Monte the moron…

Obviously he is not a good teacher.

Fire the teacher…

 

Above all, I was hoping to start a conversation. Two and half years ago, I started this blog, and I called it Let’s Change Education. Then, as now, I believed that it started and continued with a conversation. And, since then, I have been working hard to initiate and sustain conversations around changing education, particularly in the manner of challenging the status quo. As many know, I made such a challenge last Thursday when I tweeted out my reflection on Meg’s falling asleep in class. Consequently, most of my blog posts and tweets are reflections that often project an aspect of education that I believe needs examination, that I believe warrants some conversation. And that is where I was coming from last Thursday as I found myself moved by a moment with Meg. Little did I know that in a week’s time the thread would explode and go viral, resulting in news coverage both locally and nationally, resulting in a conversation about what happened–about what is happening in America’s classrooms. The conversation has begun. And yesterday it gained even more traction and continues with Yahoo’s Maggie Parker’s article.

She contacted me via Twitter and asked if I’d be willing to do an email interview on a lifestyle piece about sleepy, stressed students. I told her I would have to check with Meg and her family. I did and they consented. Maggie and I completed the interview yesterday afternoon, so I was surprised when a former student from nearly twenty years ago brought it to my attention, exclaiming it was on Yahoo.

I expected it to be out some time next week. And so I was caught off-guard a bit by CJ’s news, and I scrambled to link to the article, hoping that my words and their message, their intent made the final cut. And they did. Maggie did a fantastic job of presenting the issue and my position. I am so grateful that she provided this national platform to help continue the conversation. Of course some conversations are more easily had and more productive than others. Not sure how to engage people who call me a moron, judge me incompetent, and call for my termination–not exactly the conversation I had in mind.

But a conversation is a conversation, I guess. A week ago no one was talking about this. Today, from all and any sides (some of the comments are absurd) people are having a lot of conversations about our kids and our schools. And that’s all I’ve wanted all along. Some think I did this for attention. I did. But not for me. I did it to bring attention to things that need attention. Kids. Schools. This was never about Meg. This was never about me. It was about–always about–starting a conversation. Thank you to all who have chimed in (even the haters) and advanced the conversation. I hope it’s not done. I am not. Not by a long shot.

Today’s Trail

Along today’s trail we will…

…begin with Smiles and Frowns.

…engage in an impromptu speaking activity.

…end with a Sappy Sy Rhyme.

Happy Thursday, all. Let’s keep the conversation going. Change can happen.

Do. Reflect. Do Better.