California Educator

September 2014

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Feature allowed to be present in a classroom where Duncan was supposed to discuss the value of education with youngsters. I was told by the Secret Service not to ask questions. It was hard to keep a straight face. "Mr. Duncan, do you play basketball with President Obama?" asked a student. "Yes, I do. Next question," said Duncan. "How often do you play basketball with President Obama?" "Not often. Any other questions about why education is important?" "Who wins when you play basketball with Obama?" And so it went with more questions about basketball and Obama. The teacher asked one of her students to present the class gift to the secretary of education. The student came forth, handed it to Duncan, and said, "Please give this to Obama instead," while the teacher cringed and looked for another gift to present to Duncan. Just as students remained focused on basketball and Obama, Duncan remained single-mindedly focused on RTTT during his meetings with CTA leaders following the class visit, refusing to back down. California applied for RTTT and was rejected. But to meet RTTT eligibility, the state adopted the Common Core State Stan- dards, which offered schools an opportunity for creativity and collaboration. Call it a sil- ver lining. And now it's 2014, the year things are supposed to be perfect. Of course, schools remain f ar from perfect. But things are improving. After years of gloom, I sense optimism among educators that the joy of teaching will return. Many members I interview say the Common Core is showing promise in the classroom. I too feel hopeful. I no longer tell people I am covering the demise of public education. And although it made for interesting stories, I won't miss writing about this terrible law and the dev- astating legacy it left behind. "In my view, NCLB was part of a conspiracy to tell the public that schools were failing in an effort to privatize public education, make money for corporations and attack labor," says Laura Gonzalez, Windsor District Education Association (above). "It was never about the kids." "I felt an obligation to my students, so I wouldn't move to a new topic if they were not getting it," says Lisa Denmon Mays (left). "I took the consequences and stood up for my students." 14 www.cta.org

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