As a rule, if a progressive shares any part of Betsy DeVos’s agenda, chances are he or she is not a progressive. Progressives usually support public schools governed by a democratic entity; progressives believe that teachers should have the right to bargain collectively and to seek better funding and better working conditions for the students and staff; progressives think that all teachers should be well educated and certified; progressives believe that educators, students, and families should be treated with respect; progressives believe that civil rights law should be enforced; progressives work towards a society that is fair and just to all its citizens. Progressives do not defend racial segregation.
That’s my peroration.
Now comes Peter Greene’s response to Conor Williams’s loopy claim that progressives should defend charter schools even though they are segregated and non-union. Peter notes that Conor’s teaching experience was limited to a couple of years at the…
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Crazy Normal - the Classroom Exposé 
Susan Lee Schwartz
June 3, 2018 at 18:32
For those of you who trust my voice, and know that when I speak about education, I give you the real story” the truth.
I am adding this ‘peroration’, as Diane calls her explanation. You need someone whom you can trust for the real facts about what is happening to our public schools, and what needs to be done. I trust Diane Ravitch , as you all know, and so do the finest American educators. I give to you– at OPED. the most important posts fromher site.
Why trust what I write here?
I know exactly what learning really looks like, and whatit does not resemble. I learned a great deal in public schools as I watched it as a participant, for the entire last half of the 20th century! NO charlatan can sell me magic elixirs https://www.opednews.com/articles/Magic-Elixir-No-Evidence-by-Susan-Lee-Schwartz-130312-433.html because I witnessed students learnfrom 1963 until I retired in 2000.Also, I went to public school in Brooklyn from 1946 until 1959 (when, FYI, Bernie Sanders was president of my HS graduating class. (LOL)
Then there is my own professional education over decades.
I know what learning looks like, and thus, I see what is being sold,–out there — is horse-manure.
Notice that I use the word LEARNING.
This is very, very important!
A real teacher enables and facilitates LEARNING. (I LEARNED to explain it that way, when, in 1995, I was the NYC cohort for the Real New Standards research on Harvard’s “Principles of Learning.)”
Enable & Facilitate. (Remember that!)
It is ALL about learning, my friends — which is why the fake news from DeVos or Arne is all about teaching. They do not a thing to support the teacher who endeavors to bring real learning to the kids.
Try as they may, the charlatans and liars, like Devos , that are destroying public education, cannot alter the fact that LEARNING –not ‘teaching’ –is the goal, the objective!
The end game is not passing a test, but USING a SKILL… and if any of you have ever tried to master an instrument or a golf club, then you know that it takes practice and experience and good advice.– which a good coach provides.
This is the reality–>> teachers only share what they know how to do, and they know how to use critical thinking skills.
(Trust me on this one) critical thinking is the key to learning anything. Test-prep does NOT show kids how to do anything but memorize.
Next: why the stuff Devos and friends are selling is a scam!
The ‘secret’ of getting kids to learn difficult skills, is to provide motivation. (Have you ever tried to get kids to do something thatthey do not wish to do?) Talented and experienced practitioners know how to make learning interesting… thus, they can convince children to do work, which in this case is the R&R — the repetition and review (i.e practice. ) Practicing critical analysis (comparison of what you see to prior knowledge) is what great teachers demonstrate.
And they assess and evaluate the kids all year! How else can the provide lessons so each kid in that room moves forward.
These standardized tests as assessments of the ability to do work or to use a skill, or to THINK CRITICALLY , are a great HOAX!
Of course, educated, experienced Professional teacher-practitioners are needed! They must be treated as the PROFESSIONAL PEDAGOGUE that they are, not as serfs!
The human mind in childhood, needs a dedicated, talented (with kids) teacher-practitioner — start using that term!
A trained civil servant- or an inexperienced, uncredentialized novice- or a computer with an online ‘course’- cannot provide what it takes for learning to occur in a child’s brain!. A professional is needed. All their chatter about bad teachers, led to the ‘mandated’ curriculahttps://www.opednews.com/articles/LEARN-WHAT-IS-A-CURRICULUM-by-Susan-Lee-Schwartz-Core-Curricula_FAILURE_LIES_Language-150828-728.html which only served to cause catastrophic failure because kids did not learn .!
‘They’ (the guys who run the show) https://greatschoolwars.files.wordpress.com/2015/10/eic-oct_11.pdf
evicted tens of thousands of the best educators from their professional practice.! Over 2 decades, they emptied the schools in 15,880 systems of the real professional, while the media sold fake news! Then, when the voice of the real professionals were silenced, they replaced authentic methods — that enable and promote REAL acquisition of skills– with snake-oil. DeVos is still selling this! Of course schools failed, so that they could replace the INSTITUTE of public education with their businesses…charter schools.
Bamboozle Them https://www.opednews.com/articles/BAMBOOZLE-THEM-where-tea-by-Susan-Lee-Schwartz-110524-511.html was another of my essays that bring us to this moment, when LIES have replaced truth, and no one know what to believe.
BTW:Diane Ravitch and top educators created an organization that offers you the real NEWS about education.
For the REAL News about schools–Go to theNetwork For Public Education!
And read my series here!
https://www.opednews.com/Series/15-880-Districts-in-50-Sta-by-Susan-Lee-Schwartz-140921-34.html?f=15-880-Districts-in-50-Sta-by-Susan-Lee-Schwartz-140921-34.html
All our citizens know is that the public schools are not working.The demolition of public education is CRUCIAL!
Ridding the schools of the genuine professional teacher-practitioner — WHO KNOW WHAT LEARNING LOOKS LIKE. allows the oligarchs to dumb the people down. A stressed , ignorant, population where most people need 2 jobs to put food on the table and still pay rent is what the the cabal of billionaires desire !
Utter contempt for the common good begins with
Lloyd Lofthouse
June 3, 2018 at 18:35
That utter contempt comes from the few that are filled with greed, and worship the false idol of avarice — in their blood runs the purist essence of evil.
reibelcastillo
June 4, 2018 at 07:40
I hope more parents could have the time and the Knowleage , Worldpress has teach
me a lot how to be better in the education of ours children’s . People should know what is wrong with Charters I know it’s complicated but I really understand how much money Charters Supporters are making , a lot of money and a lot of students atended at Charter schools because parents have not been suffered what my children’s and all family has been through.
Thanks Lloyd and Thanks Diane for your kindness and Suport .
I’m Sory I almost forgot to thanked TO SUSAN LEE.😋
We really appreciate it .
Lloyd Lofthouse
June 4, 2018 at 09:42
Unfortunately, most parents are already set in their ways.
Four types of parenting styles have been identified and the affects on the children.