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Tuesday, December 25, 2012

My Holiday Wishes for You « Diane Ravitch's blog

My Holiday Wishes for You « Diane Ravitch's blog:


My Holiday Wishes for You

Dear Readers,
I can’t bring myself to say “Merry Christmas,” because this Christmas season has been blighted by the tragedy in Newtown.
We are still in mourning for the twenty babies who were lost there, the precious children who were so cruelly taken from their families.
We are still in mourning for our brave colleagues, the educators who died defending the children, their children.
Let us all this holiday season stop to honor their memory.
Let us rededicate ourselves to do what is right for the children of our nation.
Let us promise to stand fearlessly for the values of compassion, kindness, and fellowship.
Let us reject the culture of violence and death.
Let us embrace the meaning of the words: Peace on earth, goodwill towards all.
Because so many who share in this community are educators, let us continue to educate, to lead others from ignorance to knowledge, to educate the public, to bring light where there is now darkness and despair.
Know that you are not alone.
Peace to you all,
Diane


The True Goals of Education?

A reader suggests that we change our views of the proper goals of education:
“As important as core curriculum standards are they should not be the primary mission of public education. We would do well to adopt the four ancient civic virtues of Wisdom, Courage, Justice and Temperance as guidelines for student learning, K-12. Elegant in their simplicity and effective across the curriculum, they are the invaluable


A Gift for You: Why Education Matters

This article is a Christmas gift from me to you.
Leon Wieseltier of The New Republic has written one of the most eloquent explanations of why we need teachers, schools, and universities.
At a time when we hear hosannas to online learning, home-schooling, inexperienced teachers, the business model of schooling, for-profit schools, and the commodification of education, this is bracing reading.
Here is the way that Wieseltier’s wonderful article ends:
“THE PRESIDENT IS RIGHT that we should “out-educate” other countries, but he is wrong that we should


Merry Christmas from EduShyster

This is a wonderful gift catalogue that will give you laughs and solace on this special day.
EduShyster has created some priceless selections for the discerning shopper of edu-shlock.


MORNING UPDATE: LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 12-24-12 Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Diane Ravitch's blog: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] This Is What Courage Means by dianerav Earlier today I posted about four teachers in Louisiana who started a recall campaign against Governor Bobby Jindal and the Speaker of the Louisiana House. The odds against them were overwhelming. They had no organization, no money, and no political experience. They didn’t collect enough signatures to get on the ballot. They confronted a powerful political machine. They filed their reports late and were Kudos for Superintendent Joshua Starr by dianerav Joshua Starr is ... more »