Category: Treeroots

Ravitch review

11/21/2014

Momma Bears, BATs, and TREE are still on cloud 9 after Wednesday night's event with Diane Ravitch. It was powerful to see so many "just Moms," Dads, grandparents, teachers, administrators, elected school board members, and legislators there to support the PUBLIC education of children. It was uplifting, it was inspiring, it was definitely something we will do again!

The highlight of the night, of course, was hearing Diane Ravitch speak. This was her first time to travel since her knee surgery in April. At 76 years old, she's got a lot of energy and stamina! She was also speaking the next morning at a convention of education technology people. We asked her what on earth she was going to say at such a reformy convention of people eager to cash-in on education dollars. She said "well, they aren't going to like what I am going to say!" Diane Ravitch fearlessly speaks the truth. She is opposed to the profit-driven reform that includes Common Core, excessive testing, and charter schools. She bases this on facts. She's got a wealth of wisdom and knowledge in her head, and she's not afraid to use it!

Words of widsom from Diane Ravitch's speech:

Race to the Top... What is the top? As long as we have 25% of children in poverty, we cannot reach the top.
They say that charter schools are for black and Hispanic children so the Democrats will fall for it, but the money goes to the Republicans.
Public education is a civic responsibility, not a consumer good.
We should reduce poverty and segregation as a matter of public policy.
Billionaires love the free market because it worked for them.
Reformers want us to think as consumers, and not as citizens.
Education is a basic human right.
Charter schools will never take over an entire district. There must always be public schools to dump the struggling students.
The biggest hoax of all is that school choice is the civil rights issue of our time.
We are the most over-tested nation on earth. We are the only nation testing every child every year.
Japan has the highest test scores in the world, but a stagnant economy.
If we want to raise test scores, we need to reduce the number of 'have-nots'.
There's this crazy idea that if kids can't pass the test, just make the test harder.
The Opt-out movement is the biggest way to say 'no' to the testing. It is growing day by day.
Test results don't show student learning, they show who is in the class.
The strongest educational systems in the world don't allow amateurs to become state superintendent.
Reformers love data more than they love children.
Poor kids get computers to teach them, rich kids get teachers. That's not right!
Charters today look like the schools of the 19th century (with regards to segregation and rigidity)
We are many. They are few.
Merit pay for teachers is like a zombie... It never works and it never dies.
Teach For America makes a lot of money renting young people to school districts. It is destroying the teaching profession.
There is no 'Teach for Finland'. You cannot fire your way to Finland.
I think it is very important to interact with children before becoming a teacher. (referring to TFA-like programs)
Don't hire amateur teachers, amateur principals, amateur superintendents... or amateur commissioners of education!
Poverty is not an excuse. It is a reality.
There are too many billionaires in America for so many children to be in poverty!

There were so many great things she said. Even the Q & A at the end was terrific! Watch the entire event below or click HERE to open it in a new browser:

Broadcast live streaming video on Ustream

Shocking news: this was NOT a grassroots event.
No, it was something much more terrifying to reformers... Click HERE to see what we mean.

Every fashionable Momma Bear, BAT, and TREE should have a shirt! Click HERE to get your very own festive green shirt just in time for the holidays! You can order and pay online via Paypal. To get a shirt:
1. Log into Paypal.
2. Click "Pay for goods and services"
3. Enter April's email: wawinton@gmail.com
4. include $15 per shirt + $2.50 shipping for a total of $17.50 per shirt
5. In the notes, include your shipping address, shirt size, and contact info (your email or phone).
The proceeds from these shirts will help to make other such events possible in TN. Thank you!!!

Momma Bears are smoking grassroots

10/2/2013

3 Comments

First, let me say that I don't smoke anything. Keep reading, though, you might be surprised...

Quite a few organizations call themselves "grassroots." It sounds so earthy and wholesome, doesn't it? "Grassroots" doesn't mean what you think it does.

