Their eyes were watching God: one small narrative of hope in the darkness.

Zora Neale Hurston wrote in "Their Eyes Were Watching God:

“It is so easy to be hopeful in the daytime when you can see the things you wish on. But it was night, it stayed night. Night was striding across nothingness with the whole round world in his hands . . . They sat in company with the others in other shanties, their eyes straining against cruel walls and their souls asking if He meant to measure their puny might against His. They seemed to be staring at the dark, but their eyes were watching God.”

I have no real power, I do not know any Billionaires or CEOs. I have never dined with governors, senators, members of congress, or presidents. I live in an America where wealth and power are constantly giving more, and the poor are beaten down. Treated as if their poverty was their choice. I reject the notion that poverty is a choice. These are endless tax breaks for billionaires while neglecting to lift our sisters and brothers living in poverty. This is our nation's choice. I am a member of Moral Mondays, part of the Poor Peoples Campaign because I reject this American choice.  In my view, my nation is waging war on the poor, CEO and Wall Street are profiting off our poor, and our nation's leaders conveniently turn their heads away. My role is a small one at best. I shall not turn away, and I will carry truth everywhere I go.

In this war of hurt and pain for so many homeless human beings, in this time of hopelessness for many. I have little to offer, but my simple narrative of truth and hope.

My mother and I were homeless for two years, we slept where we could. On good days we could afford a bed at one of the single occupancy hotels, on others we made a wood bench our home, sometimes my mother would have me sleep at one of her friend's houses. She worked six days a week as a waitress. We became homeless to escape domestic violence. She stayed too long, paid too high a price because she knew we had nowhere to go. None of what happened to us was a choice, even eventually leaving. You see he left us, not us him.

I went to school not to learn, but to stay warm, dry, and out of trouble. I went to the library every day it was open for the same reason. I went for a cup of hot chocolate and some cookies from a kind librarian who knew why I came. My grades suffered during this time, but one teacher made sure I had gloves, a hat, a coat, and shared his lunch with me for a whole school year. I did not go to the library to read. I went to stay warm, dry, and for that cup of hot chocolate, and a couple of cookies. I did not go to school to learn. I went to stay, warm, dry, and for a sandwich from Monday to Friday.

While reading and learning were not my goals for going to the library and schools. Reading became my lifeline, and learning became the one good thing my mother and I could share each night sitting on that wood bench at the train station.

So, on Saturday I have no real gifts or no magical solutions. All I have is my narrative of hope, it is not much, but it what I share carry with me this Saturday.

This narrative of trauma laid buried and denied for 50 years. I have only recently been able to share it publicly. Trust me sharing it does not make me feel better. Something in my heart tells me that sharing it gives might give hope to someone. Then I shall bring this offering of pain, truth, and hope on Saturday to South Windsor.

If sharing my narrative helps just one librarian, just one teacher to know that their humanity could lift a child in their darkest times. Then I shall open my heart hoping beyond all hope that my narrative of sorrow and hope helps to lift one mother, one child, and open all our hearts to understand no one chooses poverty. However, an America that continues to give breaks to the wealthy, the powerful, and the connected without lifting our poorest out of poverty makes an immoral choice.

There is this Guadalupe candle that burns in my heart and in our kitchen. I have no power, I am not a rich man, but my eyes are watching God. My prayer is my one constant plead. Lady rain down your flowers, open our hearts and ask God to help all those in need.

Hate runs deep in America's DNA; my only weapon is this small truth I carry with me.

Young Tiernan, I shall come on Saturday to your gathering at Hartford Bags Of Love in South Windsor Connecticut.
I shall bring my small truth with all the love my heart holds,

Jesse The Walking Man Turner



If you like to listen to the song that inspired my walk this morning...its Foy Vance singing "Burden" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U9OYW4JBWXI 

"Let me carry your burden

If something's not right I will let you know

Like the paint that's drying on a heart that's poor

Let me carry your burden

Get you back on a high when you're feeling low

When the weight is too heavy but you won't let go."

Education Reform Should Not Equal More Education Stupid

Collecting data, for the sake of collecting data. It is time-consuming, expensive, and useless if that data does not come with resources to address concerns and issues. Data without resources and equity is just stupid.

Can someone please tell our policymakers and legislators that chasing data without the serious questioning the failure of pushing high-stakes testing and standards without addressing inequity is not education reform, but education stupid.

Imagine if leadership started listening to children, teachers, and parents rather than calling up Think Tanks and CEOs?  Data without resources is the status quo of the same old old inequity dodges of the past.

Here is the link and quote from USA article on the decline of 4th and Eight Grade Scores from 2017 to 2019 article that demonstrates in my professional view a status quo of data ignorance, and policy stupid.
"Over the long term in reading, the lowest-performing students, those readers who struggle the most have made no progress from the first NAEP administration almost 30 years ago."
https://www.usnews.com/news/education-news/articles/2019-10-30/across-the-board-scores-drop-in-math-and-reading-for-us-students

I have come to accept the chase for equity and justice for Black, Brown, Special Education, and Poor Children in our public schools has been elusive, but intentional. After 170 plus years of inequity in our public school system. SIMPLE TRUTH: Any policymaker, legislator, or researcher claiming we need more data is part of the problem not the solution. We don't need CEOs, Billionaires, or Think Tanks to give us the answers. Been there did that for 4 decades now. America's Black, Brown, Special Education and Poor Children need the same resources America's wealthy schools have. After 170 and counting years anything less is systemic racism 101.

If you are wondering why teachers across America are striking? My thinking is they have grown weary of more stupid,.
A change is gonna come,
Dr. Jesse P. Turner Moral Monday Connecticut Education Ambassador








If you want to listen to the song that inspired my morning walk its the cover of Sam Cookes " A Change is Gonna Come" by Brain Owens and Thomas Owens. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cEXhZ8PwM-Y

Before the activist there was the teacher

Most people know me as Dr. Jesse P. Turner CCSU Literacy Center Director or as Jesse The Walking Man Turner an education activist.
But, before these things, there was a teacher who loved his students with all his heart. Here is a link to my dissertation that tells the story that drives my work today. Here is your chance to look inside the mind of my learning and teaching journey at one of the most rewarding teaching times in my career. All roads in writing lead us to Donald Graves. He often reminded us sharing your writing is akin to getting naked in front of everyone....a teacher who asks others to write but does not write is like a fully dressed person in a nudist colony. So today I stand naked with my teaching story and images from the journey that made this teacher become an activist. It's a long read, but skip around, peek in here or there, or maybe read it all.
Standing naked inside my teaching mind,
Jesse The Walking Man Turner

Here is the link to the teacher before he became an education activist link 
https://repository.arizona.edu/bitstream/handle/10150/279997/azu_td_3002511_sip1_m.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y&fbclid=IwAR1y4uuCKaSx0nNXHZbEI7cpjOBpm5PEBbRzP5tIf2f7r9q7Z4TSOlOCBCA 
Some images from my days in the desert and on the masas of Arizona with the best students any teacher could ever have. 

If you like to listen to the song that inspired my walk on the Avon Mountain this morning its Robbie Robertson's "Ghost Dance" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLM1H8JH9XA