Letters From the Inside: Thank you, Mr. Ratto.
In the last few months, I have had the opportunity and pleasure
to have some time to converse with active teachers who remain in the classroom
trying to construct great lessons for children while being subjected to an often
threatening and reductionist matrix by forces cascading down from well outside
the school or even the district in which they teach. I provide here an echo of the voices and
feelings I have perceived in our casual meetings.
What follows is an interesting blog piece from R.L. Ratto,
an elementary teacher in New York who blogs on personal reactions to his active
and daily work as a teacher. The Washington Post, Diane Ravitch, and
others carry his blog from time to time.
I highly recommend your looking at his insights and staying in touch
with what our actives are enduring.
H/T: K. Hester
“Time to reflect..but not for long
“As I sit in my backyard, contemplating another end to another
school year, I am drawn to the thoughts of why does this year seem so different
than others. In the past, I would often look at summer break as an opportunity
to unwind, reflect, recharge, and prepare for the following year’s challenges.
But, this year is different, much different. The distractions caused by
education reformers, political agendas, corporate raiders, and social upheaval
have taken a toll. It has taken a toll on me, on how I teach, and on my
students.
“Education reformers have been successful in turning my
classroom into some grand social experiment. We now march through a curriculum
that is geared towards a Common Core test that is meant to evaluate teachers
and administrators. Our vocabulary lists now include words most likely to be
found on these tests and we are now told to assess our students against these one-size
fits all standards. I have to test my students several times a year on an
internet based program to determine their growth against students of their own
ability. This is the true Race to The Top, as students are placed in
categories and their growth scores are calculated to determine my
effectiveness. They have turned our classrooms into assembly lines.
“My administrators visit my classroom almost daily with a
clipboard and a rubric used to again measure me. They look at my room and
judge me on everything from what is on my walls to whether or not a kid may be
daydreaming. I guess in today’s world, kids are not allowed to daydream,
especially when an administrator happens by.
“Political agendas have also been successful in upending my
teaching apple cart. Here in New York, we have Governor Cuomo, who proclaims
himself to be the state’s only student advocate. He proudly proclaims his tax
cap policy is good for the state while he funds his schools below 2009 levels.
He seeks out tax breaks for millionaires while those of us in the classroom
scramble to secure needed resources wherever we can. I have watched teachers
lose their jobs all across the state as the concept of one person one vote has
been thrown under the wheels of his bus. This year we have seen the
same Regents, that have approved the mess we are in, reappointed by our
legislature. I have also personally felt the rage of my NYS Assemblywomen when
I dared questioned her on vote.
“On a national level, I supported President Obama’s re-election
and heard his State of the Union as he praised teachers and asked for less high
stakes tests. Yet, his Secretary of Education has failed or refused to do
anything about it. Now we have to defend against an attack on a teacher’s
right to due process, and justify our earned pensions. I have watched
schools closed in places like Chicago and teachers’ unions vilified for
standing up for the students their members teach.
“Corporate raiders have begun the takeover of public education.
They have discovered billions of dollars meant for educating the children of
our nation can now be theirs. They have driven the Common Core, which in
turn requires new resources, which they then sell. They have opened their own
schools, often turning those with special needs away, as they rob the budgets
of local districts. They have even taken over public facilities, driving public
schools into corners of their own buildings.
“Social upheaval often is by design. We now have lock down and
lock out drills in our schools. We often have to use valuable resources on
security plans as we must now fortify our schools. All the while the gun
lobbyists point at others every time another school shooting occurs. When a
nation averages 1 school shooting a week and does not mobilize resources to
change our mindset, one has to conclude this is by design. When a nation
refuses to address poverty as the real reason some children do not
succeed, it is by design. When one segment of our population fills our prisons
and as a nation we do not direct our resources into those communities, it is by
design. There is no other answer.
“So this year, I am ending my year by reflecting. There is no
time to unwind. I need to recharge because our nation is at war. We are at
war to protect our nation’s future, our children. Our public schools are
needed, and I am not ready to be defeated by those who want to destroy and then
steal our nation’s most important asset. Will you join me?”
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