More than anything, I see changes happening
that curdles me' blood and I don't see the
terror I ought to see in glazed eyes of
teachers.

I see programs heading into teaching, not
teachers. I see Schools for profit, not
for kids. I see the corporatization of
education and kids becoming capital for the
future, instead of educated for the future.

It started with the assininity of 'research-
based', and 'replicable' programs as being
the only 'government fundable' programs.
As long as a child is unique and special
and wonderful and with his or her own
style, there can be no 'replicable
research' unless someone is jamming a kid
into some sort of form, and saying:
forward, march!

'Whole school reform'--there's another
phrase to be scoffed at. A school doesn't
reform by some program from the outside
coming in and saying: 'do this and do that'.

It reforms when teachers and leaders within
say, 'we must get together and decide what
needs being done and how we can do it'.
But I don't see that sort of message
pounded out by the prophets of Universities
who do the research.

Instead, I read: 'Use my program' or more
likely, "Buy my program", this is the ONE,
the only, the ANSWER to EVERYTHING.

And then there is testing--upon which I
barf. Doesn't anyone exam the validity and
reliability of the test? Oh, noooooooooo,
instead, they examine the validity and
reliability of the teacher.

Edison Schools. New American Schools.
America's Choice Schools. All these, in
the name of corporate America are marching
in to 'save' education. And to make a
profit. How? Think--what is the biggest
part of the budget? Teacher salaries. Get
rid of the teacher and substitute para-
professionals who do prescription programs.

There is only one way to save education.
Let a teacher have the freedom and the
creativity to teach, in concert with a
school created plan, but allow such a one
to teach, purely and simply and
professionally.

All the rest is pure nothingness, aimed at
money, not children. Georgia Hedrick

Georgia Hedrick, saraw@reno.quik.com,
3/16/00

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