. . . .Eleven-year-old Ethan tells the president about the horrific cuts to public education and how going to war in Afghanistan will drain resources away from investing in America’s children. As Ethan says, “There’s nothing left to cut, Mr. President.”. . . .
This space explores issues in public education policy, and it advocates for a commitment to and a re-examination of the democratic purposes of schools. If there is some urgency in the message, it is due to the current reform efforts that are based on a radical re-invention of education, now spearheaded by a psychometric blitzkrieg of "metastasizing testing" aimed at dismantling a public education system that took almost 200 years to build. JH August, 2005
Tuesday, December 01, 2009
Chris Prevatt: "There's nothing left to be cut, Mr. President"
Posted at Huffington Post:
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Fifth graders are incredibly wise. This boy is welcome in my fifth grade class anytime
ReplyDeleteIf our schools can turn out articulate students like Ethan, there is indeed hope for America. Unfortunately Ethan and all our children will learn the lesson that our government doesn't care about them or their future or anything else that doesn't come with a large "campaign donation" attached.
ReplyDeleteThis video on budget cuts from a sixth grader is what all teachers, administrators, parents, and community members should be doing. This is a kid who’s making changes and not sitting passively by waiting for someone else to do it for him. I loved the Giving Tree reference! Way to go!!! He reminds us all of a well read poetry book about cutting a tree until there’s nothing left – great connection between text and self/community/country. The boy makes note that his college fund is not enough to cover costs of tuition right now. It will cover even less when this sixth grader is ready to go off to college. Talk about ending on a high note. He talked about assessments – “Is the world a place full of right and wrong answers?” That’s an awesome way to throw back the idea that we should be making learning connect to the real world! Bravo!!!
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