Call This The Empty Chair
by Patte Carter-Hevia
Today I attended a National Education Association Listening Tour stop. Dinner and then a keynote speaker and then a panel discussion. The theme was "How do we create the public schools that our children deserve?”
The keynote speaker was a business owner and author. He told the story of how he came to learn that a business model is not what education needs. Interesting. Engaging. Informative. Entertaining.
Please, God, from his mouth to corporate America’s and the policymakers’ ears.
The panel discussion that followed included an education lawyer, a university professor from the college of education, a university coordinator of urban education, a state representative, the school superintendent, and the school board president. All wrapped up in a bow with the union president as the moderator.
All advocates of public education and educators.
All well-informed individuals.
All intelligent and articulate professionals.
Each with much to bring to the proverbial table.
All well-informed individuals.
All intelligent and articulate professionals.
Each with much to bring to the proverbial table.
And, as far as I could tell from what I have been able to discern, not a current public school teacher in the bunch.
Instead we were the audience. We were once again being talked to and talked about. Once again, the discussion, as good as it was, ended where it should have begun.
Pity the poor colleagues of mine who were Badass Teachers Association: Call This The Empty Chair by Patte Carter-Hevia:
