Why I March

Next Saturday is the Save Our Schools March in Washington, D.C. I'll be heading down for the day. As part of the protest, those going are being asked to write "Why I March." Here's mine.

I believe in democracy.

I believe that, as the Massachusetts Constitution says, "(w)isdom, and knowledge, as well as virtue, diffused generally among the body of the people, being necessary for the preservation of their rights and liberties" that we must educate the next generation in order for democracy to succeed.

I believe that educating citizens to participate in a democracy is one of the most complicated and most important things we can do, and I believe that it cannot be legitimately represented on a data chart.

I believe that every five year old sitting in a classroom is there to become an educated member of our society, not simply a worker in our economy.

I believe that far too many decisions are being made about education in this country by people who never have stood before a classroom, never have supervised a recess, never have sat in a staff meeting, never have written and rewritten a lesson plan, never have wondered what to do about that one kid they just can't seem to reach.

I believe that far too many decisions are being made about education in this country by people who have never agonized over their decision on where to send their children to school, never watched with great concern as their local budget gets cut and cut again, never asked when their kids were going to learn history or science, never wondered where the joy that they remember in their own elementary days has gone in their children's lives.

I believe there is far too much corporate say in education, and that a society in which the voices of big business are listened to above all else is a society out of balance.

I believe that standardized testing is an illegitimate means of evaluating students, schools, teachers, principals, districts, and superintendents, and I believe that a decade under No Child Left Behind has left our nation's schools weaker.

I believe that education funding should not be subject to political whim, and I believe that the priority we place on funding our children's education speaks volumes about who we are as a nation.

When I took office as a member of the Worcester School Committee last January, I swore to uphold the Constitution of the United States.
However, at this time, national education policy does not work to establish justice. It does not ensure domestic tranquillity. It does not provide for the common defense. It does not promote the general welfare. As such, it does not form a more perfect union, and it will not secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity.
I meant what I said when I took that oath, and I fight hard to fulfill it.
The President, members of the Cabinet, and members of Congress also took such an oath. Next week, I will be in Washington to remind them to fulfill it.

That is why I march.