Dedicated to all of you, On fire Rank and File members of Connecticut Public School Advocates

 

I am a Man On Fire, living in a nation where billionaires do not have to pay their fair share,
I am a Man On Fire living in a nation where schools teaching Black, Brown, Poor, and Special Education children are given less, while wealthy mainly White schools are given more than they need. 
I am a man on fire, living in a nation where the children of working-class Americans leave our universities struggled with lifetime debts, 
I am a man on fire, where structural racism is deeply rooted in our nation's public school system. 

A Man on Fire rejects silence,
A Man on Fire rejects apathy,
A Man on Fire is never resting,
A Man on Fire has work to do every day.

What does a Man On Fire have to say to our new President-Elect? 
What does a Man On Fire have to say to our nation's 50 Governors?
What does a Man On Fire have to say to 50 state commissioners of education?
What does a Man On Fire have to say to our nation's Senators and members of Congress,
What does a Man On Fire have to say to the legislative bodies of 50 states?
What does a Man On Fire have to say to America's mayors?
What does a Man On fire have to say to the Robber Barons of Wall Street?

What does this Man On Fire want to know from our nation's leaders?
Why for over 170 years and counting,
Allowed our Nation's Public Schools to give more to wealthy schools than to poor schools?
Knowing that Black, Brown, Poor, and Special Education have never known a single year of a quality and equitable education. 
This Man On Fire is asking how can you not be on fire?

If you are wondering what tune this Man On Fire is listening to this morning? Its Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros "A Man On Fire" 

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08WeoqWilRQ

Policymakers, good readers don't chase test scores. They chase the honey through the pages

 A Dr. Turner moment of teaching and learning wisdom.

In the children's book "Thank You, Mr. Falker" Patrica Polacco writes these simple lines:

“Honey is sweet, and so is knowledge, but knowledge is like the bee that made that sweet honey; you have to chase it through the pages of a book.”

This book is Polacco's autobiographical story of her struggle with learning to read and dyslexia. She is a prolific writer, with many many children's books. Her book themes often carry powerful messages of hope, struggle, and quests for justice.

So when a child reads every one of her books on our Literacy Center shelves and asks: "Dr. Turner, if I read every single one of her books, can I win a medal, and will you wear a crazy hat and pirate outfit, and bow down to my reading powers?"  

"If you read all 24 books, that is 28 pages time 24 books that will be 672 pages. How could I not give a kid who reads 672 pages a gold medal? You do this I will wear whatever hat you want me to wear, and I will give you a gold medal, bow down to your super reading powers in the hallway where everyone can see us" 

This picture is a few years ago, but it could be any day in the last 20 years at our Literacy Center. Even in this pandemic crisis, 24 medals and certificates of accomplishment went out first class mail yesterday. This Monday, Dr. Turner will wear a silly hat, dress as a pirate, bow down to his children and Literacy Center Teachers, shouting out on Zoom their greatness. We don't celebrate test scores here. We celebrate hard work and our love of books.

Love of reading Wisdom 101:

Hint~policymakers, education reformers, and all you big time commissioners of education. Our children who love to read do not chase good test scores for grades. They chase honey through the pages of books.

Dr. Jesse P. Turner

CCSU Literacy Center Director

AKA sometimes silly hat pirate

If you like to listen to the song that inspired my morning walk today, its Barry Lane's Super teachers always know..." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jE6Yw7Tkk4o&ab_channel=BarryLane

Teachers addicted to books

 My wife was in physical therapy, said go get a cup of coffee. I said that sounds like a plan, and set off to the coffee place. However, on the way, I found a bookstore. Coffee or book browsing?

Now, once I enter the bookstore my spirit began to fly, looking this way, that way, up, down, and all around. Teachers don't see books, they see treasures. Next thing I know I find "How To Be A Pirate" by Issac Fitzgerald. An author who has been a firefighter, boat worker, and a man who was once given a sword by a king. Pirate Captain Reads A Lot starts shouting "buy it" Dr. Turner! How can you pass this treasure up? Issac nows lives and writes in Brooklyn. No self-respecting pirate could pass Brooklyn by people! I turn the next bookstore corner, and BAM Jacqueline Woodson's "The Day You Begin" is sitting right there. Just begging for me to read it. Trust me, on this, no reading teacher can pass by Jacqueline Woodson. She is The National Ambassador for Young People's Literature. Everyone has a vice. Some people smoke, Some people drink, Some people gamble, But Reading Teachers are addicted to books. Modern Day Education Reformer Bean Counters, Administrators, Policymakers, and Commissioners of education, Spend their days and nights, Chasing Strategic Learning Goals, (SLOs) and Test Scores. They just don't get: Books. Teachers addicted to books, They can't get that! Teachers spending their own money to make other people's children smile, They can't get that! Can't get these book addicted teachers, and they wonder, Why can't teachers get everything they need from their SLOs? These Bean Counters run around evaluating: SLOs, Test Scores, and Saying on their walkthroughs, Did you use your right teaching words? Teachers addicted to children's books, Evaluate that, Dr. Jesse P. Turner CCSU Literacy Center Director If you like to listen to the song that inspired my morning its "All About the books" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2pu8nsUtCQ