], a non-profit organization that trains educators and non-educators to become principals. Although NLNS residents are required to make a six-year commitment to the program, the bulk of their training begins with a four-week intense sessions of coursework over the summer before they start their on-the-job training residency in an assigned school, which includes two week-long seminars on leadership skills throughout the school year; the remaining years of their residency consist of continual on-the-job training and seminars, as well as completion of portfolio-like projects and leadership assessment. Plus, many NLNS alumni become principals of charter schools.

If TFA alumni who leave the classroom do not pursue educational leadership positions, they go back to pursue a career they graduated in, particularly in corporate America. More than ever, I believe this to be evident in light of the recent recruitment notification explicitly for recent TFA recruits to work for famed investment banking firm, Goldman-Sachs. With an offer to work for a prestigious employer for a very lucrative salary, why would a TFA alumnus stay in the teaching profession long-term? Wait! I thought TFA was supposed to ease the current teacher shortages. Yet, I digress!

So why joined TFA to begin with? To give back to the community by educating our most challenging students? Or to use the TFA experience as a stepping stone to a better career? So has the teaching profession become a charity case? Did I and many other educators who underwent years of formal training and dedicated our lives to educating children do so in vain? And while it is common knowledge that nearly half of traditionally- or alternative-certified teachers leave the profession within their first five years, why complicate the problem by creating another revolving door via TFA? Even within the current education reform debate, there is little to no talk of ways of retaining existing teachers. While it is cheaper to keep her (or him) in the classroom, compensation for years of experiences and credential for that teacher is still more expensive than compensation for an uncertified TFA recruit. Therefore, all of this goes back to cutting cost and making money, at the expense of our children's future.

One final note: Last week, education historian and critic of the current education reform movement, Diane Ravitch, gave a "tough love" speech on education reform to a large audience on onlookers, including KIPP and TFA officials. Below is the video clip of her entire speech.


REEP, KIPP and TFA Lecture Series from Jon Paul Estrada on Vimeo.

In addition, TFA alumnus, Jesse Hagopian, wrote an candid op-ed , which is also featured in a recent  SocialistWorker.org article, on his "not-so-prepared" experiences in TFA and made a case for why the Seattle School Board should not bring the TFA program there in its city and schools. Unfortunately, the school board voted for it.

UPDATE: Another TFAer, Eric Maroney, speaks out; click here on what he has to say about a TFA fundraising dinner he recently attend. It gets no plainer than this...

Profile: Diane Ravitch -- Righting Her Wrongs

Click here for her biographies (from her website and NYU faculty bio), blog, Facebook Page, and Twitter account.

It is doubt that shows we are still thinking, still willing to reexamine hardened beliefs when confronted with new facts and new evidence. ~ Diane Ravitch

Prior to blogging on education, I never heard of Dr. Diane Ravitch, renowned education historian who has authored several books and written many education-related articles and op-eds. Her lengthy career in education began long before I was born or before I started my teaching career over ten years ago. However, what she has done recently not only should be celebrated among public education supporters, but also teach us a lesson about acknowledging mistakes. While we are all entitled to make mistakes, in redeeming ourselves, we must not only acknowledge our wrongs but also correct them.

According to her latest best-selling book, The Death and Life of the Great American School System: How Testing and Choice Are Undermining Education, Dr. Ravitch explained, in keen yet uncompromising details, how the current education reform tactics are destroying our public schools, deprofessionalizing teachers, and mis-educating our children by the overemphasis of standardized testing and school accountability. In addition, she chronicled her journey of righting her wrongs. You see, beginning with her tenure at US DOE under the first Bush administration as an assistant secretary and counselor, Dr, Ravitch, a life-long Democrat, naively pushed for the Republican educational platform of standards and school choice. Even after her stint with US DOE ended, she advocated for many of the current reform tactics, e.g., charter schools, merit pay, and accountability as well as a supporter of NCLB.

However, in the fall of 2006, she experienced her epiphany ironically at an educational conference sponsored by a conservative think tank; via scholarly presentations on the effectiveness (or lack thereof) of NCLB, Dr. Ravitch explicitly saw the massive flaws in this federal legislation. From the few number of parents not taken advantage of school choice to meeting the impossible mandate that every American student will be proficient in reading and math by the year 2014, in her book, she acknowledged these and other critical errors in NCLB, despite its good intentions of fixing our public schools and closing the achievement gaps. Since then, she has become a staunch critic of NCLB and the current education reform movement. She has consistently shared her views for sensible reform method, well-rounded curriculum, and a bottom-up approach to fixing our public schools with supporters and opponents alike. Now, I look forward to her several 140-character commentaries on Twitter daily.

I want to say my initial exposure to Dr. Ravitch was an early 2010 news report on her on CBS or ABC Nightly News; I can't remembered unfortunately. What I do remember it was around the time during the release of her latest book, which was receiving much buzz from educational circles and media outlets. After talking to one of my close friends, who is also a fellow educator, early this summer, I went to the nearby Borders bookstore and purchased her book. Well, about an hour ago, I just finished reading it...finally. Thanks to her book, I am more knowledgeable about the historical roots of the current education reform movement -- from the misconstrued impact of A Nation At Risk to NCLB as we know it to the current influx of corporate foundations intervening in the education reform debate seeking an business investment, instead of funding proven ways to properly educate our children in becoming sufficient, well-rounded, and productive citizens.

As teachers, we live busy lives, in and outside of the school house. It is difficult for some of us to have a normal social life or to indulge into an enjoyable hobby. Nevertheless, due to the urgency at hand, it is important for in-service teachers to stay informed and abreast on the current education reform movement not only on a local level, but also especially at the national level. I implored every educator and public school supporter to buy and read this book; it is a great start in understanding the seriousness of this matter. If the ed deformers have their way, the future of our children will be in grave danger, as they will be trained to become docile yet successful test-takers instead of intellectual, diverse thinkers and contributors to our society.

Dr. Ravitch, 

I have followed you and read your wonderful, enlightening book. I loved and am moved by the knowledge you willingly shared and the courage you displayed as you unapologetically follow your conscience. As educators and public education supporters, we love and appreciate your dedication and tenacity as one of the prominent critics of the current education reform movement. To me, your journey is liken to that of the Apostle Paul in the Bible. Once a notorious persecutor of Christians, Saul transformed to Paul, one of the major authoritative and supportive figures in Christian living in most of the New Testament, after having a divine epiphany of his own. Like Paul, despite the political backlash, you have championed for a great cause and conviction by righting your wrongs. Therefore, we thank you for being our "modern-day Paul" in education reform. I will forever be a die-hard fan of the influential figure you have become in our quest for quality yet sensible education reform. Keep up the good fight!

By the way, I hope you come to Atlanta soon...:)

Dunce Hat Award Recipient...Marlon Dorsey

And the Dunce Hat Award goes to...

I am on a roll today...

*sigh*

Lately, when bad teachers make the headlines, the typical reasons are

• Having intimate yet inappropriate relationship with students,
• Child pornography,
• Stealing money,
• Cheating on high-stakes tests,
• Questionable Facebook postings, and
• Hitting/fighting with a student.

While this story surely can fit into the last category on the list, what differentiate it from other stories of the past was the teacher's rationale and mixed reactions from others. In case you haven't heard, according to The Clarion-Ledger, Mississippi high school basketball coach, Mr. Marlon Dorsey, was caught beating one of his players during practice in Murrah High School gym, in front of other players and other spectators; one of the spectators recorded the incident via cell phone. Now Mr. Dorsey is suspended; The Grio article states suspension with out pay, while the ESPN article states suspension with pay. In addition, parents of three players are suing Mr. Dorsey and the school. This incident has sparked outrage among other parents, while a few supporters of Mr. Dorsey will be content with a formal apology. Nevertheless, what's more interesting about this case is that Mr. Dorsey believed he was doing his players a favor. He released this statement:  

I took it upon myself to save these young men from the destruction of self and what society has accepted and become silent to the issues our students are facing on a daily basis. I am deeply remorseful of my actions to help our students.  

