Tsunami of Change

I sat down to grade this morning and have done exactly what I ask my students not to do: gotten on Facebook at the same time. In an effort to get the distraction out of my system, I'm going to write a blog post about one of the articles I saw in my Facebook newsfeed. And then it's right back to grading!
Linda Murphy, via The Okie Blaze, describes the man recently** confirmed as our state's new Secretary of Education. Dr. Robert Sommers, who has spent the majority of his professional career in Ohio, has come to Oklahoma to presumably "fix" our schools with the implementation of "school performance transparency, teacher evaluation, school choice, digital education options and failing school transformation." The Daily Oklahoman's bio of him can be found here.
After you have looked at his credentials according to the newspaper, read Ms. Murphy's editorial here. She encourages people to consider his background and statements and then contact their state senator about his upcoming conformation.
I do not believe he should be our state's Secretary of Education. You can see how effective my opinions are when you look at our governor and State Superintendent of Education, though. Nevertheless, I have just sent an email to my state senator to share my views about this matter.
What I was struck by, and what is now cutting into my grading time, was the phrase: "tsunami of change." I believe Dr. Sommers pictures thousands of automatrons sitting in orderly rows in a cinderblock factory watching a large screen of a robot lecturing about subject verb agreement. (There may be some hyperbole in that line.)

I certainly hope that there is a tsunami of change.

But I hope that the tsunami comes from teachers, parents, and students who are standing up against high stakes testing and the micromanaging of classroom instruction.

I hope that the tsunami brings a new outlook on teachers as competent professionals with the ability to make important decisions in how students are educated.

I hope that the tsunami washes out politicians who seem to have lost the ability to talk like human beings about what should and can happen in our schools.


**I've found out since publishing this blog that Dr. Sommers was actually confirmed by the state senate this past week.