OMG, you guys, New York is a Race to the Top winner! Like, yay! It's going to be totally awesome! I, for one, am super-excited that we'll be hearing from more consultants who have possibly never been in a classroom and getting more principals who ran screaming from classrooms. I think it is awesome that we'll be getting more feedback about why we suck.Sorry to sound bitter. I promise it has nothing to do with the fact that the first day of school is two weeks away. I'm actually pretty excited about getting back to work. No, the bitterness isn't really personal.
I just can't get excited about this business. Even if it didn't represent so much of what is wrong with education today (which it does), I don't see why it's such a good thing that all of the responsibility for change is out of the hands of teachers, kids, and parents. I don't see why people are so thrilled that we're getting all of this money if it seems like pretty much none of it is actually going to go into a single classroom or building. And I suspect that teachers and kids who are doing just fine (which is not all of them, but more than, say, the Post would have you believe) are going to be forced to change a lot of things, maybe even good things that shouldn't be changed, to comply with RttT requirements. Slow and steady, it seems, doesn't win this particular race.
Well, whatevs, you know? NYC teachers are used to mandates being dropped in our laps from above. I'm going to have a glass of wine and maybe buy another pack of markers. Because, in other news, it's school supply season, and if this post got you down a little, visit Mrs. Mimi's blog and revel in all her pretty postings about children's books and her love of folders. It will make you feel better. Heaven knows reading more about **hallelujahchorusing** RACE TO THE TOP won't.
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