Proposal for Action

After watching the riveting three hour Congressional hearing of the accusations leveled against the Chief Information Officer of the Department of Education, I am completely convinced that we need a mass mobilization of efforts beyond the pages of articulate blogs and well-written books.  We know what we see and experience in our classrooms and with our kids. But there are still way more people that still don’t understand what’s going on in the name of "education reform."

I get most of my information these days from Diane Ravitch's brilliant blog and all the incredibly informative links she shares with her viewers.  But my involvement is mostly passive.  I read, get even more incensed at the latest outrage, and then maybe I write a comment back.  But none of this feels like real action.  And I'm literally desperate for action.  Action to inform and stir people beyond blogs and our little world of those-who-know-from-the-inside what's going on in pubic schools across this country.  I'm continually stunned that so few of my politically astute friends and family just don't understand what's really going on.  And when I say "It's nothing short of corporate take-over of a common good," I know I sound a bit over the top.  I don't seem to be getting too far writing my single letters and talking one-on-one to anyone who'll listen.  I know there has to be a better way.

So, I would like to propose a weekly or bi-weekly Day of Action for all interested parties.  Many of us do our own letter writing and phone calling to political representatives and policy makers.  If you're like me, though, you rarely, if ever, hear back from the people you write to.  But maybe, working together to focus our letter writing and calling on specific people with a particular message may cause more of an impact.

My proposal is to choose a topic (education-related) each week (or every other week) and to write and/or call specific people with one clear message.  As I teach my fifth graders about The Children's March in Birmingham in 1963 and the farm workers Grape Boycott of 1965, I'm reminded of the power generated when average people join together to create a common message with laser-like precision.

Let's harness the power of our collective voices and speak out as one outraged but still passionate union of educators, parents, and concerned citizens.

I will have something articulated for Action #1 by Wednesday.

Please share your own ideas for whom to write and what specific message to send.

Thanks, and hope to hear from you!