The summer I was 12 years old, back in 1976, I got incredibly into comic books at sleep away camp. When I returned from camp, my passion continued. The new comic books, which back then were only a quarter, came out every Saturday and Tuesday. I looked forward to these two days and the mile long walk I had to the local Big Top to pick up my comic books. In fact my passion for comic books exceeded, though temporarily, the one I had for New York Yankees. I vividly recall walking to Big Top during game 1 of the 1976 World Series vs the Reds. Look it up, game 1 was a Saturday. Unfortunately, when the comic books went up to 30 cents, my interest waned. No longer would I be able to buy 4 for a dollar.I thought I would never again in my life will I anticipate any type of media ever again. For years I looked for something to fill that void. But I am happy to report that finally, after years of waiting, something has filled the void. No, it is not Whitney Tilson's email tirades, for those come out too inconsistently. Rather, it is the weekly, always on Wednesday emails from my friends at Educators4Excellence. What a joy it is to read the latest in their self importance and grandiosity every Wednesday.
This past Wednesday, we were blessed learn of the latest E4E newbie, Jarell Lee. Jarell was one of the lucky ones who got up to speak at the Education Nation Propaganda and Hate Rally(about 2 minutes in) last week. Jarell was shown speaking for only about 5 seconds, but E4E in it's continuing effort to shine the attention light on itself played it off differently, and dare I say quite confusingly;
E4E teacher Jarell Lee was featured on NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams, explaining that our society needs to stop using poverty as an excuse for not providing a high quality education to all students.Five seconds does not make one featured. Five seconds makes one lucky enough to make it past the editors of the video. We here find E4E's fudging of the English language to be in poor taste and quite regrettable. But that is not what is troubling.
If you read the above quote from E4E one will see, and assume that Jarell has been quoted as saying;
"...that our society needs to stop using poverty as an excuse for not providing a high quality education to all students."
But in his actual 5 seconds of fame he said;
"It's our job as teachers to expose them to a new world, of new opportunities and give them the confidence and the skills that they need to be successful in life."Funny, nowhere did I hear from Jarell Lee that that our society needs to stop using poverty as an excuse. The only person I heard say that was NBC talking head Rehema Ellis on the voiceover just before Jarell Lee spoke. So what gives?
Why would E4E if not out and out tell a lie but at the very least embellish what one of it's members said? Yes, I know, Jarell Lee is green and eager, and has only been teaching a year, but is he being used already? If I were Jarell Lee, I would be appalled that I was quoted saying something I never said by the very people I have out my faith and trust in.
My inside source at E4E shared with me on deep background the antipathy that Little Evan and Princess Sydney have towards E4E Blog Monkey™ Ruben Brosbe. He was seen as a trained seal, that will espouse the party line and take the heat away for them from his convoluted writings.
Jarell Lee seems much smarter and intelligent than Ruben. Jarell, I am putting it here on the table for you. Take a good look around you. See the people you are getting caught up with. It is not too late to come in from the cold. E4E, Little Evan Stone, Princess Sydney Morris, and their backers DO NOT have the best interests of the girls and boys of New York City, girls and boys of color at heart. They care about one thing and one thing only. Well, actually two things. Themselves and whatever instructions they are given by Bill Gates. I see it, the readers of this blog see it. It is time you see it. That is that, that is all it will ever be.
Jarell, please, it is not too late to make a fresh start. Be your own person, don't let anyone ever control you.
9 comments:
If this organization really has more than 1,000 members, where are all the experienced and fully formed teachers? All of us had an agenda after a year or two of teaching, but we had a much more complete and informed agenda after 10, 20 or 30 years of experience.
It sounds like E4E is trying to rewrite history. For at least 70 years poverty has been by far the largest factor in school failure. There have always been exceptional schools doing a good job in the face of poverty but they are exceptions. In the 1970s Ron Edmonds created our first school improvement program by studying those successful inner city schools and identified the factors that helped them to succeed. We should be doing the same, and a great deal of Edmonds' work is still relevant and available.
Poverty has always been the enemy in education, never an excuse.I wonder if the supporters of this E4E are part of the crowd who are trying to distort the horrible impact of increasing poverty in our nation.
When will the important questions be answered about the true reasons this group exists. E4e will use anyone to attain their goal and that's to replace every public school with a charter. It is happening every day and the union and teachers are letting it happen. The neighborhood school will be a thing of the past. Corporations will run the schools and teachers will work for three or four years and then be forced out to do something else. All I hear everyday is how many senior teachers are leaving the system because they're being forced out of their jobs By the new rules.
Deformers are here and need to be confronted before it's too late. Bill Gates and his money have created e4e to do his dirty work and they will use anyone or anything to make the agenda work.
JAREL
YOUR BEING USED BIG TIME
Jarel:
Trust me. E4E is simply a fifth column that caters to the Ed Deformers and not what is best for students and teachers.
You seem like a smart person and if I was misquoted by somebody, I would not only set the record straight but never trust that person or group again.
This post and the subsequent comments disappointment me for the simple fact that they make assumptions about me that are based on speculation and not facts about the situation or qualitative information from me. If any of you would like to know my actual thoughts and beliefs, I would be happy to engage in a respectful discussion with you over lunch or a quick snack. I ask that you do not make insulting comments about me.
I was not misquoted by E4E or NBC. In fact, my comment was paraphrased by both organizations. I urge you all to review my full comment, included here (34:20 - 35:37):
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3096434/vp/44661834#44661834
Also, it pains me to see my comment being discredited because of my youth in the profession and the claim that my optimism will fade once I realize the realities of teaching. In any other field, this same optimism is welcomed, but I feel that the mindset represented in this post and these comments stifles and suffocated innovation and progress. I can assure my beliefs about poverty will not change, as I have lived in these same environments. Feel free to contact me to discuss this matter further.
-Jarell
Jarell
You're entitled to your opinions and you can do what you want. Becoming a poster person for this group is going to blow up in your face.This group isn't about the kids it's about money and control.
Your working for the Gates Foundation see where that gets you.
Asking why an organization doesn't seem to have many experienced supporters doesn't discredit the young. Most experienced teachers haven't lost their idealism. They had it supressed by the policians who try to make a name from 'education reform', including our current mayor, and the opportunists who become educational leaders at the behest of those politicians.
The real 'educators for excellence' are the teachers who return year after year despite the political nonsense because they love teaching and children. This group seems to discard those educators in favor of those with very little experience, and it appears that many of these 'educators' never planned to stick around. It is all career and politics with those interlopers. People who don't love teaching and want out of classrooms aren't educators, they are carpetbaggers.
Hater gonna hate.
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