One more day

I am almost one day out from my walk to DC. Everyday is busy at this point, between work, planning multiple events with organizers across states, and focusing in on making sense of Google maps that are not always helpful. But, it is a good kind of good, lots of excitement, calls and emails from people who are planning to meet me on the walk.
It's all-good, but at times it can be a little overwhelming. Sometimes it can be lonely, and sometimes to be honest it can be scary. I start thinking how the heck did you get yourself into this Jesse. Then I remember that everything I know professionally indicates these education reforms are failures. I find myself praying often on my walks, asking for strength and courage. Saying Dear Lord make it matter. Please make it matter.
Then like an answer to my prayers:
Someone post a positive comment on Facebook about the walk, a simple "You go Jesse". Every Facebook like gives me hope, every Go Fund Me contribution lifts me.
A School of Education Dean saying I am going to walk the whole 10 miles with you on Thursday your first day empowers me.
Manchester's Rev Josh Pawelek saying I want to walk with you on Monday reminds me I am not alone.
A retired couple from Kansas calling to say we are planning to walk with you in Philadelphia, and are walking with you again in DC.
Dr. Ricardo Rosa from Dartmouth calls to say I am walking with you everyday in New York inspires me.
Every time I grow weary someone reaches out. A few kind words refreshes me, empowers me, inspires me, moves me, and compels me to walk.
Finally just before I put my head down someone like Terrance Moore a retired teacher from NJ helping to organize our Newark event sends me a YouTube link to "This school is your school, this school is my school
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQ4FztzKc3E >
Then like Saint George that Knight who fought the good fight everyday, fell to the ground, but always rose up renewed and ready to go again.
I am walking for:
Our children,
Our Parents,
Our teachers,
Our schools,
Our communities,
For justice not just tests, and
I never walk alone.
Thank you,
Jesse The Walking Man Turner

If you want to know what song I was listening to on my walk today...It's one more day from Les Miserables > https://search.yahoo.com/search;_ylt=AirSAQZv63E7A5oZfwtpjsKbvZx4?fr=yfp-t-901-s&toggle=1&fp=1&cop=mss&ei=UTF-8&p=one%20more%20day%20les%20miserables <

I am no one, I am everyone, I am you

5 days out from my walk to DC, and this boy is ready and able to carry this load for our children, parents, teachers, and our public schools.

I am a man on a mission,

A man with a heart full of hope,

A man inspired by the people,

A loving father,

A loving husband,

A loving teacher,
A man of the people and for the people.

I am a man on fire,

Inspired by:

That prophet Moses who walked for 40 years to lead his people to the promise land,

A student of American history,
A history of two great nations within a nation that walked for the survival of their nations, inspired by Cherokee people who walked a Trial of Tears, and

The Navajo People who walked that Long Walk.

A history of those Selma Bridge Crossers who walked for the right to vote,
I burn with the inspiration of all those who came before me.

Call me a dreamer, inspired by another Dreamer Martin Luther King who walked a nation out of Jim Crow,

A proud believer in the power of walking for just causes,

A student of labor's Cesar Chavez 340 mile walk to Sacramento,
I am a walking man on a quest to save our public schools, our children, and our teachers.

I am one of you,
I do not dine with CEOs,
I do not play golf with Senators and members of Congress,
No governor calls me,
The White House does not know my name,
I owe no alliance to the K-Street Lobbyists,
I know no billionaires,
I am own by no one, 
I am no one,
But I am everyone.

Tell it on every street corner,
Ring every bell, this walking man refuses to listen to these Education Deformers who have sold our children into the bondage of profiteers.

Tell them I am fortified with the scripture of Amos" Away with the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps."

Tell them I am empowered by Micah 6:8 "He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God."

Our children are not their profits,

Our public schools are not for sale,

Our teachers are not their pawns of oppression,

Silence and apathy are not the pillars of democracy, but the enemies of a free people,

I can hear Dr. Martin Luther King calling to us, reminding us,

‘Let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream" 

Can't you feel Martin saying my people you are a mighty stream of righteousness rolling?

Come walk with me brothers and sisters,

Jesse The Walking Man Turner

If you like to know what this Walking Man is listening to on his morning walk, it's Lean On Me by Playing for change around the world. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LiouJsnYytI

If you ever had a teacher! Sometimes you just start walking

Tenure is under attack from the east coast to the west coast, it not grassroots it is an attempt to turn our public schools into drive by teaching factories. Teachers are losing tenure in states all around the nation. It's under assault by both political parties and Privatizing Education Deformers everywhere.
In North Carolina the Governor and the Legislators threw it out last year. Their courts just informed them that law is illegal. Thank god some judges understand this issue. Here is the link to the North Carolina court decision > http://www.newsobserver.com/news/politics-government/state-politics/article22862436.html <

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Were you one of those people who years later went back to your old school to see a teacher, or reached out to someone who made a difference in your life? A move by governors and legislators to prevent that opportunity is building all across the nation. If we remain silent and apathetic public education as we know it will become something of the past. The push by Education Reformers is to re-make teaching into a stop by career. Something you do for a couple of years, and move onto something more meaningful. You know like legislator, or charter school CEO.

Barry Lane at our CCSU Teacher Love Fest called his 4th grade teacher Miss. Foley as part of his performance. You could have heard a pin drop as we listened to them talking. If these Education reformers have their way they will not only end tenure at every level of education, but also end any possibility of any future Miss Foley. Here is a link to Barry Lane singing to Miss Foley who he still calls and visits regularly: https://search.yahoo.com/yhs/search?p=Barry+lane+miss+foley+utube&ei=UTF-8&hspart=mozilla&hsimp=yhs-002

Glad to hear the North Carolina courts sided with tenure, but trust me these reformers are not giving up on destroying public education. Why groups like Save Our Schools March, United Opt Out, Parents Across America, Journey 4 Justice, C.O.R.E, TNT (Testing Is Not Teaching), and BATs, (53.000 BATS) were created? They were created to save our children, teachers, public schools, and our democracy. I only named a few here, but there are now hundreds of grassroots groups standing up for public education, and we are growing wiser, more savvy, and stronger everyday.

Now I am walking from Connecticut to Washington DC from June 11 to July 24 to protest what is happening to our children, their teachers, and their local public schools. It will take 42 days, there will be 17 Connecting The Dots Walking Events during my walk, and a Mock Trial and parade at the BAT Teacher Congress on July 24 at the end of my walk. Big events are nice, but I would love to have coffee and chat with students, parents, and teachers this June/July as well. 
I begin my walk to DC in 8 days I would love the idea of personally listening and hearing people's stories along the way. Email me (turnerj@ccsu.edu) if you like to chat and share some coffee during June or July. Heck you can call me while I am walking 860-817-1121.
If you like to hear more details about my walk tune in on Sunday June 7 for James Avington Miller's "The War Report on Public Education at 2:PM EST > http://bbsradio.com/thewarreport <
or to that listen to Tim Slekar and I as we take people to the river on education of education deform on Busted Pencils Fully Leaded Education Talk show at  6:PM EST.> http://bustedpencils.com/

If you don't live on the walk email me your story > turner@ccsu.edu < my plan is to share our stories in a daily podcast during my walk as well. Silence is our end. Thank you, just being listenings, listening breaks that silence. Silence and apathy are the enemies of democracy.

Love you all,
Jesse The Walking Man Turner

If you like to know what song I was listening to today it was the News Boys "we could change the world" https://search.yahoo.com/yhs/search?p=Barry+lane+miss+foley+utube&ei=UTF-8&hspart=mozilla&hsimp=yhs-002