Given a choice of heading down to Washington to join in the Ed Bogger Summit or attend today's UFT Delegate Assembly, I am choosing the DA. No, it's not going to the bar afterward. The Summit is having a cocktail party at 6pm later today. Followed by a film.
Could it be Newt Gingrich, the keynote speaker?
Or that they feature Gov. Roy Romer's blog?
Or that the event is being sponsored by Ed in '08, (supported by the Broads and Gates Foundations) where enough anti-teacher bias for the entire so-called ed reform movement can be found? (Click here for Ed '08 steering committee - try to find one sign of a public school teacher.)
Or maybe it was this from Ms. Frizzle:
"Don’t carelessly exclude us from the conversation!"
So there’s this summit in DC…
called Ed in ‘08, which sounds like it would be interesting, at a minimum an opportunity for networking and debate, and I went right ahead and sent out an email to a couple of folks I thought might agree (turns out one of them is not only going, he’s speaking) but then, luckily, before passing it along to another half-dozen NYC education bloggers whom I know, I stopped and took a closer look. Most of the people I know who blog about education also happen to be teachers… and this summit is on a Wednesday-Thursday. It makes me a little sad & irritated that a summit intended to be about education reform would occur at a time that is virtually impossible for any actual working educators to attend. We have an obligation to our kids to be present pretty much every weekday between now and the end of June. That doesn’t mean we don’t have opinions or experience relevant to education policy - on the contrary, what is policy without the voices of practitioners? We’ve put our voices out there through our blogs - some more overtly political, some more personal, but each trying to share stories because we think someone can learn something from them. Don’t carelessly exclude us from the conversation!
Sorry, ms. Frizzle, it wasn't careless, but intentional. They only want to hear the voices of teachers who agree with them.
I just love that category of "Blogging from the Trenches." I'd love to see that trench.
Ed in '08 would be the first to trash teachers for leaving the kiddies to go to a blogger summit in mid-week.
I did vote for my favorite blogs amongst the finalists for best ed blog, NYC Educator and Eduwonkette – both of whom are not going to be there to accept an award, multiple times.
10 comments:
I really wanted to go but I think the DOE administrators would not look kindly to take the week off for "personal reasons".
Like you said this conference was not for the classroom teacher.
I'm thinking of not going as well. Maybe we could not go together. Send me an email saying where and when you don't want to meet and I'll be sure not to be there.
Guys
I had a great time not going to tonight's party with you. It was fun, wasn't it? I esepcially enjoyed not talking to Rotherham and Gingrich. Those drinks I didn't have tasted great.
I wrote "carelessly" but I thought "purposely" - believe me, I did notice the line up of speakers (hence the "opportunity for debate" aspect of my post...).
Ms V:
My instinct when I first heard about the summit was like yours and I also sent out an email to some bloggers about going. For me, the opportunity to hang with NYC bloggers was the attraction. But they were ahead of me on it and thought it not worth taking days off. Your post nailed it. I hope your buddy that went reports back.
At some point a NYC teachers blogger summit might make sense where working teachers can figure out some strategies.
Anons can come in masks, though Eduwonkette would not get away with hers. Or maybe everyone wear a wonkette mask to fool the spies from the Ed Sector.
I would like to come and wear a Guy Faulks mask. I've always wanted to wear one of those.
We could hold it Halloween. The NYC Bloggers Summit Masked Ball. I'm coming as Eli Broad.
You guys are just terrified of dissenting voices aren't you? New blogger who thinks different? BAN HIM! QUESTION HIS STATUS AS A TEACHER! Won't have an unchecked echo-chamber at the blogger party? RETREAT! VILIFY!
Must.Not.Have.Beliefs.Questioned.
Scary post. Obviously you're losing it. I hope you don't know where we live.
Scarily accurate?
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