Barry Lane the one who never sold children and teachers out

So many authors in education have drank that standards will save us Kool Aid that i lost count. It's easy to look the other way when you are making a buck.
Day 6 of my walk is dedicated to our voice of reason, our voice of joy, and our voice of hope, The incredible Barry Lane from "Discovery writing" the guy that gave teachers 51 Wacky We-Search Reports: Face the Facts With Fun and Force Field for Good.
Many of today's education authors just go with the flow, ask no questions, fit any test, any standards, sign any bottom line, but Barry he writes the songs that question every attempt to crush children, their teachers, and our public schools. 
Barry Lane who preformed at the Save Our School March in 2011, the Save Our Schools convention in 2012, join United Opt Out's Occupy twice, serenades teachers" every single day. Barry Lane who somehow manages to capture how our nation's children feel in this insane age of test them until they hurt. Every single day on my walk I listen to Barry Lane & Amy Ludwig VanDerwater song "More Than A number"
"I am more than a number.
I am more than a grade.
I know the constellations.
Here’s a painting that I made.
I read books in my closet.
I will not be a ‘2’.
I am more than a number.
Walking to DC
Barry the guy who could have made a million dollars if he kept his mouth shut, but loved children and teachers to much to remain silent as high-stakes testing stole the joy out of teaching and learning. Barry Lane my hero of day 6, the voice that inspires me to fight to bring back the joy into our classrooms and schools. Barry Lane my dear friend who never sold his sold to the profiteers.
Walking to DC and smiling all the way listening to Barry Lane and Amy Ludwig VanDerwater "More Than A number" It's Barry Lane and Amy Lud
https://video.search.yahoo.com/video/play;_ylt=A2KLqIIQiIBV5mEAPXz7w8QF;_ylu=X3oDMTByZWc0dGJtBHNlYwNzcgRzbGsDdmlkBHZ0aWQDBGdwb3MDMQ--?p=barry+Lane+More+Than+a+Number&vid=f0d32b04464756d327528c9e7c4b0353&turl=http%3A%2F%2Fts4.mm.bing.net%2Fth%3Fid%3DWN.YVmBgmfVNxEjitH6M%252fjxqg%26pid%3D15.1%26h%3D168%26w%3D300%26c%3D7%26rs%3D1&rurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D4_Vf8cwTWRY&tit=More+Than+a+Number&c=0&h=168&w=300&l=149&sigr=11bs8cib6&sigt=10i2elncv&sigi=12mdkjl4f&age=1364413953&fr2=p%3As%2Cv%3Av&fr=aaplw&tt=b

She walks the line for equity and jusitce

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Day 5, schools are still in session in Connecticut, so there were no walkers with me today. Two and half hours of walking in the rain on my own, check off 51 miles on my walk to DC.    My umbrella and raincoat did not prevent me from becoming cold and drenched to the bone.  I keep humming Michael Row the boat a shore, singing “the river Jordan is chilly and cold, chills the body not the soul.” When you stand on the side of justice your soul never gets cold.  Today’s walk is dedicated my dear friend and tireless soldier of equity in Connecticut Dr. Dianne Kaplan deVries. Dr. Dianne is the Project director for CCJEF, (Connecticut Coalition for Justice in Education Funding), and has been helping to lead the battle for equity in our public schools.  http://ccjef.org/.
CCJEF v. Rell has been in the courts for over a decade now, the final case is pending in the Connecticut Supreme Court. We are facing that historic question” do children have the right to an adequate education? YES, said the lower courts. Two Connecticut governors representing both political parties have opposed the right of children to an equitable and adequate education. How anyone could vote for any candidate fighting to maintain an inequitable public school system is beyond me.  The state has fought in the courts at every step to kick the case out of our courts. While Dianne and her colleagues for over a decade have travel up, down, and side to side to every corner of Connecticut to gather testimony and evidence for the people against their own state. Connecticut like 48 other states are dens of inequity in their public schools. While corporate education reformers peddle their fuzzy choice without equity scams my dear friend and fellow soldier for equity fights for our day in the courts everyday.  James Baldwin wrote in “The Price of the Ticket”:
“If one really wishes to know how justice is administered in a country, one does not question the policemen, the lawyers, the judges, or the protected members of the middle class. One goes to the unprotected--those, precisely, who need the law's protection most! --and listens to their testimony.”
Listening deeply and gathering the testimony of the unprotected has been Dr. Dianne Kaplan deVries life’s work, and that work is going to have it’s day in our supreme court this fall.
This tireless soldier is battling cancer; she no longer is driving our highways. She is using her phone and email to see this fight through. She will see her day in court.
As Dr. King wrote from his cell in a Birmingham jailhouse “Let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.”
Some walk, some stand in our nation's classrooms, some testify before boards of power, and their legislative bodies, some write letters to editors, some fight on social media, some take to the streets, some battle in the courts, but we all stand together for equity in our public schools.
Someday these tests will go away, someday the standards will be more pliable, but we soldiers of equity will still be battling for equality in our public schools.
I humbly bow my head,
I salute you,
I whisper your name on the winds of hope,
I call you my sister,
This rain filled day’s walk is dedicated to my hero Dr. Dianne Kaplan deVries.
Sincerely,
Jesse The Walking Man Turner

 

 If you are wondering what this rain soaked walking man was listening to on his walk to day...it was Johnny Cash's "I walk the line" > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lq0fUa0vW_E <

10 for Eddie, and every other boy that testing killed their love of reading

http://childrenaremorethantestscores.blogspot.com/2010/10/another-parent-phone-call.html

21 miles down, and 30 more by Monday. Three Connecting The Dot Walking Man events in the next  three days. This campaign for Justice not just tests is rolling along. It sure feels good to meeting and listening to children, parents and teachers coming out to meet me. I am a man on a mission! A man on fire. I am one man walking in the name of love to DC for our children, their teachers and public schools. 

Today’s walk is dedicated to Eddie and all our boys who use to like reading. I first met Eddie when he was in second grade in 2011. Eddie’s mother reached out to me when Eddie had a fight with his best. His best friend noticed Eddie’s name on his school’s data wall in the parent/teacher resource room. Eddie was at the bottom of the list. His best friend tells Eddie you are the dumbest kid in the whole school. Next thing you know they are fighting.  His mother wanted to talk about the root cause of the fight, the data wall and the testing, but the school insisted they only discuss the fight. She wanted to discuss how Eddie a boy who loved reading, began to hate reading, because of all the testing. Eddie started coming to our Literacy Center 4 years ago, we turned around his reading attitude, but he still hates all the testing. I am worry about all the Eddie’s who are being tested 8 weeks of every school year. The price for many is reading has become something they hate. They may even do well on the test, but the testing has tainted their view of reading. If you like to know more about Eddie and his mother follow the above link to the blog I wrote about them on my 2010 walk to DC.
Today, I dedicate my 10-mile walk to Eddie, and every other boy like him who used to like reading,
Jesse

If you want to listen to what I am listening to this morning on my way from Willamantic to Bolton Connecticut...It's Peter Gabriel's Don't Give Up https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjEq-r2agqc