(Site under intermittent construction. Changes may appear randomly at any time.)

A word or two about this Blog site:

I've resisted creating my own place here in cyberspace for some time. There are many brilliant, articulate people writing about what's going on in public education. Mountains of data and knowledge that expose the "education reform" movement as neither can be found all over the internet. I highly recommend you check out dianeravitch.com or curmudgucation.blogspot.com, for starters.

I would like to use this site as a way to rant a little and to pose my own questions, as issues in my daily teaching life impel me to rant and I do like to ask questions. And my friends and family may have grown weary of me filling their inboxes. I also like to muse about possible answers, and hope I will be heard in cyberspace by at least a few interested readers.

Having said that, I seek communication in writing that moves the conversation forward, even towards actionable results. I know I can't control writers I've never met and never will meet, but if you choose to comment, I encourage you to help us understand your point of view. Snark is welcomed. Rudeness is not.

Thanks for reading!

Saturday, April 2, 2016

THE DYSTOPIAN WORLD OF EDUCATION REFORM

I like to write and I often view the books I read through the eyes of a writer, wondering if there's some book inside of me struggling to come out.  (So far, nothing. But I do think about it.)  

Lately I've mused about the idea of someone (not me) who may be looking for a storyline for a new novel of the dystopian genre.  Maybe they could write their plot with "education reform" as their setting and backstory.  I think people could possibly respond in a similar way as they have to Hunger Games and Divergent - they'd be inexplicably attracted to the non-stop action, struggle of right vs might, underdogs prevailing agains all odds, despite the horror of children caught in the crosshairs.

In the process, this potential literary tour-de-force could possibly help people who aren't informed about the true details of what's going on find a little understanding and insight into the current battle for the very existence of public education in this country.

Hopefully in this hypothetical book, logic and righteousness and goodness could actually prevail and public education could become what it's best intended for - educating citizenry to be informed, participating members of a working democracy.  

This mess we're in so often feels other worldly and dystopian.  Things have occurred in the name of "reform" that feel just as surreal and unbelievable as any of the twisted and sordid details of those best-selling books my students seem so attracted to.

An interesting idea for some crafty author to try...
Any takers?
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