THE BECOMING RADICAL
EMPATHYEDUCATES!
the becoming radical
A Place for a Pedagogy of Kindness
by
YESTERDAY
remnant 53: “’God damn it, you’ve got to be kind.’”
remnant 53: “’God damn it, you’ve got to be kind.’”.
remnant 52: “I’ll be the cup if you should bleed”
remnant 52: “I’ll be the cup if you should bleed”.
FEB 13
Denying Racism Has an Evidence Problem
Several years before I wrote an educational biography of Lou LaBrant for my doctoral dissertation, Jeanne Gerlach and Virginia Monseau published Missing Chapters: Ten Pioneering Women in NCTE and English Education for the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE, 1991). Their important volume included a chapter on LaBrant by England and West, but the project also produced a recorded interview
Understanding Privilege (Slack) and Poverty (Scarcity) in a Snow Storm
The snow started in South Carolina on Tuesday, February 11, 2014, and when I woke up Thursday, February 13, the snow continued, laying down a powdery blanket on the ice crust formed with several intervening hours of heavy sleet Wednesday afternoon and evening. This is unusual for the South. The whiteness hides where yards end and the road begins. It is a bit of an unfair characterization—everyone
FEB 12
“Treating People with Fundamentally Unequal Backgrounds as Superficially the Same”
“Work hard. Be nice.” is the tag-line of Knowledge Is Power Program (KIPP) charter schools, schools that serve primarily (and often exclusively) high-poverty minority students. These concepts for students are also central to enduring slogans in the U.S. aimed at workers. The Puritan work ethic is a pillar upon which capitalism is built, in fact. As a cultural myth, however, that implores students
FEB 11
“What These Children Are Like”: Rejecting Deficit Views of Poverty and Language
“I am an invisible man,” begins Ralph Ellison‘s enduring modern classic Invisible Man, which transforms a science fiction standard into a metaphor for the African American condition in the U.S. Less recognized, however, is Ellison’s extensive non-fiction work, including a lecture from 1963 at a seminar for teachers—“What These Children Are Like.” More than 50 years ago, Ellison was asked to speak
FEB 10
Workplace: Academia and the American Worker: Right to Work in an Era of Disaster Capitalism?
Academia and the American Worker: Right to Work in an Era of Disaster Capitalism? Abstract Why do educational degrees of any kind, especially advanced degrees, matter if there are only part-time service industry jobs waiting for graduates? In this article, the reduced labor market experienced by graduate students seeking tenure-track positions as professors is couched as one example within a much
State Impact: Core Questions: How Does Common Core Address Poverty?
Core Questions: How Does Common Core Address Poverty? Speaking for the Education Trust, Sonja Brookins Santelises makes the following argument in support of Common Core: And before Baltimore, she worked in Massachusetts – the state whose standards are a model for Common Core. The Bay State is now one of the top-ranked education systems in the country. Common standards will allow districts across t
Progressivism and Whole Language: A Reader
If you read a criticism of progressivism or whole language, I suspect you are reading one of two things: A misrepresentation of either so that the writer can attack the misrepresentation. Sometimes this is purposeful misrepresentation, but often the misrepresentation comes from carelessness or a lack of expertise. A confusion between the genuine principles of progressivism or whole language and h
Recalling 1947 in 2014
I had never felt more than a passing interest in 42: The Jackie Robinson Story because I expected a film biography of Robinson to pale too much against his life. As someone who admires the life and career of Muhammad Ali, I felt the same reservations about Ali. It seems likely that some people, some lives are simply too big, too grand on their own for recreation. But the universe can be a funny th
FEB 09
“What Is Wrong with Aiming for Basic”?
English educator and Deweyan progressive Lou LaBrant taught from 1906 until 1971; LaBrant lived to be 102. She led a long and rich life as an educator, and when she wrote her memoir for the Education Museum at the University of South Carolina, in that reflection, she confronted the back-to-basics movement under Ronald Reagan’s administration that spurred the current accountability reform era. LaBr
FEB 07
C-SPAN: James Baldwin January 15, 1979
C-SPAN: James Baldwin January 15, 1979 In this 1979 speech Mr. Baldwin talked about being a black writer, about the civil rights movement, and other topics.
A Bill Gates Reader: Where Are We Going, Where Have We Been
A Bill Gates Reader: Where Are We Going, Where Have We Been.
Living and Learning in Perpetual Crisis
Living and Learning in Perpetual Crisis
FEB 13
Understanding Privilege (Slack) and Poverty (Scarcity) in a Snow Storm
Understanding Privilege (Slack) and Poverty (Scarcity) in a Snow Storm
FEB 12
Schools Matter: Standards as Political Footballs
Schools Matter: Standards as Political Footballs: In a piece published in a 2001 issue of English Journal , "Standards, Standards Everywhere, and Not a Spot to Think," I opened wi...
FEB 11
"What These Children Are Like": Rejecting Deficit Views of Poverty and Language
"What These Children Are Like": Rejecting Deficit Views of Poverty and Language
FEB 10
Core Questions: How Does Common Core Address Poverty?
Core Questions: How Does Common Core Address Poverty?
FEB 09
Worst Op-Ed of 2014, Already?
Worst Op-Ed of 2014, Already?