“I have little confidence in those who are using their power to reshape the teaching profession, whatever point in the political spectrum they come from. And I am not too confident that parents, students and teachers have the power to overturn the apple cart and create and support public schools that place student needs and aptitudes above data gathering, social engineering, and meeting the needs of future employers. But what I can do, as one person, and I am doing, is trying to teach better than ever. To wake up in the middle of the night thinking– what can I do to inspire my students and get them to identify with the material, make it their own, and speak and write about it in THEIR voice? It’s not much. But it is something. And it is better than giving up.”- Mark Naison 1/17/15