I know what love looks like.

Today's walk is dedicated to beautiful Ethan Pratt Rediske whose life enriched his family, and all who knew him. Ethan was not a burden; Ethan was God's gift of love that lifted his mother, his father, and his siblings higher. Ethan was a blessing. He deserved more than the Florida Department of Education chasing him into hospice care to be tested as he was dying.

I know what love looks like; I see it in the arms of Ethan's father holding his son. I know love when I see it, and I see it in his mother's eyes. I see it in a mother lovingly holding her precious son's hand.
I know what evils looks like, it looks like a heartless Florida Department of Education chasing God's love and blessing during his last days to be tested.  Thomas Jefferson "“When injustice becomes law, resistance becomes duty.” When NCLB law reduced our children to test scores, resistance became my duty. I know what injustice looks like; it looks like education reform unjust laws that reduce our children to data, to profits, to test scores. I know what goodness feels like, it feels like resisting evil. It feels like walking for change.

It begins today Thursday June 11th. My first 10 miles to justice, my first 10 miles to bring visibility to the biggest education reform policy failure in the history of public education. My mission is simple, listen to the people I meet along the way. Walking with me today as my guest walker is the Dean of Education and Professional Studies at Central Connecticut State University. CCSU has been preparing teachers for 166 years, it is the oldest teacher preparation college in Connecticut, and the sixth oldest in the nation. 

Dean Alfano is a former Marine, a father, and an educator.  Mike is walking the ten miles with me this morning, because children matter, teachers matter, and because he cares. 10 miles, 15 minutes per mile, means I listen to the Dean for two and half hours. Today Dean Alfano is every dean, and we are walking together for justice not just tests. Later on today I will share the reflections of a Dean of Education who cares enough To Walk For Change.

Walking to DC,

Jesse