Bernie Sanders: Destined to be our Next President?

Or should I say "doomed?"

I don't generally rant on this blog. So I won't. What I do want to do is to point out what is becoming increasingly obvious--and to affirm, if not to gloat, that I have been an avid supporter since before he announced his candidacy for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States. Before Bernie, there simply was no real hope.

I recently reread George Orwell's 1984. Chilling it is, and so reverberating with correspondences to what's going on in our world today that I recommend it to anyone. In a way, we've been exercising the practices of the Ministry of Truth for a long, long time. He who holds the history books holds the "truth," yes? The genocide perpetrated upon Native Americans, slavery, what's always been around but is now labelled "income inequality," just to mention a few notable/ignoble events and conditions--these have been glossed over, in some cases almost to proportions in Orwell's book, in our textbooks and history books. We've made some mistakes.

The attention-diversion events Orwell calls Hate Days eerily mirror the (intended or otherwise) effects of both Dancing with the Stars and any Donald Trump speech. Our media actually spends significant time on events like this, elevating them to "news," while pointedly taking a pass or glossing over issues like rampant death by police; Congressional mass nuking of social funding while elimating taxes for the obscenely rich; and public health issues like the Flint, Michigan poisoning of the public water supply in favor of budgetary savings. These decisions reek of conspiracy to some, but I think it's really only the way our nation has declined in dedication to the common good.

Remember the "Me generation?" It was misplaced on baby boomers. It's all of us.

I don't exempt myself. Oh, I'll buy an occasional newspaper from the homeless person at the corner stoplight. I'll give monthly to public radio. I'll dedicate my work life to improving online learning options and experiences for MNPS students (and hopefully, helping develop models that can be replicated all over the world). I'll post on social media until the cows come home, with support for Sanders and disdain for his opponents (I really do like Hillary Clinton but she's so much a part of the problem I cannot support her--of course I'll vote for her if she gains the nomination, which I hope does not happen). I'll contribute small amounts of dollars to his campaign. But go door to door? Attend a meeting? No way.

I'm not sure why that's the case, but I will say that as soon as I heard the first glimmers about Bernie Sanders possibly running, I did some research on the World Wide Webz and sent him my first 5 dollars. I ignored all the "he can't win" talk and I threw in. I'm confident he'll win New Hampshire (the most liberal state in the union, to hear some describe it, after all) and probably Iowa. If that happens, folks have to at least listen.

So to you I say, listen on. Make your own decisions but don't make them based on fear (however "not absolutely groundless"), because if we abandon hope and predicate our American decision on fear alone, we lose. If we elect Bernie, we have a chance at winning. I'm hopeful.

MNPS Initiates "PD of the Future" with MNPS All-Stars Training

Roughly 6,000 public school teachers will all be consistently exposed to a rigorous online self-paced course in Blackboard over the remainder of Spring semester and through the summer. In all schools in the district this week and ongoing, All-Star "Lead Learners" are introducing this program to their full-time certificated charges of 50 or fewer teachers along with the District expectation that they complete it by what I like to call "August the Oneth."

For the first time in my own 4 year employment with Metro, every single teacher will be on the same page with important concepts, policies, and resources--including Education 2018 (MNPS's plan "to become the highest performing school district in the nation by 2018"),  Common Core State Standards, PARCC testing, District hardware and software, Response to Instruction and Intervention, Teaching for Understanding, and what the district is calling it's "Lever of Change," Personalized Learning.

from http://www.mnps.org/AssetFactory.aspx?did=86150

Ever since I heard David Warlick speak for the first time, likely around 1996 or 1997, I have been on board with the concepts underlying this change. I honestly never thought I would hear support for it coming from any administration. I couldn't even really get support for it in the private school sector. It seemed idealistic and revolutionary. Do you know why? it IThis, my friends, is huge.

I was lucky to have been chosen as one of those Lead Learners and to have undergone a two day training at Martin Professional Development Center last month. When I heard our Assistant Superintendent Jay Steele explain that he believed that there was still to be too much testing going on but "that's the world we live in," even that element glimmered with hope for the future. All through the training, my dear friend Dr. Kecia Ray, Executive Director of Learning Technology and current President of ISTE, and others reminded us that we were blazing new trails and emphasized that any new ideas we had for improvement would be heard and acted upon if deemed appropriate. Again, this is a public school district, the largest in the state, serving well over 80,000 students in an amazingly culturally diverse county, with demographic and socio-economic statistics that should scare anyone attempting to do the right thing by all its constituents. I'll throw one at you: "72% Economically Disadvantaged." You can see them all here.

Expect to hear more about this. We are on the move. I'm proud to be a small part of it.

How I (Seamus) Spent My Summer Vacation

My dear godson Seamus Morrison, son of my brother-from-another-mother James, spent his summer in a very unique way. I'm pleased to share that he's taken up his piano lessons again, that he attends his wonderful independent school half-day or more as he's taking up the rest of his therapy, and that he is a hero of mine. We can all learn from the powerpoint he created to share...

Find more videos like this on seamusupdates (Note: Seamusupdates is a private ning, so that unless you are a family member or an extended family member, clicking on that link will likely be to no avail.)

Great Moments

I often promise myself not to use my blog for political commentary. Who am I to comment on the political ebbings and tidings of American politics. Wow. Did I say "ebbings and tidings?" I must have been influenced by recently viewing a YouTube video compilation of some of the best of the best from David Letterman's "Great Moments in Presidential Speeches" spot.

The answer is, of course, that I'm nobody. But I am somebody who was so impressed by Barack Obama's speech on Race and Politics in America yesterday that I have to applaud it out loud here. I'm hoping against hope that the upcoming years of our America can be characterized more by Obama's level of candor and sincerity, intellect and introspection, and genuine commitment to change than by our current leader's perhaps not so inadvertent obfuscation. Whether you are for him or against him, any effort to discount his eloquence is doomed to failure.

Hope with me.

Cheers,
Scott