Furthermore, he claimed he beat his players "for a variety of reasons, including disrespecting teachers, stealing cell phones, leaving campus without permission, being late for class and not following the dress code."

As a Black woman who was raised "by the belt", I do understand where Mr. Dorsey is coming from; he was enforcing his brand of "discipline" to keep his players in line. Nevertheless, he broke the law as corporal punishment is illegal in the state. Also, he probably felt, since he is a man and his players looked up to him, he could get away with this. Despite the wrongs they may have done, he publicly humiliated those kids. That's never a good luck for a teacher!

Mr. Dorsey, 

While your intentions were good, you took the law in your own hands by violating children via harsh beatings and public humiliation. You got caught red handed and now it is your turn to experience the painful backlash for your actions. Hence, you made it harder for the rest of us to earn the public trust. Therefore, on behalf of every good, hard-working, and law-abiding teacher and public servant, I present to you the Dunce Hat Award...

HIT THE ROAD, JACK!!!!!!!!!!

Dunce Hat Award Recipient -- Frank Melchiorre

And the Dunce Hat Award goes to...

Courtesy of Gothamist

In light of the current education reform movement, where we teachers are vilified and blamed for everything wrong with public schools, the last thing I need to do is to put a teacher "on blast". However, I will make an exception for this case. According to this Gothamist article, Mr. Frank Melchiorre, a NJ science teacher, was arrested for providing his students marijuana and alcohol at HIS HOME during "tutorial sessions". The students loved him so much, they even made a Facebook fan page to express their appreciation; they thought he was such a "kool" teacher.

First of all, WTF was he thinking?

Second of all, what made him think he WOULD NOT get caught?

Third of all, why are some commentators (in the article) actually condoning this foolishness? When I posted this article on my Facebook page, some of my friends insisted that he wouldn't have never got caught if this has happened when they were in school. I just SMH...

One of the biggest mistakes young teachers make is trying to befriend your students by giving into their whelms. I know...been there, done that! (Yet, not to this extreme). Now his young career is all but finished. While it is possible the students may get into trouble as well, the law will be more lenient to them and less on the teacher. Why? Whether we like it or not, part of our job is to be positive role models for our students.

Mr. Melchiorre,

Due to your lack of common sense and your disregard for the law, as well as your influential role as a teacher and public servant, you just made our fight for professionalism and respect  much harder to overcome. Therefore, on behalf of every good, hard-working, and law-abiding teacher, I would like to present to you the Dunce Hat Award...

HAVE A NICE LIFE, LOSER!!!!!!!!!

Pure Insanity: The Sudden Change in NYC School Chancellor

Courtesy of NY Times/Seth Wenig

Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results ~ Albert Einstein

By now, everyone has heard about the sudden resignation of litigator-turn-NYC School Chancellor, Joel Klein, and his surprised replacement, Hearst Publishing executive, Cathie Black. So, basically, another non-educator will take over the helm and continue the havoc that Klein started, with the assistance of his now former voice, Dictator Mayor Micheal Bloomberg. This morning, the NY Times initiated a "Room for Debate" segment on who is qualified for this job. Really! What was the point of this piece? According to Bloomberg, who cares; he is the boss and he can hired whomever he wants, even if that person is obviously not qualified for the job.

In addition to yesterday's protest in London, today's episode of Democracy Now! also discussed the sudden exodus of Klein and his tenure as NYC School Chancellor:



By now, praises, criticisms, and "shock waves" have flooded the internet since this story broke two days ago. Nevertheless, thanks to Failing Schools recent blog entry, below is a YouTube clip showing how NYC constituents really feel about the legacy of tyranny, corruption, and failure that Joel Klein leaves behind:



Let us hope and pray for the children of NYC...*sigh*

UPDATE: After weeks of public outcry and concession for a "no.2 educator position", the state education commissioner granted the waiver for Black to become the next NYC School Chancellor. God help us...

