Waiting for Mark Twain - Ed Thoughts
Some days, I really wish Mark Twain were still around. In a time when schooling is increasingly the biggest thing interfering with children's educations, he'd have a field day quipping about the hot mess that is "education" reform debate. I'd have a blast watching him.
He might be moved to update his thoughts on school boards. Perhaps he could do so with a little Churchillian twist: "School boards are the worst form of district governance...except for mayoral control." (I'm close to burned out on school board politics, so I won't say much more, except that a change in mindset is in order. Please remember, it's not your job to represent the district's interests to the public. It's your job to represent the public'sinterests to the district. You do that by listening to constituents' concerns, being well informed about the issues, and ensuring that district officials are making sound, just decisions in accordance with district policy and the law. You're not players, you're referees. Please, stop trying to score.)
If Twain got to see how education policy decisions are made, and the kind of people who have recently been allowed to make careers influencing them, he'd be ever more convinced that "all you need in this life is ignorance and confidence, and then success is sure." (All the more sure if you're powerful enough to surround yourself with