Don't You Know, Talking about a Teacher Revolution

CSU-AAUP and CTU Lunch July 2019

It began in Chicago

In Chicago, the Teacher's union is on strike,
In Chicago, the Teacher's union is standing up for their rights,
In Chicago, those beautiful glorious union thugs are fighting for,
School Nurses,
A Living Wage for Paras,
For Wrap Around Services For Children,
For Smaller Class Sizes,
Better schools for children.

Put in it writing,
The Rank and File are saying Mayor put it in writing,
In Chicago, those Union Thugs are at it again,
They got their sights on equity,
They got their sights on healthy schools,
They got their sights on respect,
They got their sights on better schools,
They got their sights on temples of hope in their schools.

Solidarity,
Shout it out your windows,
Whisper it in your hallways,
Call it out on every street corner,
Tell it on every mountain top,
Tell them, teachers everywhere stand with these beautiful Chicago Teachers.

Chicago teachers are talking about a public school revolution,
Teachers everywhere talking about a better schools revolution,
Tell America,
Tell every mayor,
Tell every policymaker,
Tell every governor,
Tell every non-elected school board member,
Tell those Commissioners of education,
Tell that DC Sec of Education,
Tell those Wall Street Profiteers,
Tell them in the White House.

We hear these Rank and File Sisters and Brothers in Chicago,
It begins in Chicago,
Ends everywhere,
Teacher unions shall lead this fight for better schools,
Union Strong shall lead the way.

I stand with Chicago's Rank and File,
Jesse The Walking Man Turner

If you are wondering what song inspired my morning walk today its Tracy Chapman "Talking About A Revolution https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xv8FBjo1Y8I

It's Poverty Stupid

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71O0ChPFzAI This is a link to a quick interview I did in 2012 discussing poverty and our public schools. Please consider watching, and will help you understand  my blog today a little better.

Friends our Connecticut SBAC scores were released this week. Test scores are being released all across the nation this week. Some six months after they were given. Imagine your doctor saying look this test is really important, it going to hurt, and in six months' time we get the results back.

What do these standardized test scores actually tell us?

In my professional opinion, they showed what they have always shown. That 49 states in America that spend more money on their wealthy schools than their poor schools.

Yes, our Connecticut State Department of Education is running around telling children, parents, and teachers how low they scored. Meanwhile Wall Street is singing the economy is booming. I'm not buying this CDSE sideshow. I'm not buying any of these your test scores are low sideshows. I'm holding these deniers of inequity accountable.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71O0ChPFzAI

America, the song remains the same. There is no booming economy in a nation where half our children attending our public schools live below or at the poverty level.

We cannot fix our schools, without fixing poverty. Half of our children and teachers are living with trauma. I don't want to hear Wall Street is singing, while our children are crying any longer. You cannot raise test scores without raising the hopes of parents living from paycheck to paycheck. Tax cuts for billionaires will not lift our schools. Let me call it what it is another Structural Racism sideshow playing the blame game once again.

Occupy poverty,

Dr. Jesse P. Turner

Moral Monday Connecticut Education Ambassador 

If you want to listen to the song that inspire my morning walk today its Barry Lane's "Jesse Turner is a Walking Man" https://barrylane.bandcamp.com/track/jesse-turner-the-walkin-man

Dear Secretary DeVos

Dear Secretary DeVos,
I know you have a busy schedule. You running around to all those vouchers and school choice think tank groups. I am hoping you can start sending teachers some resources to help us teachers help the children living in Trauma in our public schools. Her book "The Deepest Well is an excellent read on the subject of childhood trauma.  In case you schedule doesn't allow enough time for serious reads and study, I found a short 15-minute video from Doctor Burke that might help you understand what teachers are dealing with."Childhood trauma isn’t something you just get over as you grow up. Pediatrician Nadine Burke Harris explains that the repeated stress of abuse, neglect, and parents struggling with mental health or substance abuse issues have real, tangible effects on the development of the brain. This unfolds across a lifetime, to the point where those who’ve experienced high levels of trauma are at triple the risk for heart disease and lung cancer. An impassioned plea for pediatric medicine to confront the prevention and treatment of trauma, head-on."

https://www.ted.com/…/nadine_burke_harris_how_childhood_tra…

You could be a real agent of change if you took this issue up, and sent us teachers some real tools to help our students living with Trauma. Hoping you are thinking about leaving children, teachers, and our public schools a legacy of hope. We could use some hope. 
We, teachers, need real resources and support in our public schools,

Dr. Jesse P. Turner
Moral Monday CT Education Ambassador

Just in case Madame Secretary you are a fan of music, and are wondering what does this walking listen to on his walks...today it is Johnny Cash's "Hurt" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8AHCfZTRGiI