Children, Of Course, Don't Understand At First

Good Teachers Don't Approach A Child Of This Age With Overzealousness Or With Destructive Conscientiousness. They're Not Drill-masters In The Military Or Floor Managers In A Production System. They Are Specialists In Opening Small Packages. They Give The String A Tug But Do It Carefully. They Don't Yet Know What's In The Box. They Don't Know If It's Breakable.

President Obama Still Places Far Too Much Emphasis On Relentless Testing With Standardized Exams.

I Emphasize Teachers Because They Are Largely Left Out Of The Debate. None Of The Bombastic Reports That Come From Washington And Think Tanks Telling Us What Needs To Be 'fixed' - I Hate Such A Mechanistic Word, As If Our Schools Were Automobile Engines - Ever Asks The Opinions Of Teachers.

Political Struggle Is The Most Important Thing Any Of Us Can Do As A Citizen In A Democracy; And That Means The Old Joining The Young To Fight For Elemental Kinds Of Justice.

Charity Isn't A Good Substitute For Justice.