Beyond Anger Lies Hope?
Dear Diane,
Yes, anger is sometimes energizing. But it can also, for people less public than you, lead to numbness in the face of a seemingly all-powerful enemy! Perhaps one reason I fall back on naively viewing "them" (the "new" de-formers) as reasonable people is to avoid feeling so helpless. "If I could just say it right, they'd see ..."
But it's hard when "they" have access to millions and the Coalition of Essential Schools, FairTest, etc., struggle to simply survive. I, too, sometimes am tempted to retreat rather than redouble my effort on their behalf. Your anger invigorates me!
I just spent a few days in Philadelphia and Salisbury, Md., and the warmth of the welcome in both places reminded me that we have many, many allies among teachers, academics, reporters, and lawyers (I spoke to