[Vision2020] Matt Damon on Why Teachers Teach

[Tom Hansen]

Courtesy of the Washington Post at:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/post/matt-damons-clear-headed-speech-to-teachers-rally/2011/07/30/gIQAG9Q6jI_blog.html

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Matt Damon’s clear-headed speech to teachers rally

Here is the speech that actor Matt Damon gave today to thousands of
teachers, parents and others who attended the Save Our Schools march on
the Ellipse near the White House to protest the Obama administration’s
education policies that are centered on standardized tests.

Damon was the last of many speakers, including Diane Ravitch, Linda
Darling-Hammond, Deb Meier and Jonathan Kozol. I’ve published posts of
theirs before, so here is something different: Damon’s common-sense,
straight-to-the-point speech.

   "I flew overnight from Vancouver to be with you today. I landed in New
York a few hours ago and caught a flight down here because I needed to
tell you all in person that I think you’re awesome.

    I was raised by a teacher. My mother is a professor of early childhood
education. And from the time I went to kindergarten through my senior
year in high school, I went to public schools. I wouldn’t trade that
education and experience for anything.

    I had incredible teachers. As I look at my life today, the things I
value most about myself — my imagination, my love of acting, my
passion for writing, my love of learning, my curiosity — all come from
how I was parented and taught.

    And none of these qualities that I’ve just mentioned — none of these
qualities that I prize so deeply, that have brought me so much joy,
that have brought me so much professional success — none of these
qualities that make me who I am ... can be tested.

    I said before that I had incredible teachers. And that’s true. But
it’s more than that. My teachers were EMPOWERED to teach me. Their
time wasn’t taken up with a bunch of test prep — this silly drill and
kill nonsense that any serious person knows doesn’t promote real
learning. No, my teachers were free to approach me and every other kid
in that classroom like an individual puzzle. They took so much care in
figuring out who we were and how to best make the lessons resonate
with each of us. They were empowered to unlock our potential. They
were allowed to be teachers.

    Now don’t get me wrong. I did have a brush with standardized tests at
one point. I remember because my mom went to the principal’s office
and said, ‘My kid ain’t taking that. It’s stupid, it won’t tell you
anything and it’ll just make him nervous.’ That was in the ’70s when
you could talk like that.

    I shudder to think that these tests are being used today to control
where funding goes.

    I don’t know where I would be today if my teachers’ job security was
based on how I performed on some standardized test. If their very
survival as teachers was based on whether I actually fell in love with
the process of learning but rather if I could fill in the right bubble
on a test. If they had to spend most of their time desperately
drilling us and less time encouraging creativity and original ideas;
less time knowing who we were, seeing our strengths and helping us
realize our talents.

    I honestly don’t know where I’d be today if that was the type of
education I had. I sure as hell wouldn’t be here. I do know that.

    This has been a horrible decade for teachers. I can’t imagine how
demoralized you must feel. But I came here today to deliver an
important message to you: As I get older, I appreciate more and more
the teachers that I had growing up. And I’m not alone. There are
millions of people just like me.

    So the next time you’re feeling down, or exhausted, or unappreciated,
or at the end of your rope; the next time you turn on the TV and see
yourself called “overpaid;” the next time you encounter some
simple-minded, punitive policy that’s been driven into your life by
some corporate reformer who has literally never taught anyone
anything. ... Please know that there are millions of us behind you.
You have an army of regular people standing right behind you, and our
appreciation for what you do is so deeply felt. We love you, we thank
you and we will always have your back."

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Video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7Jh3Z52KV0

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Seeya round town, Moscow.

Tom Hansen
Moscow, Idaho

"The Pessimist complains about the wind, the Optimist expects it to change
and the Realist adjusts his sails."

- Author Unknown