Irony Is Truly Dead

6 Replies to “Irony Is Truly Dead”

1. 1. “Patriotism is the last refuge of scoundrels.” OR perhaps If you cant win on the facts, argue the conclusions, if you can’t argue either, attack the speaker. This bit about one person’s anonymity is a very thin reed.

   2. Who is the “we” that’s getting lectured? It’s entirely possible that this is not a lecture to this particular policy keiretsu (or should I say zaibatsu), but an effort to enlighten the broader readership. If you read how eduwonkette ended her initial post, with as even you noted a fairly incomplete understanding odf the relationships, she was asking what others thought. For this she got hit with a ton of bricks, as if even raising the question was strictly verbotten.

2. Since this debate seems to be continued here, I’d like to quickly respond. There is a difference between observing and doing. I’m not questioning the value of researching, listening, and then watching schools. But actually teaching is different, and we need more representation.

   Yes, teachers are different and have a variety of views. But that is my point. Firstly, I’ve been asking whether the teachers in the think tanks were high poverty, neighborood, secondary teachers. My point is that elementary, magnet, and neighborhood schools are fundamentally different. Some argued against me, but I still haven’t gotten an answer about whether you or others actually know whether the teachers you know come from high poverty neighborhood secondary schools. If you don’t know the answer, how can you evaluate the various positions expressed by teachers?

   And there are patterns. Polling data supports my assertions that there are positions that are held by MOST though not all teachers. Those positions are rarely presented in the think tanks. (Ed Sector reports do a much, much better job than most. Again, even though I have data and my own experience I do not claim to be omniscient. But I’ve got to say that your response indicates to me that you are not getting enough input from high poverty, NEIGHBORHOOD, secondary teachers.

   Lastly, that’s another reason why we should remember Bill Strauss. He was exactly right in saying that we Baby Boomers must realize that younger teachers are not going to go away, and market forces will play a larger role. But we Baby Boomers have a responsibility to protect the educational values of progressive education.

   John Thompson

3. yawn…. zzzzzzzz…..

4. damn…. I forgot to add

   3. A basis rile of thumb in the professional services environment (lawyers, Accountants, architects, etc) is that if any onle client counts for more than 20 percent of revenue, the firm is dangerously dependent on that client.

5. Bill Safire describes “skin in the game” as a figure of speech referring to a personal stake in the outcome of an investment in some venture. How are you using it, Eduwonk?

6. john thompson – why would the new ed policy elite bother talking with teachers in high poverty neighborhoods (ivy-trained TFA Kippsters excluded)? If you read the litany of reports coming from the think tank circle, you’d know they’re actually the source of the problem. They’re probably too busy cashing checks and not teaching to care.