Recently, it was reported on DCist that DC Teacher Chic, an area teacher and edu-blogger, finally had enough bureaucracy/disorganization/absurdity from DCPS and quit her full time teaching position at a southeast DC middle school. It is unknown how frequently this situation occurs, and to what extent it goes unnoticed and how much it may contribute to the dearth of experienced teachers in the city. These questions and uncertainties got me thinking about DC Teacher Chic’s situation.
Although I had never read DC Teacher Chic’s blog prior to her resignation from DCPS, it seems like an illuminating record for for the rest of the public that does not have have a sense of how absurdly disruptive a public school classroom can get. I won’t lie; when I read the first paragraph of her farewell post, my initial reaction to her resigning from her position was somewhere between distaste and resentment. When confronted with situations like this, it is easy to have a knee-jerk reaction of what one is supposed to think.
We’ve got a new President, and the White House will soon have a new hypo-allergenic, adopted, puppy mill-rescued canine playing on the grounds. Although determining what type of puppy to get Sasha and Malia is a task that will undoubtedly receive more scrutiny than his solution to the global economic crisis, President-Elect Barack Obama has substantially bigger fish to fry in the selection of educational institutions for his adorably sweet pre-Washington daughters.
A school for their daughters is probably the most difficult choice that Michelle and Barack will have to make in the coming eight (that’s right, I said it) years. Hopefully, when the family leaves the White House, Sasha will be 18 and Malia, 15. These girls will not only be learning some of the most important lessons of their life at their new school, but they will grow into young women. Thus, it is imperative that the President- and First Lady-elect read this review of the schools that the family should consider in the Washington, DC Metropolitan Area. As an educator and native of this city, I am certain that I can offer the Obamas the essential informed and unbiased opinion of the area’s educational institutions of all types: public, private, parochial, and other. Whether they listen is up to the omniscient intergoogleweb.
Despite Michelle Rhee’s efforts, the DC public school pickings are slim. Thus, we will definitely disqualify them for the running. Moreover, I don’t think that the Catholic and Christian schools in the area can hold a candle to the region’s independent schools, so that pretty much rules them out as well. Thus, in order of my increasing endorsement, here is what I feel are the Obamas’ best choices of schools for Sasha and Malia.
Wow. I can barely believe the news. Even if I don’t agree with all of Obama’s politics all of the time, I am elated and proud that we were able to get this far.
I’m amazed that we will have a president who comes from a mixed race family. Someone who is used to people being confused by his name and family tree. Someone who knows what it’s like to be asked constantly, “What are you?” Someone who is even related to an Ng (Barack’s sister is Maya Soetero-Ng), which means he’s almost maybe practically related to me. Someone who has spent time with his family in Indonesia and Kenya. Someone who bothered to mention the words “gay” and “Asian” and “Native American” in his acceptance speech. I feel a remarkable sense of validation.
But I am still struggling to understand why 52 percent of California voted for Prop 8. Or why the proponents of Prop 8 put so much force behind their campaign in the first place. Who in their right mind is so fired up to deny other people rights that they already have? Where do you even get the energy to be so against something that doesn’t even negatively affect you—or anyone—at all?
California’s Prop 8, as well as the preemptive banning of same-sex marriage in Arizona and Florida and the loss of adoption rights in Arkansas, have me really angry and sad and confused about our country this morning. But it gives me consolation to know that we just elected a man who was firmly against Prop 8 and who occasionally takes the time to mention LBGT rights. There’s at least a chance.
According to Sarah, there is a phone banker from our Aspinwall office who yesterday treated herself to a full size candy bar after every single sheet of calls she finished. (There are maybe 12 calls on a sheet.)
And speaking of candy, did you see this news story about the Pittsburgh resident* who denied candy to trick-or-treaters who were children of Obama supporters?
And speaking of Obama supporters…what a cast of characters Anne and I are working with in Etna, PA!
There’s 82-year-old Saul, a wheelchair-bound, oxygen tank-toting WWII veteran phone banker who gets saucy with the ladies in between calls. (He invited a 90-year-old canvasser (!) to have a seat on his lap.) Saul was the last volunteer to leave tonight; it took us and his wife (who has mobility issues herself) 15 minutes to get him into the van when he finally headed out. And he’ll be back at 10am.
Yet another truly disappointing move by Republicans…today, I received an e-mail from my friend Samir with an update from Minnesota:
I’m working on one of the most hotly contested congressional races in the country for a guy [Ashwin Madia] who – if elected – would be the only Indian-American in Congress.
Ashwin is a veteran of the Marine Corps, the Iraq war, and the JAG corps. He’s running what sounds like an awesome, positive, issue-driven campaign. And it’s working – polls have shown him narrowly ahead of his Republican opponent in MN-3, incumbent Erik Paulsen.
So in a turn to negative campaigning of (in my opinion) the most unacceptable kind, the National Republican Campaign Committee has put out an ad against Ashwin in which experts say his skin tone was deliberately darkened. Watch the local news coverage below:
