Breaking the cycle of silence and apathy with truth to power

NCTE Walking Man NEWS

Turning the page at NCTE in Atlanta this morning with Kathy Short, Michael Shaw, Bess Altwerger, Rick Meyer, Debra Goodman, Yvonne Panapuanani Siu-Runyane, Guofang Wan and Elisa Waingort as part of the session Faces Of Teacher Advocacy: Impacting Student Literacy Achievement.
Here are my Notes from my table discussion:

My Pedagogy of Advocacy and Hope

NCTE Session 11/17/16 
Faces of Teacher Advocacy: Impacting Student Literacy Achievement
Dr. Jesse Patrick Turner: Central Connecticut State University
mailto:turnerj@ccsu.ed

First things first, i
t is important to understand that every teacher is already an advocate and activist for children in their classroom. Teachers advocate for children in the classroom every day, with a smile, a gentle touch on the shoulder, saying great job, can we work on this together, sitting next to their students, every good morning, and every walk don’t run. There are many ways to advocate for children, but advocating for public education and for our fellow teachers requires everyone to step up their game.

Then I shared three ways I have extended my advocacy outside my classroom. Since 2010.

Using their NCTE three core advocacy ideas, 1 story, 2 Framing my issue, and 3. My action plan to the road of an everyday advocate? All teachers are advocates. Today I will share my Walking Man Story and SOS March advocacy 
story. 
1. Our Teaching Stories Matter: Teachers are advocates for children, learning, parents, their public schools and communities. Our roles as advocates have been and are threatened by the following three Federal pieces of legislation, NCLB, RTTT and ESSA. Under NCLB the reading specialists I helped to prepare began telling me they felt like they were committing education malpractice. 
I began collecting their resistance stories in 2003, Sharing them at local, state and national level.

¥ After Reading I created my story: "Jesse The Walking Man Turner" and began blogging in 2010. 
This blog welcomes readers who believe that No Child Left Behind and Race To The Top are misguided educational reform policies that rely too heavily on standardized test scores that are too focused on punitive measures against local schools. This is also the diary of Jesse Turner's 2010/15 walks to Washington DC from Connecticut, and his occupation of the DOE in DC with United Opt Out, and his opposition to ESSA.
Silence and apathy are not acceptable. My blog has 99,332 views since 2010. http://childrenaremorethantestscores.blogspot.com

2. Identifying and Framing the issue: I used Facebook to frame my advocacy. I created a public Facebook group "Children Are More Than Test Scores" Current group membership: 3657 members.
This is a group created by Professor of Reading and Language Arts Jesse Turner that, welcomes new members who believe that No Child Left Behind, Race To The Top, and the Common Core are misguided educational reform policy that relies too heavily on standardized test scores and is too focused on punitive measures against children, teachers, and local schools.https://www.facebook.com/groups/Childrenaremorethantestscroes/

3. Taking Personal and Social Action: I was one of the teachers that wrote one of Anthony Cody's "Teachers' Letter To Obama" on Facebook.http://www.livingindialogue.com/jesse-turner-still-walking…/ . I promised to walk 400 miles in 40 days from Connecticut to Washington DC to protest High-Stakes Testing. In 2010 I did that first walk. On my walk I discovered the same story in 6 states and the District of Columbia, testing was taking over teaching and learning, and causing great harm to the children, parents, teachers, and public schools. This was not just my state any longer. From this walk Save Our Schools March grew to become a movement of resistance. http://saveourschoolsmarch.org/ 
A movement that brought 10,000 people to DC in 2011. In 2015 I walked to the BAT March On Washington. My keynote address called for students, teachers, and parents to march on DC in 2016. SOS March formed a coalition that once again marched on DC. The People’s March for Public Education and the SOS Coalition Activists Conference http://saveourschoolsmarch.org/…/thanks-gratitude-from-the…/

The discussion was vibrant and moving with educators sharing from and responding to the ways educators advocate for students, parents, and each other. Georgia, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Rode Island, and Connecticut were at my table. We left feeling empowered, hopeful, and ready to push our advocacy forward.

Not done yet, the next session for us is "Critical Next Steps in the Journey Toward Justice at 4:00.

At NCTE breaking the cycle of apathy and silence.
Jesse The Walking Man Turner

If you like to listen to the song that inspired my walk this morning in Atlanta its Sweet Honey in the Rock signing "We Will Shall Not Be Moved https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98KqL8hqzaU

I stand with the marchers

The REAL NEWS, diverse young people in massive numbers march against hate chanting LOVE Trumps Hate @RevDrBarber @BishopJSelders @MoralMondayCT

My thinking is the democratic party has lost touch with its own base. Since 2008 they have lost 11 Senate Seats, 60 House Seats, and 900 state Legislative Seats. Don't Blame Trump. Something was happening long before this Trump Electoral College win. Nationally, Hilary Clinton won the majority of American Voters, at the moment she is one million votes ahead, and still growing. You don't need to challenge the outcome of this election. Both Candidates knew the current rules. But, I say she should take the title the People's President, and fight for the platform she ran on. Want the young people to embrace the democratic party?
Then the party must go all out to:
Fight with Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders for poor and middle class lives against the politics of hate.
Fight against money dominated politics,
Fight for a tax code where the rich pay their share. Fight for 15 per hour,
Fight for free and universal health care,
Fight for justice for all Americans,
Fight for a pathway to citizenship for the undocumented,
Fight equity and justice in our schools and our courts,
Fight for easy and early voting in all 50 states,
Fight for good paying jobs,
Fight with Black Lives Matter for justice for all.
Our young people want justice fighters.
Stop thinking in elections, and start fighting with our young people in the streets, in our villages, towns, and cities.

Young people should be marching, because a majority of the American people did not vote for President Elect Trump. Donald Trump said the system is rigged, and it is, and all of us should be marching not to undo the present election, but to change it for future elections. One person, one vote matters. The people should make the choice not the electoral college. The Democratic party should lead this charge to make it one person, one vote.

Make no mistake about the fact Democrats are losing the popular votes in legislative races around the nation. They are losing on the sate level, and these losses are real.
For the past 16 years I have been fighting against education policies of both parties that have done serious damage to public education. The pro high-stakes testing and privatizing under President Obama were more harmful than under President Bush, and Democratic leaders in vast numbers supported NCLB, RTTT and ESSA. I have marched against the education policies of both President Bush or President Obama. Both are responsible for the harmful damage done to children, teachers, and local public schools under their leadership. A Democratic party fighting for high-stakes testing and charter schools is not going to win the hearts of parents and teachers. Trust me union endorsements are not the same as enthusiastic rank and file voters showing up at the polls. Democrats on the state level since 2000 have been strong supporters of test and punish polices. Want parents and teachers stop supporting high-stakes testing on both the state and national levels.

Until Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren came along Democrats paid little or no attention to the student loan debt crisis. They remained quiet while our government actually profited off that debt on our young people to around 60 billion every year. President Obama and most of the Democratic leadership fought for $7.10 not $15 per hour for 6 years. Where were you 4-years ago on 15 per hour? My thinking is the democratic party is losing state races, because they are not fighting hard enough every day for the poor, young people, the sick, and the elderly. I rather a Democratic party lose fighting like hell, then compromise their way to power.

I am so proud of these young people marching. If the Democratic party wants to win all those lost seats back they have to embrace young people, have to listen deeply to young people, and invite them into leadership roles. Share power, mentor, and most of all learn from them.
Fight for health care is now.
Stand and demand universal free health care.
Fight for what is right regardless of whether you win or lose.
Stop compromising on trade deals, student loan debt, and health care.
Fight the good fight everyday.
Most of all Demarcates have to fight for immigrants.
Yes, fight for a path to citizenship, win lose or draw.
Fight for $15 per hour, and trade deals that protect Jobs.
Fight for the people not for Wall Street.

This is the time stand up every day not just every four years for the people. Our young people have been waiting for democrats who fight for justice. Democratic leaders should be marching with Black Lives Matter.

I am feeling very hopeful, because young people of all colors who marched for Black Lives Matters are marching to put hate on notice hate will not win.
Love Trumps Hate,
Jesse The Walking Man Turner

If you like to listen to the tune I listened to on my walk over the mountain this morning its Dylan's "The Times Are A Changing"  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QqvUz0HrNKY 

Waiting on the ghost of Tom Joad President Elect Trump

Dear President Elect Trump, just want to put you on notice that I am stepping up my activism. I planned on being a pit bull for equity and justice in our public schools and our communities. It's not personal, it's not political, it's a man on a bridge thing.
On the campaign trail you said your support more charter schools, vouchers, and school choice. All three education reforms that have failed Black, Brown, and Poor children, their parents, teachers and local public schools. 
I will not afford you a honeymoon period. I am already standing on that bridge of hope. Already working with my brothers and sisters from SOS March, BATs, United Opt Out, Moral Mondays, Black Lives Matter, NAACP, and progressive union caucuses across the nation.
The plan is to be in the face of inequity and injustice not only in our schools, but in communities.
When you look left, we'll be there,
When you look right, we'll be there,
When you look up,we'll be there,
When you look down, we'll be there,
When you turn around, we'll be there,
We'll be everywhere living the words of John Steinbeck's Tom Joad
" I'll be ever'where - wherever you look.
Wherever they's a fight so hungry people can eat, I'll be there.
Wherever they's a cop beatin' up a guy, I'll be there.
If Casy knowed, why, I'll be in the way guys yell when they're mad
An' - I'll be in the way kids laugh when they're hungry an' they know supper's ready.
An' when our folks eat the stuff they raise an' live in the houses they build, why, I'll be there.”
 
We'll be marching everywhere, everyday, and trust on this youll hear us coming, see us coming, and we will wear the wheels of hatred, injustice and inequity down.
We are the people at the bridge of justice,
Jesse The Walking Man Turner

If you are wondering what this man on a bridge is listening to on his morning walk its Bruce Springsteen and Tom Morello "The Ghost of Tom Joad" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mzRbeHyIomk