London Bridge Is Falling Down

Courtesy of NY Times/David Kitwood

On yesterday, in one of the biggest demonstrations in decades, over 50,000 British college students and their supporters participated in a protest in London. The protesters opposed the government's push to increase college tuition while cutting funding for higher education expenses. While it initially started out peacefully, some demonstrators behave violently, breaking windows, storming in the Conservative Party's headquarters building, and throwing out objects from the building onto the streets. In all, at least 14 persons were injured while 35 protesters were arrested. Unions leaders and protest organizers are planning for additional demonstrations to come. For more on the story, read the articles from The New York Times and SocialistWorker.org, as well as view today's episode on Democracy Now!



Perhaps the most interesting piece of information mentioned in the video clip is the guest's comments on the significance of protesting:

Courtesy of NY Times/Dominic Lipinksi

Well, one of the things that’s really inspiring about this is how big and how inventive the protest and fightback movement is. And I think this is really helpful for American viewers, where the only fightback that we’re seeing over here from you guys seems to be from this massive exercise in false consciousness, the Tea Party, where people claim to be standing up frontally and they’re in fact installed in office later, stooges for Wall Street and other vested interests. Here, there’s been a much more interesting fightback.

The guest, British columnist Johann Hari, in fact, wrote an article on this same topic the day before the London protest for The Huffington Post. Essentially, he advocated for peaceful demonstrations of the working class and the poor in opposing corporate takeover and influence in government. One of the historical examples Hari used in proving the effectiveness of a peaceful protest is the recent protest of Vodafone. A major mobile phone company in Britain, Vodafone had evaded paying taxes for years; to add insult to injury, the current Conservatives-run government allowed Vodafone to legally continue not to pay taxes. All of this unfold when the same government voted for cessation of housing (and other) subsides to the poor. When the media reported on these, the public became outraged. Initiated by a small group of people who put the word out via Twitter, there was a small protest of a local Vodafone store, which cause the abrupt closing of that store. The news of this protest spread like wildfire throughout Great Britain; consequently, 21 stores around the country were closed due to local protests at the stores' locations.

This story reminded me of the Greensboro's Sit-ins in the 1960's, where four black North Carolina A&T University students went into a local Woolworth's store and sat at the whites-only lunch counter. While those students were harassed and later arrested, once released, they did it again, until the store merchant serve them the same way the white customers were. News of this spread throughout the country, sparking similar acts of protest in other Woolworth's locations as well as in other stores where Jim Crow laws were enforced. The Greensboro Sit-ins spearheaded what is now known as the Civil Right Movement. If it wasn't for those four brave souls, as an Black woman, I wouldn't have the opportunities to enjoy the freedoms and rights I so often take for granted.

Courtesy of SocialistWorker.org/Geoff Dexter

Today is Veterans' Day, where Americans celebrate the lives of current, former, and deceased soldiers who have fought and are still fighting to protect us as well as our rights and freedoms. One of those freedoms include the right to protest. Right now, in England, the Conservative Party controls the national government; as a result, they are enhancing the power of the rich and wealthy at the expense of the poor. The poor are beginning to stand up and fight back. I firmly believe our country will experience the same fate, in light of the recent mid-term elections. The Republicans will do the exact same thing to us here in America. What will happen then? When will enough be enough? There are lessons to be learned here in England as well as in France.

In addition, the current education reform movement is a bipartisan affair. Hence, we teachers are flat out of luck. Who will look out for us in the government and corporate realm? Nobody! So what will do then? As the locals in New Orleans would say, "take it to the streets"! It is just a matter of time...

