We Are All on the Lunatic Fringe – The Centerless Battle Against Corporate Education Reform
It was one of the strangest meetings I’ve ever had with a state legislator.
Why?
First of all, we were all teachers.
Even the legislator. Even his Aide!
Pennsylvania State Rep. Dan Miller (D-Mt. Lebanon) had been a history teacher before he sought a law degree and higher office.
His aide had been a Pittsburgh Public School teacher before she was furloughed and found a place in the representative’s office.
And, of course, there were the seven of us – all teachers at my school district.
We crowded together in his tiny district office to talk about how standardized testing is destroying public schools.
Which brings me to the second strangest thing – Rep. Miller didn’t just agree with us, he did so knowledgeably.
I’ve sat across a table from an awful lot of lawmakers, and they almost always try to find common ground. Disingenuously.
Sure! I agree teachers are important! That’s why we need to fire more of them!
You bet neighborhood schools are vital! That’s why I want to close all the public schools and replace them with charters!
Uh-huh! School funding is critical but not more so than classroom teachers. That’s why we’re cutting your budgets! We want to see what you can do!
None of that at Rep. Miller’s office.
When we brought up how important it is to allow parents throughout the Commonwealth to opt their children out of standardized tests without penalizing their school districts, he praised parent rights.
When we described how the definition of school accountability has changed from We Are All on the Lunatic Fringe – The Centerless Battle Against Corporate Education Reform | gadflyonthewallblog: