It never been about the numbers, it's about fighting for what is right for children

3000 members today, it's not about the number for me. It's about fighting for our children, their teachers, and their public schools. A little throwback story to a day when we went from over 7,000 members to 1.
In January 2012 our group had over 7000 members. Then Facebook reconfigured Facebook Groups, and force this group down to 1 member on Valentines DAY 2012.
So I pieced up the pieces, continued to fight the good fight, I spoke up, stood up, carry signs to bring humanity back into our public schools. I pushed hard in the face of legislators, BOE members, and Education Deformers pushing high stakes testing on our children.
I held on to our one certain truth here "Children Are More Than Scores"and I continue to fight against a reign of testing abuse in our public schools,. Once again find myself walking to DC to tell those in power our children are more than test scores.
Someday our children, the ones who have been turned into test scores, data charts, and profits are going to ask us why did we let this happen to them...My plan is and has always been we fought it every step of the way, and together with determined parents and teachers we took our public schools back. We did this out of respect for childhood, we did did out of love for you. 3000, or 1 it does not matter, what matters is each one of us reject the silence and the apathy that is turning public education in a mockery of childhood.
Walking to DC In The Name Of Love,
Jesse
http://childrenaremorethantestscores.blogspot.com/…/saint-v…

Friends on May 1, 2015 I am releasing my 2015 walk Youtube trailer about my 400 miles, 40 days from Rural Promfet Connecticut to DC for the BAT Teachers Congress. It will be short, but point people in the right direction for following my walk, or for meeting up with me. People are always welcomed to walk a mile or two with me.
My plan is listen deeply to the stories of students, parents, teachers who feel abused by this education reform policies that have turned education into a game of numbers. Listen to the voices of the people who mainstream media passes over everyday. Their stories matter to me, and they matter to America. I will walk and talk with anyone who comes out to meet me. The plan is to connect those dots of testing abuse from state to state. To take those stories to Congress and the Senate, to the White House, and to testify at the SOS Mock Trial at the BAT Congress.
I am one Man Walking in The Name Of Love To DC,
Jesse
If you like to know what the Waking Man was listening to on his walk today...it's Eric Clapton's
http://www.cmt.com/videos/eric-clapton/46587/change-the-world.jhtml#artist=985
Walking and singing if I could change the world.....

Rosa Parks second refusal inspries me to walk again

Below is a link to a story from my 2010 walk. The song remains the same...I reject the notion that testing and standards are replacements for equity in our public schools. 

http://hudsonreporter.com/view/full_story/9304637/article-Walking-the-walk-Jersey-City-native-treks-from-Connecticut-to-DC-to-raise-awareness-of-education-crisis-?instance=search_results



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Rosa Parks in her autobiography we find Rosa had a prior encounter with James Blake, the bus driver who demanded she vacate her seat.
In 1943, Blake had ejected Parks from his bus after she refused to re-enter the vehicle through the back door after paying her fare at the front. She wrote “I never wanted to be on that man’s bus again,” in her autobiography, but Rosa got back on James Blake's bus in 1955, and he had her arrested, but her act of civic disobedience launch the movement that changed America. With Rosa's spirit I am putting these walking shoes back on. Rosa inspires me, drives, me, and lifts me up. This story is from my 2010 walk. Trust me in 2015 this second walk is going to crash through those Ed Deformer walls. Can't wait until June
One man walking to DC in the name of love,
Jesse

My song today for my preperation walk is Longhorne Slim's "Worries"
https://video.search.yahoo.com/video/play;_ylt=A0LEVitGyBJVPfsAu2YPxQt.;_ylu=X3oDMTB0b2ZrZmU3BHNlYwNzYwRjb2xvA2JmMQR2dGlkA1lIUzAwMl8x?p=langhorne+slim+worries&tnr=21&vid=94D9D5680973D81194A594D9D5680973D81194A5&l=172&turl=http%3A%2F%2Fts1.mm.bing.net%2Fth%3Fid%3DUN.608010878191275116%26pid%3D15.1&sigi=11rh7j4bo&rurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DUnpScE0N9D4&sigr=11bk09285&tt=b&tit=Langhorne+Slim%26%2339%3Bs+%26quot%3BWorries%26quot%3B&sigt=118mpk1ha&back=https%3A%2F%2Fsearch.yahoo.com%2Fyhs%2Fsearch%3Fp%3Dlanghorne%2Bslim%2Bworries%26type%3Dmcy_coin02_15_13_sa%26fr%3Dsfp%26param1%3Dyhsbeacon%26param2%3Df%253D2%2526b%253DSafari%2526cc%253DUS%2526p%253Dmcyahoo%2526cd%253D2XzuyEtN2Y1L1Qzu0CtB0EyCzytCyE0FtGtDtAyCtBtGyDtD0EtAtGzztDyC0EtGyCtCyC0BtDyEtC0C0CzyyDtCtN1L1G1B1V1N2Y1L1Qzu0DtB0AtDyB0FzytBtGtD0AtB0DtGyE0FyE0AtG0B0ByE0DtG0ByEtBtAyByEtDtByD0E0E0FtN1Q2Zzu0StCtCyByCtN1L2XzutAtFyDtFtDtFtCtDtN1L1Czu%2526cr%253D1595975532%2526a%253Dmcy_coin02_15_13_sa%26hsimp%3Dyhs-fullyhosted_011%26hspart%3Diry%26ei%3DUTF-8&sigb=1f7ol64fk&hspart=iry&hsimp=yhs-fullyhosted_011

We can speak up, stand up and act. We have Ethan's shinning north star to guide parents and teachers

We can speak up, stand up, and act, or we can be silent, apathetic, and miserable. I chose to act.  
Marinanne Williamson wrote in A Return To Love: “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do”
A year ago Andrea Pratt Rediske opened her mother's heart to the world. She shared the power of god's light by sharing Ethan's story. The State of Florida insisted on testing Ethan even in Hospice care. It was act of pure evil, but Andrea's response was a mother's act of pure love. She not only spoke up, stood up, and advocated for Ethan, but for all children with special needs. She share Ethan's talents,they were giant, beyond anything that any test could ever measure. Most of all she shared his brilliant, gorgeous, fabulous love of life. 
Ethan's life inspired parents and chidden all over America. I dream of 50 Ethan laws in 50 states. Ethan pointed the way for us dreamers. Ethan life was anything, but inadequate. His life was powerful, meaningful, and beautiful. Far too big to fit within their tiny testing bubble. 
Ethan's life is God's reminder that all children are gifts, all children are love, and should be loved. I find my walking to DC again in the name of love. Although I never meet Ethan or Andrea Pratt Rediske I have felt their love, and love wins people not numbers, not data, no proficiency levels.
Thank you Ethan for blessing our lives.
I am one man walking in the name of love to DC with a picture of one extraordinary Ethan Pratt Rediske in my wallet. You Ethan are my north start shinning brightly. 
Jesse  
http://www.washingtonpost.com/…/parent-of-dying-boy-has-to…/

If you like to know what the Walking listened to on his walk this cold morning? It's Demi Lovato's Skyscraper https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_8ydghbGSg#t=25