Response to Guernica Magazines interview with Michelle RheeRhee

Comment posted on 1/16/12

As an activist and former educator, I'd like to state my firm disappointment in this article. The take-aways I gained are: if you are in the low-income bracket, dream bigger; if you are in the higher-income bracket, dream bigger. I found no value in this diatribe of inadequacy. How do we expect schools to perform better and, simultaneously, ignore influencing factors of culture, economy and society.

Education is our microcosm that reflects our current stall out as a country. Our greatest opportunity in recent history to date lies in how we act to reform education. How we educate young people now, will shape our society's trajectory into 2100.

There is a fundamental problem with our education system. The problem is with how the conversation is being shaped. If our expectations are set at being better than, an inherent hierarchy emerges. Hierarchical order has prevailed through the inception of our current education system with the emphasis on surpassing expectations measured by a constructed value scale.  It seems that if our highest performing students are still considered under-performing in the international spectrum, then the default solution should not be more of the same.

With our greatest opportunity to reshape our current trajectory, I am optimistic because there are educators working every day to make certain that all of their students learn that there is no such thing as 'less than.'  I am optimistic because its evident that the current way of evaluating the education system and the education system itself will most certainly become an archaic relic.

The pain in my back

The pain in my back feels like the children’s story I haven’t finished

It feels like dishonesty and the very root of me that I’m most afraid of owning

It feels like there’s no use standing because it hurts too much to keep it up

It feels like the more I stretch, the more hurt spreads to other places in my body

It feels like I have to keep reminding myself to engage my stomach muscles to help my back carry the load of my body.

My bones have been carrying me around for over 30 years

            And they need some greasing.

I’m holding on tight to this tension

            Once I let go my focus will shift elsewhere.

I’m having trouble adapting and going with the flow,

            Following the path of least resistance.

My back hurts most when I reflect on habits of mine

            I wish I didn’t have.