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December 11, 2009
Joel Klein touts education journalism at GothamSchools event
As Schools Chancellor Joel Klein himself admitted, he’s provided a lot of grist for our site in its first year. His name has appeared more than 5,000 times on GothamSchools, far more than anyone else.
So we were excited when Klein agreed to speak at our party earlier this week. Love him or hate him, Klein is a great party guest. The chancellor offered some kind words for the GothamSchools community and the role of education journalism.
“I think the work you’re doing —the ability to give people voice, and the ability for people to disagree, to argue, to learn from each other — is enormously powerful, in many ways much more powerful than the daily fare in the daily newspaper,” he said. “And in that respect, what you’ve done has made the process better, richer. I’ve learned from it.”
(Agree with Klein? Here’s how to help.)
For those of you who missed it (or for those who want to relive the magic), here’s a video of the chancellor’s remarks. Take a look:
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December 11th, 2009 8:20 pm
GS, I tried to listen to Klein and how he tried to banter with the crowd and just too much nails-to-a-blackboard sensation. Couldn’t you show a video on a person who enjoy would listening to? like a teacher, or a councilperson, or a student, hell, I would listen to the school’s custodian. I decline to listen to Klein.
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December 11th, 2009 8:59 pm
Relive the magic? A great party guest? You must be nuts. I was going to contribute to GS until you touted the speech of this evil sanctimonious dwarf. The fact that you are trying to use Klein’s speech to solicit for contributions shows very poor sense. Who do you think we are? Hedge fund managers or wall st. moguls who know nothing about the destruction he is wreaking on our schools? The man has nothing for contempt for parents and teachers and the feeling is mutual. Frankly, I’d rather listen to Osama bin Laden.
A blog that doesn’t know its audience has a very poor chance at survival.
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December 11th, 2009 10:31 pm
To disgusted mom,
I agree with you 200%. Klein does not want what is best for children. He has a self-interest agenda that does not involve supporting and helping schools to deal with the various challenges of educating the 1.1 million children. If it means to hurt hundreds of thousands of at-risk children so that the Mayor and the Chancellor can dismantle public schools, then they will cut-off their nose to spite their face.
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December 11th, 2009 11:34 pm
First, if you were really going to contribute until you saw that post, and now you’re not going to just because of that, then you are a spiteful human being and a discredit to the thoughtful folks who usually comment here. If you don’t want to contribute, fine, but don’t issue a blogorific press release about it just to make the writers feel bad. And really, you’d rather listen to Osama bin Laden? Actually, that makes sense because your English grammar is probably closer to bin Laden’s than to Klein’s. What’s more, the post was obviously meant to keep with the atmosphere of uninhibited discourse that the event engendered. Are you suggesting that you would rather have the man in control of the city schools operate in the dark than be made to speak to the public? Surely, no matter how reprehensible you find his content, you would be more distressed if he could hide completely from sight a la government officials in tyrannies. The fact that a nascent online publication was able to draw Klein to the event is a triumph to begin with. It means he can’t hide. And, since you probably didn’t listen to the speech, you don’t know that he made several tense jokes that clearly suggested he feels criticized by this publication. Gotham Schools isn’t using Klein to get money the way that Nike uses Michael Jordan or the way those huffy starlets use kids with cleft palates, they are promoting the fact that his appearance and even his banter with the audience represents dialogue that is in danger of shriveling to nothing as education reporting goes the way of Donkey Kong Jr. Math. If you don’t want to listen to the man, don’t listen, but don’t act like you’re withholding your dirty nickel because the GUY IN CHARGE WAS ALLOWED TO SPEAK! Did Time magazine not advertise its exclusive access to George W. Bush in years past? You might not like the guy, but then again, you probably don’t like anybody.
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December 12th, 2009 6:27 am
Disgusted mom,
I feel you on the weirdness of our stretching for an endorsement from the chancellor. I was thrilled to see him say he is glad journalism exists, even if he feels like all we ever do is bring him down. But I don’t ever want to get to the point where I’d change my reporting in order to get that endorsement, and I’m glad to know that readers like you are going to be loud about that if it looks like it’s happening.
I do wish you could have been to the event and seen the way people who agree with you about the chancellor were, if not engaging with his speech, definitely engaging with people who do like him. I know it sounds ridiculous, but watching Eva Moskowitz and Norm Scott be in the same room without a duel developing — that was magic to me. And I’m glad other people had the same feeling. (http://ednotesonline.blogspot.com/2009/12/one-happy-fela-and-parteeee-at-gotham.html)
Still, I didn’t see Joel Klein and Diane Ravitch talk once. (Though you do know Diane issued a scathing critique of everything Joel stands for after his speech, right? That’s coming up too.) And clearly you didn’t come this time. So we’ll decline from accepting our peace prize just yet.
Please keep on reading and sharing your thoughts. Finally, if in your reply you could decline from calling me a dwarf, I’d appreciate it.
Elizabeth
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December 12th, 2009 1:51 pm
We simply can’t have a forum that invites respectful debate of all postions when some would take issue with…. a forum that invites respectful debate of all positions.
Who needs an echo chamber… ber…ber…ber?
And you all know how I feel about the policies, politics, and pizza predelictions of the Chancellor, but that ain’t the point.
That being said, I think one reason he would endorse GS is that he feels his position will prevail in open debate. I hope he’s proven wrong, but I welcome the debate.
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December 12th, 2009 3:01 pm
Michael M.,
I’m not certain those are the chancellor’s feelings, but I’d pay to see that debate, and perhaps the proceeds could benefit Gotham. I nominate Diane Ravitch to present the other side, and you’ll pardon me if I sit while I wait for the invitation to be accepted.
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December 12th, 2009 4:22 pm
Thanks for the shout out Elizabeth. I was the one worried about fisticuffs when Leonie was talking to Evil. But hey Disgusted Mom. Even when we battle politically, it is not worthwhile to get personal. However, your attitude does express the way people feel about him. But if you think he is any different that Arne Duncan, Michelle Rhee or any of the national ed deformers - you are mistaken. They are only fulfilling their mission to destroy public education. Our job is not to rail at them but to try and stop them. And even do it with a smile.
I said hello to HSA’s pub director who I even schmooze with when we hold demos at schools Evil and her gang invade. And I video her videotaping us. And I spent way too much time talking to David Cantor who I can’t dislike no matter how idiotic his defenses of Tweed get. I see it as material for us to use. The people who I was bothered seeing were UFT hacks like Leo Casey but I’m still giving Gotham my $50 bucks. And I don’t even expect HSA and Gotham funder Ken Hirsch to match it with a contribution to ICE or GEM despite my giving him and Elizabeth a brief - and free - seminar on how the UFT is undemocratic.
And yes Arthur, a Gotham sponsored fund-raising debate between Tweed’s best and Diane. But if Diane can’t make it we can pick from hundreds of teachers and parents who would gladly jump in and I bet do pretty well.
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December 12th, 2009 5:06 pm
The best open debate than bogus self-grading, control of the MSM’s editorial pages, and $100M of the boss’s money can buy. ; - )
Got Manufactured Consent?
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