BARRESI IS THE GIFT THAT KEEPS ON GIVING FOR ANTI-REFORM EDUCATION ACTIVISTS
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Activism becomes easier if there is a big figure who is openly defiant and antagonistic toward the position of the activists. Think Lyndon Johnson during the Vietnam War or Richard Nixon during the end of the anti-war protests and the Watergate hearings.
State Superintendent for Public Instruction Janet Barresi has been that bigger-than-life, openly hostile, antagonistic figure for anti-reform education activists in Oklahoma. Rather than coming from some experience of education in her background, she is a dentist who suspended her practice to run for the position.
Barresi’s campaign rhetoric during 2010 was strident and openly disrespectful of anyone who was an education professional at the time. It was as if education professionals, especially teachers, were her opponents rather than her actual opponent. Her tone hasn’t varied much in the last four years even though the position is designed as the top education leader of education leaders. Instead she has defined her position more as hostile cop.
For instance, at one training event she told listeners who she believed to be sympathetic to what she defines as “reform” to tell their detractors to “go to hell”. Of course someone shared the video of that. Oops.
A new genre of blogging was created in Oklahoma in direct response to her leadership at the SDE. Early in her administration, an activist writer who claims to work inside of the SDE started writing anonymously on their blog “OKEducationTruths” leveling harsh criticisms of Barresi’s policies and politics. The blog has garnered a large number of fans and followers.
Another education blogger of note is the well-known, accomplished Jenks Middle School Principal Rob Miller. Even though he identifies himself as being Republican, his personal blog, “A View From the Edge” has also captured a large following due to his straightforward criticisms of Barresi and the problems of the “reform” testing regime that captures much needed time and money of public schools.
Due to the many controversies of her “reform” administration, education has become it’s own active beat for Tulsa World and The Oklahoman reporters, normally being paired with religion writing and other topics considered to be not political.
Her abrasive style has led to some interesting personal encounters on the Board o f Education even after Governor Fallin installed her own hand-picked members that she thought would be more Janet Barresi, Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction http://bit.ly/1roMrsr