"You think you know ... but you have no idea." This is my journey

* This morning, as I was typing in my personal journal, I had the intentions of debating my recent decisions...whether I made the right choice? Whether I am ready for this? Can I stick with it? After all that has happened to me since March of this year, I was ready to throw my hands in and say "the hell with it all". However, as evident as it is in my blog, my passion lies in education. I was hoping to do something else within the realm of education; yet, it is teaching I missed the most. I missed the interactions I had with my kids. I missed working with some of my colleagues, particularly those who were like-minded. I missed just being inside of a school house. While I don't missed everything about the job, I missed the essence of what teachers do: share knowledge, meet new people, instill the value of an educated mind, and make a difference one child at a time. I feel like the biblical prophet Jonas. Well, this is my way of acknowledging the fact I need to stop running and face the music. Below is most of my journal entry for today; of course, I amended it to remove any incriminating or "TMI" pieces...LOL. Anyhoo, enjoy...*

11-7-10

Fall back! Meaning set your clock one hour back; Daylight Saving Time begins today. I know working folks appreciated an extra hour of sleep. I guess it is also time for me to fall back myself and be honest with myself.

For the past month and a half, well, since I’ve returned from my last trip in early October, I have been in a slump. While some of the trips I have taken were to seek new opportunities elsewhere and others were for leisure purposes, I realized now that I have been running away from my calling, which was teaching. I guess it really began to hit home when I noticed many of the education bloggers I followed are still in the classroom. Plus, the more I wrote about education, the more I missed being a teacher in the classroom.

Despite the public ridicule we now face in our profession, what we teachers do is not expendable and highly noble. In my heart, I believe we teachers will be ready to fight when the time is right. Many are taking out their frustration via blogging and other forms of writings. While that is great, it is not enough to force our nay-sayers to take us seriously. Nevertheless, once every teacher begins to see the big risk of privatizing public education, they will act. I just hope it won’t be too late.

Then I have my own personal fears and inept. Have I been a competent teacher? Was I always dealt a bad hand with my classroom assignments? When I reminiscence on how I was my first two years of teaching to what I was last year, I can say “not always” to both questions. I know I have experienced growth during my ten years of teaching; otherwise, I wouldn’t have stuck it out as long as I did. Yet, last school year was not a good year; I made some mistakes and wore my frustrations on my sleeves.

I am a type of person who internalizes so much and when I have had enough, I begin to act out. That’s what’s happened to me last school year; I was unproductive because I have had enough. I couldn’t do my job knowing I was being screwed in the ass by my superiors in district office and by our teacher union association leadership; in addition, the teachers at my school site, and statewide in general, were complacent as hell. How much abuse can one take? Plus, I remember our state teachers association sponsored a march earlier this year to protest upcoming budget cuts at the state capitol. It should have been packed full of outraged teachers. It was on a cold, windy Saturday afternoon in February. Plus, during and later that day, I became sick as a dog. Yet I still came out. Considering what was at stake, the turnout was horrible. A few weeks prior, a large group of college students convened at the state capitol to protest against budget cuts in higher education; they had a larger turnout than we did. To me, that says a lot!
         Consequently, I indirectly took my frustrations out on my kids... My heart wasn’t in it anymore. Anyway, after that fiasco [which I refused to talk about publicly], I was on medical leave the following week and have yet since returned to the classroom. While I don’t regret leaving the district and the school, I do regret downplaying my calling by running away from it. Now, I am about to turn 37, Lord willing; I have to do better than this.

Perhaps, I did need the break... Yet I don’t regret leaving my job. Maybe a new setting would be good, even if it is in a familiar place. Right now, I am planning to seek employment in Georgia or in Louisiana. About a week ago, I spoke to my good friend and former colleague who is now a recruiter for one of the school districts in my hometown of New Orleans. She shared with me that the school district is seeking to hire displaced teachers from Katrina. She also stated that we may be awarded a stipend for moving expenses. That’s what up! It would be cool if I can get the money and start over... We will see what happened. Despite this, I feel like I am moving backward than forward. I hate being in Atlanta and home in New Orleans. While Atlanta is more progressive than New Orleans, it and the whole state of Georgia have some ass-backward politics and policies. However, as of right now, these are my two options since I am already certified in both states...

