School Reformers Can't Destroy the Longing to Learn

The board of our tiny public school district  in New Jersey has hired as superintendent a man who prides himself, as his resume puts it, in "data-driven decision making." His brief (he's 35) CV reads like that of a striving business man, not an educator.

What is missing from his resume, and from the school "reform" movement in public schools, is the understanding that the best educators teach children not just facts, but how those facts have value and how that value finds a place in our children's souls. And so, it was moving for me to discover yesterday, while I was stewing about how New Jersey politicians are deforming public education, our sons were returning from a field trip to the United Nations full of, well, joy. It seems no how badly politicians try to mess up the process of education, the drive to teach and the drive to learn are immutable.

Our In-House Quipster

Our son Lucky. What can I say? He knows how to get a laugh, even when he doesn't mean to. 

One of the benefits of going to parent-teacher conferences is finding out how your sons are behaving in high school. 

His Model UN advisor, Mr. Gold, who we adore, told my husband the following story last week. 

Lucky was in study hall, talking with Mr. Broadfoot. Mr. Gold was walking by in the hallway and heard our son say the following. Keep in mind I am a public school teacher.