9486 in the collection
Dear Union President. . .
Ohanian Comment:Instead of just grumbling about union leadership, we should all do what Don Perl has done and write the leaders and speak directly. This letter has it all: praise, guidance for improvement, and challenge to show courage.
November 21, 2007
Beverly Ingle, President
Colorado Education Association
1500 Grant Street
Denver, Colorado 80203-1800
Dear Beverly Ingle:
This morning's Greeley Tribune's opinion page carried your letter in which you implored the District Six Board of Education and administration to recognize and reward the teachers for their hard work. Our Coalition for Better Education, Inc. and I as president applaud this stance of yours. Here in Greeley, as I am sure you know, there is, in many heads and hearts, something of a negative attitude toward our professionals in the classroom. Thus, your voice from your position as president of the Colorado Education Association is a welcome one.
However, your rationale troubles me. Ms. Engle, you write in your letter, "Greeley-Evans' recent removal from the state watch list shows how hard the teachers are working to raise test scores and make sure their students are learning." Surely you realize the fallacy of this logic. Surely you know that higher test scores mean just that, higher test scores, and have nothing to do with meaningful learning. Surely you are as aware as I am of the studies of such erudite leaders in education as Jonathan Kozol, (The Shame of the Nation), Susan Ohanian (Why is Corporate America Bashing Our Public Schools ?), David Berliner (Collateral Damage), and Alfie Kohn (The Case Against Standardized Testing: Raising the Scores, Ruining the Schools). And surely you know that when you, as an esteemed professional, make the fallacious association between test scores and learning, you are contributing to the mentality of the uninformed, a mentality which is decimating public schools and promoting the further marginalization of our children.
In the future, when you write, I implore you to consider what wonderful teachers truly do in the classroom. They build mini-communities, they encourage the building of character, foster co-operation, compassion, and courageous independent thinking. They, our colleagues, are the essence of passing on the most vital element in the democratic process - an informed and truly educated citizenry. Please look beyond the seductiveness of standardized testing and speak out for the profession and for our children - for their need for identity, inquiry, and interaction. Ralph Waldo Emerson said it so well, "The secret of education lies in respecting the pupil. It is not for you to choose what he shall know, what he shall do..."
You, Ms. Engle, as president of the Colorado Education Association, could truly be a voice for the profession and the youth we serve. But, of course, you will have to be very brave.
Respectfully,
Don Perl, President
The Coalition for Better Education, Inc. www.thecbe.org
— Don Perl
letter
2007-11-21
INDEX OF OUTRAGES
Pages: 380
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