...Then there is graduate school. I so hate it now. My heart is not into it due to the real reason why I went back. During that time, I was bored out of my mind. I didn’t have any social life. After I broke up with my last boyfriend, I doused myself in graduate school. I was hungry for a Master’s degree. I worked hard for it and it paid off, graduating on time with a 4.0 GPA overall, even after having an emergency surgery done. Afterward, I was left with nothing else meaningful to do. So I applied to another graduate program at a different school to make up for the free time at the beginning of last school year. I didn’t see the problems that were forthcoming. From the recurring problems with the new student database system to the corruption unfolding at central office to our local association incumbent leadership won their positions back in a shady election process (I should know because I was on the election committee), I became overwhelmed with all of this, plus meeting my professional duties and becoming accumulated with a new graduate program for a doctorate degree. Now I don’t want it anymore. So I will settle for a specialist degree and say “deuces” to it all. My heart was never really into the program since the beginning.

A few days ago, I realized that I will be finished with my specialist degree before next school year begins. This is great news; when I return back to work, I can be more focus on re-learning and improving on my craft. Actually, I need to work on that like now. I will plan on doing some tutorials for the time being. They always need tutors, especially veteran teachers like me.

Whew! I finally have a plan! I will get back on my feet. You wait and see…

*In closing, I want to thank all of the educators who blog/write about the ups and downs of our beloved profession. All of you have inspired me in one form or another. Keep doing what you're doing. But if you can, do more to make it known to the masses that we teachers deserved to be respected as professionals. Only we can fight for the integrity of our profession. Fight on!*

This too shall pass; yet something has to give...and change. (A reflection)

Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising up every time we fail ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

From 9 pm EST last night until a few hours ago, I was not surprised by what happened; yet I was bitter. Yesterday was Election Day 2010 which was projected months before a day of reckoning for the Democratic Party. While the Democrats barely retain control of the US Senate, they lost control of the House in great numbers. In addition, many GOP candidates in state elections won in a convincing fashion. There is so much more I can say, but it is pretty much summed up here. Nevertheless, it is a wake up call for President Obama and other Democrats as they heal from the "shellacking" they got last night from the Republicans.

As a life-long Democrat, I still believe in its principles. I just don't think the Democratic politicians or the general public do anymore. As a party, somewhere along the way, the Democrats lost sight of their principles. Or at least, there is a lack of consensus within the party itself. That was evident when they were in power in Congress. Look at the education policies, for example; there are some Democrats who favors the current education reform tactics for a corporate takeover of public education. While the current economy is the most important issue among voters, education reform issues aren't far behind.

Via Facebook, political analyst and TV commentator Roland Martin shared some interesting insights about the elections outcomes:

I have said this since last year. I said it on November 2009. You have to move your supporters to action outside the election...You have to put your troops in the game. You must tell them who to call. Who to write. Where to mobilize. You MUST engage!

 

...but Pres Obama MUST return to his roots as a community organizer in the next 2 years. That means galvanizing the people in order to rise up and support his agenda. It will be a tough road with the GOP controlling the House.

 

To [Obama's] supporters, you must stop with meet, talk, disperse. It must be meet, mobilize, act. Stop whining about the Tea Party. They did their duty. The folks who mobilized in 2009 and 2010 won last night. Those who complained about those who mobilized lost last night.

 

He is so right. As much as I don't care for the Tea Party, one have to credit them for mobilizing the conservative base and energizing their voters to go to the polls.

 

So, where do we go from here? Well, reflection is always a good thing. But something has to be done. 

The next two years will be a test for both political parties and the President. If Obama wants a second term, he will have to appease his base, which will be harder to do now. While he inherited a "mess" in the beginning, he made more of a "mess" by not fighting hard enough for the concerns of his own base. But this goes back to the lack of consensus within the Democratic party. Traditionally, for example, most teachers and the teachers unions supported Democrats. How can we...and why should we...when some within the party support privatizing public education, a typical move of the GOP? The "lesser of two evils" excuse isn't cutting it anymore. At least with the GOP, we know what type of animal we're dealing with; we can't say the same for the Democrats.

 

Prior to the election, I have called for more activism among teachers. Now I have extended that call to the entire moderate and liberal bases. It has to start from the bottom up. That's how the Tea Party succeeded at best in gaining publicity and winning some political battles during yesterday's elections.

