Brothers on a mission to save our public schools

Day # 8 is dedicated to my dear friend Dr. Sherick Hughes from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill.
We are old friends long vested in the struggle for equity in our public schools. His academic credentials have all the bells and whistles, articles, chapters and books to his credit. However it is his love for justice, children, teachers, and our public schools that drives his passion for teaching and learning.  This is Dr. Hughes and I occupying the United States Department Department of Education at the Occupy the DOE in DC
On Tuesday night I was a Skype guest at Chapel Hill for his doctoral students. It is an honor and a privilege to call Sherick my brother and friend on the road to save our public schools. Our discussion focused on advocacy, activism, civil rights, and race. I say you can judge the health of our pubic schools by the things our education policy makers focus on.  Today I am reflecting on the tragic news unfolding in Charleston South Carolina where 9 Black innocent souls engaged in prayer in the House of the Lord were taken in a rage of race hatred. Make no mistake about the fact that our Public School System and Civil Rights are linked. While our nation's Education Policy makers have chase test scores and standards they have failed to make Civil Rights the corner stone of our public school system. Testing, Common Core standards will not heal our nation. We need a deep conversation about Race in our nation, and the place for that conversation to begin is in our public schools.
Today's walk from New Haven to Bridgeport is for my brothers and sisters in higher education who reject silence and apathy.
Walking to DC,
Jesse
Today on my walk I was singing that old Civil Rights standard "We Shall Over Come" I sang it with my Grandfather in 63 at the March On Washington, I sang it in Selma many time with my fellow bridge crossers. I particularly love the version sang by the More Head College Glee performers in 2009 > https://search.yahoo.com/search?ei=utf-8&fr=aaplw&p=we+shall+over+come+utube <

Parents are speaking up, standing up, fighting back, opting out and coming out to meet the Walking Man

My walk today on day # 7 is dedicated to Cheryl Hill, New Milford, CT, and Susan Zeitler Sherman, CT.  These two Connecticut Mom’s are committed to the fight to stop high stakes testing, data mining and privatization of public schools.  They are regulars at both local and State Board Of Education meetings.  I met the ladies when I was invited to speak at the Sherman Common Core event last year.  At the Bank Street shop today in New Milford, we had coffee after my walk, they asked me  to carry their concerns to the Save Our Schools Mock Trial "The People VS Corporate Reform”. Thanks Ladies, for taking the time out of your busy day to meet up with me on my walk.

This is their message they asked me to bring to DC:

"So much has happened since you participated in the Sherman common core presentation last summer. We are dedicated to bringing awareness of the facts to the BOE, administration and parents.  Sherman CT has achieved one of CT's highest elementary opt out rates. Sherman parents understand that refusing the tests safeguards their children's data, shields inappropriate teacher evaluations and sends a strong message that parents will utilize their inalienable parental rights to protect their children.

In the town of New Milford the budget forced a school closed.  As a founding member of the CT Parental Rights Coalition, they focus on legislation that upholds parental rights and safeguards the data privacy of our children, their families and teachers. It's when we are in Hartford, attending these hearings, we see the influence of lobbyists.  What's driving the destructive testing and dangerous data mining? Investors and corporations see our children and schools with dollar signs in their eyes. They see a (dehumanized) market, an opportunity to make money...at any expense. Are CT legislators that coddle lobbyists willing to sell us, our data, our public schools?

Jesse, the issues we face in Sherman and New Milford are not unique. Parents, teachers and students across CT and across our nation know these tests are destructive.  The data issues put our children in danger.  Charter Schools and privatization have been proven to fail.   These "reforms" are death. It's time to stop high stakes testing, data mining and privatization.

Our country needs a paradigm shift back to the truth - We The People, We The Parents, were born with inalienable rights. Among these, are the rights to direct the upbringing and education of our children. We demand our children receive appropriate education, and are not harmed in the process. We stand by our teachers and public schools.

Please Jesse, bring our message to Washington, DC-

Stop high stakes testing, data mining and privatization of public schools.

Cheryl  and Susan it was great meeting up with you today, and I will take your message and all those I gather on my walk, to Washington DC.

Respectfully,

Jesse The Walking Man Turner 06/17/15

In case you want to know what song the Walking Man was listening to on Day 7 of my walk to DC...it's Sam and Dave "Hold On I'm coming" So hold on New York I'm 53 miles away now. 
https://search.yahoo.com/yhs/search?p=sam+and+dave+I%27m+coming&ei=UTF-8&hspart=mozilla&hsimp=yhs-002

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