March 16, 2010 Walking to DC

I began my day with prayers for Nancy Winterbloom a teacher of 38 years from Martin Luther King Elementary School in Hartford Connecticut. She publish an inspirational letter this past Sunday in the Hartford Currant (http://www.courant.com/news/opinion/hc-winterbottom-teachers-accoun.artmar14,0,6995513.story). Nancy is speaking at the Hartford Board of Education tonight, and so will many other teachers, parents, and students. I hope the board listens to her voice of reason. My thoughts were with Sarah Mcintosh Puglisis another teacher who is losing her ability to walk, and facing surgery, but yet still finding the energy to teach her first graders. Yes I am whispering prayers of hope for these two ladies today, and parents, children, and my fellow teachers everywhere.


Today it was another 5.5 at a 4 incline, and some 865 calories melted away. Today’s music was all Les Misérables. Let me say I could walk all the way to DC. I am looking forward to teaching at the Literacy Center today. We are celebrating women's History month here, and I have been giving out gold medals (plastic party store ones of course) to every child who can name five famous women, and tell me what made them famous. If they do this we stop everything at the Literacy Center, the teachers and children gather round as Dr. Turner places their gold medal on that child, and gets down on his knees bowing down over and over three times saying " ________ are smarter than Dr. Turner, and I bow down to your brain power". It is so much fun watching their smiling faces. By the way I have to buy more medals this women's history invitation is breaking the bank (-: This is what inspires a love of learning Arne Duncan, and I feel sorry that you can't see beyond your test scores. You really are a very small man.

Today Anthony Cody in his education week blog posted my letter to Obama, and Susan Ohanian posted my letter on her Good News page. I think I should share that letter that started me walking to DC here my blog in case you missed.
I am walking to DC,
Jesse