I recently had the unusual opportunity to hear John King as a guest lecturer in a course I was taking. Dr. John King/Secretary King, former Commissioner of the New York State Department of Education, now America's Secretary of Education.
I had written to him in the past and spoken out at public forums about the negative consequences of policies he designed and promoted when he was the Commissioner in New York. I found myself with the potential opportunity to ask him a question in the class, so I spent a few days soliciting ideas from others and thinking what it was that I would want him to hear. But after mulling over all the things I could possibly ask/say, I decided to actually not say anything, so as not to bring undue distress to my gracious hosts.
There was much pomp and circumstance around the visiting dignitary, and when he finally arrived, I have to tell you that he held the room (me included) in rapt attention for almost two hours.
I will admit that I was completely awed by Dr. King’s presentation – he actually brought me to tears at one point. He spoke with passion, intelligence, conviction, and noble purpose. He made me want to work with him to support whatever actions he saw fit to implement in the public school sphere. In short, I sublimated all that I knew about the destructive power of his choices made as Commissioner of Education in New York State, to the seductive power of his words.
(Just as an aside – the speaker I saw before me in this class in no way resembled the person I had personally testified in front of at a public forum, nor was he the person seen in C-Span videos of Congressional hearings. The man I heard last week was a far cry from the aloof, dismissive, and at times, arrogant person I’ve seen in public settings.)
But now that I’ve returned to my “real life” and remembered and reread what I’d previously known about him, I’m saddened and confused by the extreme cognitive dissonance Dr. King’s presentation has caused me.
Much cannot be ignored nor sublimated. Dr. King’s real life actions, affiliations, and his choices in how to implement change in education have been questionable, to say the least. He’s been in many positions of power with the awesome privilege to enact fundamental change for the benefit of all public school children. But for some reason, his decisions have led to great failings and real harm.
I am left completely distressed.
How could Dr. King’s presentation to an audience seeking to become advocates for our country’s school children be so awe-inspiring on its face while the substance below the surface tells a very different story? I know the short answer may be “this is what a great politician looks and sounds like.”
But I feel there has to be more to the story. Is it possible he really does believe that his decisions are in the best interest of children, and that if we who see things differently would just step out of the way, real progress could be made? Is it possible it’s just the twisted machinery of politics and policy making that contorts great ideas as they make their way to our classrooms? Or did I merely witness a man with great political prowess give an awesome speech that he knows is far from the truth of his actual intended actions?
I’m sure the answer is as complex as the questions. And I wish I could uncover the true reasons for this confounding and contradictory story.
I am confused and ever more distressed.
PS While I didn’t raise my hand to ask any questions, Dr. King actually cold-called me after asking if anyone had ideas on how to improve our schools. I was stunned and then took a deep breath so as not to say anything that might embarrass. And then I told him what I had previously written to him in letters and said in public forums when he was State Commissioner – “The only adult at the direct intersection between education policy and the student the policy is intended for, is the classroom teacher. It is imperative that the teacher’s voice be heard in the conversation about how to address the needs of our nation’s school children.”
And by all accounts, it looked like, at least for that moment in time, that he had heard me.
(Though I’m also not so naive…)
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