 

On a personal note, for weeks now, I have been internally fighting my passion. While I do have a passion for education, as expressed on this blog, I feel like I am not doing enough to fulfill it. I do miss being in the classroom, but I know in my heart, the timing for me to return is not good right now...at least that's how I feel. Being a doctoral student in grad school doesn't help either. Nevertheless, it just won't go away. What am I to do? My next passionate option is activism. When I was teaching, I was very active and vocal in my local teacher union association. This year alone, I have participated in four protest rallies. I have written several letters and e-mails to elected officials. But I don't feel that's enough. Although Georgia is a right-to-work state, there is a high level of complacency among teachers that is sickening to my stomach. So again, what am I to do? I guess more soul-searching, reflection, and prayer are in order for me. More to follow as I pressed on...

 

Until then, the late great Mahatma Gandhi charged all mankind "to be the change we want to see in the world". In doing so, individually, we must reflect on the change we desire, look within oneself, and make something happen. Then collectively, we come together, build a consensus around a shared vision, and move forward as one unit. Time isn't on our side anymore. While this too shall pass, something have to happen soon. If we want change, we have to demand it.

The Audacity of Mr. Guggenheim

Today, The HuffPost Education posted a response by Waiting for Superman filmmaker, Davis Guggenheim, on the reaction of this film. All I have to say is this: WHATEVER!

In his response, he promoted his film, (duh!) and challenged moviegoers, especially his critics, to not be a "dither", i.e., a person who talks loud and does nothing, but be a doer. I agree...and that's the only thing I agree with.

However, I was completely taken back with these portions of his response:

...The state of our public schools is also a serious threat and we too have a talented corp of ditherers. Just read the editorial pages of many newspapers and blogs and listen to those on the air. There are many experts who would rather make the issue more complicated, tangled and inspire the rest of us to inaction.

What "inaction" do you speak of? To not see YOUR movie? Also, these "experts", who presumably complained about your film, most likely used RESEARCH STUDIES to back their criticisms.

When I hear thoughtful criticism of Waiting For 'Superman' I am energized because I am seeing the movie work -- I realize it's only 90 minutes and it can't answer every question -- but I know that these kinds of questions and conversations are exactly what we need. More of us at the table determined to fix our schools.



How could that be the case when you can't accept criticism? If there weren't intensive criticisms of your film, would you have written this response? The people who NEED and SHOULD be at the table are the teachers. But how will that happen by watching your film when its tone is obviously anti-teachers and anti-unions?

But those conversations must lead to action. Not more voices that defend a broken system just to stick to the status quo.

So it's time to "do" -- go see the movie if you haven't. If you have, go on WaitingForSuperman.com and learn about your local school, find opportunities to get involved on the ground and contact your governor and local school board to demand real reform. 

I am down for the bold portions. Unfortunately for you, Mr. Guggenheim, I would be advocating FOR PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND TEACHERS UNIONS!

Mr. Guggenheim, 

Your response will sit on deaf ears among your critics. Your film is a part of the propaganda being pushed by those who are for a corporate takeover of education. You tried to be subtle in dismissing your critics. But we know better. Fixing our schools is first acknowledging the complexity of the problems, second reaching a consensus among ALL stakeholders, and finally working together as a village to save our public schools. You and the other ed deformers think it is a simple, quick fix; perpetuate the blame game; and prefer only corporations charter schools to provide the education our children need. Yet, you have the AUDACITY to call us, your critics, as "dithers", because we don't (and many won't) support your movie. Man, please! Stop whining and be willing to listen to the other side. Our views were excluded from your film; Randi Weingarten doesn't count. Yet, our views are not expendable because we are the ones who work directly with the children in the schools. But "whatever" to us, right? So "whatever" to you. Don't get mad, get glad...that your film started the conversations that you were seeking in the first place. Yet, don't insult your intelligence in thinking that you wouldn't receive any criticisms from REAL educational experts, teachers, union leaders, and supporters of public education.