ABSTRACT
First-year teachers stood for children they had just met at orientation. Veterans spoke up for young adults they had guided through the minefields of high school. Parents stood for their children's friends, social workers for foster children, foundation leaders for kids across the street, school administrators for their most challenging students. A course correction is clearly needed. The talk about the public schools is dominated by an emphasis on standardization over standards with test scores replacing genuine knowledge of our children and their abilities. When test scores do not rise as dictated we hear saber-rattling from Washington that perhaps a national curriculum and national test is the answer, or maybe privatizing education through a voucher system. Recess and nap times are eliminated, the arts are cut, field trips shut down, reading for pleasure is a thing of the past, and hands-on learning experiences are replaced by hands-off worksheets and drill.
