Day # 9 is dedicated to Stacie Starr, Dawn Neely, and every beautiful Ohio teacher standing up for our schools

This is a must read for every teacher and parent. It gives us a clear human picture of what these fake education reformers, and our policy makers and politicians are do to our schools. High Stakes Testing, the Common Core, and new test connected teacher evaluations are not keeping good teachers in the classroom, but chasing them out.

http://pjmedia.com/tatler/2015/02/10/gasps-of-disbelief-as-live-with-kelly-and-michael-top-teacher-winner-resigns-over-common-core-testing/


Every day I find another reason to walk to DC, another reason to stand up, speak out, and act. Day # 9 of my walk to DC is dedicated to Ohio Veteran teachers Stacie Starr and Dawn Neely. Stacie announced her retirement rather then spend another day reducing Ohio's children to test scores. She was chosen as the winner of the “Live with Kelly and Michael” 2014 Top Teacher Search. She announced her retirement in the spring at the very Board Meeting called to honor her. Her reasons, she cited the increasing pressures on students and teachers under the mandated Common Core standards and testing mandates.
At the same Board Meeting Dawn Neely another teacher told the board:

“I don’t know what to do. I am morally against what we are doing, and I think history will judge us for what we do to fight for our kids,” she told the Elyria school board. “Look through the test books and you tell me if you think they are developmentally appropriate. No one is advocating for our district, and I am asking my district to be honest with the parents about what we are doing to students.”

Board President Kathryn Karpus replies: The district’s hands are tied. They are bound by Ohio laws that mandate the testing. Dr. Martin Luther King said this about laws: "There are just laws and there are unjust laws. I would be the first to advocate obeying just laws. One has not only a legal but a moral responsibility to obey just laws. Conversely, one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws. I would agree with St. Augustine that ‘an unjust law is no law at all.’" Board President Karpus, a person can not do good supporting unjust laws. Morality matters more than any unjust law. I stand with my fellow BAT Dawn Neely, and every other Ohio beautiful Ohio teacher fighting back.

It is a teacher moral responsibility to obey just laws, but it is also his/her responsibility to disobey unjust laws. Ms Starr and Ms. Neely are answering the call to their moral responsibility as teachers. I am humbled by them, and salute them. God bless you Stacie, God bless you Dawn, and God bless every parent and teacher who answers this moral call to stand up for our children.

Why are you walking to DC Jesse?

I am walking, because someone has to tell them in DC that our children, our teachers, and our schools are more than test scores. More than their data, their profits, and their scapegoats that allow 49 states to spend more money on their wealthy schools than their poor schools. This walk is my moral responsibility, my higher call to serve the children in our public schools.
Who are you walking for Jesse?
I am walking for Stacie Starr, Dawn Neely, every Ohio teacher and student living under unjust laws that reduces them to data.
A change is gonna come, and I am walking for that change.
One Man Walking In The Name Of Love,
Jesse

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