If you see a "grassroots" organization with these:

a slick marketing campaign,
professionally-printed signs,
free t-shirts,
glossy pamphlets,
pens with their logo,
squishy balls with their logo,
frisbees with their logo,
beer can cooshies with their logo,
billboards with their logo,
television or radio advertisements,
fancy charter busses full of their supporters,
glowing newspaper articles from their professionally-written press releases,
copy machines that cost more than your minivan,
staff members that make 6-figure salaries,
a rented office located in an office-park,
a lawyer on retainer,
if they pay parents $ and give them a free t-shirt to attend school board meetings,
if they take charter bus-loads of cute children wearing their free t-shirts to legislative events, and drill those children on exactly what to say to the politicians,
if they give campaign contributions to elected officials,
if they host fancy luncheons, dinners, or retreats for elected officials,
if their organization's members are in your Superintendent's cabinet (despite having little or no experience in education or classrooms)
if their organization's members are strangely appointed to positions of authority (despite having little or no experience in education or classrooms),
if they only answer emails and calls about their organization during business hours.

That is NOT grassroots!
You can bet some sugar-daddy company paid for all of it. This is what we Momma Bears call: "astroturf." Some may even go so far as to call those types of groups: "weeds." (Gosh, I hope their lawyer doesn't sue us for saying that.)

True grassroot parent groups don't have that kind of money to spend on marketing. Heck, we spend all our money on our children and on school fundraisers because public schools aren't funded adequately. (Would you like to buy some wrapping paper and chocolate bars so our band can purchase more drums for all the students who want to play percussion?) Instead, we Momma Bears publicize by word-of-mouth, email, Facebook, Twitter, and maybe some photocopies from our little desktop printers (which reminds me: I need to get my ink cartridges refilled at Costco soon).

What does the root of grass look like? Grass roots are really quite shallow so they can quickly suck up nutrients. Grass is a fickle seasonal plant (as my husband can attest to). If it doesn't get enough water, it withers and dies. If it doesn't get enough light, it dies. If it gets too much water in the hot sun, it scorches and dies. Grass has to be fertilized and aerated, and sometimes even needs a layer of sand on top so the roots don't rot. Grass is high-maintenance. Grass is expensive. Somebody has to chop grass heads off every week or two (so code enforcement doesn't come to your house and give you a citation for having an unkempt yard). Also, dogs poop in grass.

Momma Bears is definitely NOT grassroots. We are deeper than that... we are a TREE ROOTS organization. Our roots run deep and wide into the ground to create a strong support system. Even when trees are dormant, they are still full of life. Trees are permanent and unmovable. You can't just dig them up, roll them up, and put them in another yard like you can sod. Trees give cooling shade and are, for the most part, low maintenance. They grow and flourish wherever they take root in many climates. Trees offer protection for birds and animals. Trees offer enjoyment for children who swing and climb in their branches. As pleasant as trees are, you should never underestimate tree roots one bit, because tree roots are strong and expansive. Powerful roots can damage foundations, sidewalks, and sewer lines without anyone even realizing what is happening under ground.

Here is my favorite part:
What doesn't grow under a tree?
Grass.
My husband can tell you this is a truth because he had to add more stinky mulch last year to cover up the areas under our big trees where grass would not grow.

Momma Bears is not grassroots, we are TREEroots. We are growing quickly and meeting other Trees that grow in other parts of the state and country. We can make a difference. The grassroots organizations are terrified of us. They can't outspend our intelligence, and they can't buy our votes. We are smart. We are informed. We are powerful. We will do what is right for our children and their schools.

Coming up in future blogs:
Momma Bears is going to tell you about some of these so-called "grassroots" organizations that claim to be advocating for your children. Parents, you need to know about them, so that your branches can block their light.
Click HERE to read our "Liar, Liar Pants on Fire" series about so-called Grassroots organizations

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3 Comments

Ravitch review

Momma Bears are smoking grassroots

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