Back in the fall, someone I know had a piece published in the NYTimes magazine featuring Eva Moskowitz, the head of Success Academies Charter Schools. I wrote him a letter, received a response, and this is what I replied to that. It sums up my feelings about what will work with kids who are failing to thrive academically.
I’ve been putting off writing you back to consider carefully what matters to be said. Probably not much. As you say, you’ve arrived at your conclusions and you aren’t engaging with me to the degree of answering the points I raised. I appreciate your kind words very much. I dislike this adversarial conversation. I still find it difficult to believe that you disagree with me.
The one part where we agree completely is that something must be done about kids with blighted hopes and futures. It seems obvious to me that that something is smaller classes, caring teachers, and plenty of arts and fascinating digressions. The education you chose for your kids is a pattern for all kids. I cannot understand how focusing on test scores and intense discipline is going to help anybody. Stress and pressure do not enhance learning, they impede it.
As for seeing Eva Moskowitz as a lightning rod. . . Public schools are under assault and have no means to defend themselves. Someone who throws rocks through your windows and makes money doing it is not what I’d call a lightning rod.
So that’s another thing that troubles me. Your piece was very far from objective, yet somehow you have the privilege of getting your opinions published. The voice consistently absent from these discussions is career teachers’. Our public education system is for the most part splendid—we do beautiful work except in areas of concentrated poverty. We would do even better if anyone would listen to what teachers know kids and schools need. But instead, some well-intended, impatient people and others who seek profit and some kind of libertarian extinguishing of all government institutions sweep in and declare themselves experts and ignore everything those of us who actually do the job have learned. I hope you read the New Yorker piece about Zuckerberg’s attempt to save Newark’s schools.
I’m sorry, but I am grieved by where you have landed in this debate and I believe you will regret your support for this woman and those groups. In teaching and learning, as in parenting and raising children, there are no shortcuts. We know exactly what works for kids and it’s consistent worldwide and throughout history. Safe, loving, rich environments foster intellectually curious, confident, able kids. You just can’t browbeat someone into being educated. Kids with the least need the most. If Success Academies are achieving, it’s because they are spending more and providing a richer environment with higher teacher:student ratios. It is then utterly unjust to blame the co-habiting public school for not having hedge fund benefactors.
It’s fine with me if you want to let our discussion drop here. I hate the saying “agree to disagree” because we don’t in fact agree, not probably even on disagreeing. Nevertheless, I think we’ve probably said as much to one another as is fruitful and, I hope, respectful and painless. I know I will be glad to shake your hand next time I see you.
I’m still learning how to write letters like this. I can get cranky and start to yell, as it were. That does nothing to open anyone’s mind. Yet how to stay open when you’re dealing with someone who has it all wrong, as you believe? Not easy.
It probably doesn’t do any good, but it’s better than a metaphorical asp.
Katherine Good 