The teachers union voted largely for “liberal” causes =so public ed and that group have suffered nothing but non stop contempt/control/dismantling. Well look at the free press too. It’s not even clear to me now why this isn’t at least seen under Obama, but those forces seem completely in place and replicating, driven as they were the last eight years.
That said I’m not sure if this public ed destabilizing and the “changes” produced better education, well I know how it looked in my CA hood school, I can see it produced narrow test driven ed for the poor. And reduced a teaching staff by and large by drving out the older women to a bunch of rules following, silent and mentally taxed folks that cannot seize the content and do much more lacking any literature or much else…in short it removed the questioning mind and replaced it with one that can, possibly, one day allow anything.

Acorn kind of represents a group, for me, that has responded to the growth of I’ve seen in people unable to cope- by attempting to direct the poor, the undereducated, toward UNDERSTANDING how the games are played. and directing them to do something. If you want to really understand some people listen to the politicians giving the contemptuous talks about Acorn, their sneering, hostile, viperous speech stuff. Then kind of look up what they as a group really actually do. A little reconciliation like that in public ed might be nice too.

I can’t be “tested” for all the affirmation and support I give,the social roles I take on, but it still mattered in kids from violent, broken homes. As a teacher I spend thousands out of pocket with nothing- not even a tax break- but again just told to do my “job.” Have high standards or get out….and that’s what they really want-a revolving 5 year teacher door-no salary increases over time, no retirement, nothing like continuity, no one to stand up to leadership, no tenure. They say they fear “bad teachers” but more they fear effective ones with voices.

I certainly draw the parallels because I see really while I work with the poor, not that I’ve had much ACORN contact-I wish they were in my area working, I see how it’s going. I looked them up a long while past and figured that their work with organization of those in need probably scared some folks.
You wouldn’t want to put a human face on those who got less -while others had more or allow them to talk to you. And to get people politically active-I guess that’s quite contemptuous in these so called political folk.

They might not hold the notions you’ve standardized and assigned.

I like this quote, “Acorn is a troublesome organization. This organization serves several functions: advising the poor about available social services; assisting the unemployed with finding jobs; helping underemployed persons obtain training to improve job skills; and, assisting local governments with voter registration. Acorn is a non profit organization with no real power other than helping people. The Acorn work force is heavy with volunteers.”

I’m glad you chose to talk about Acorn, my mom and I were just discussing their work. When you look at that, it gets kind of hard to sit and hear the outraged congressional/olitical blowing that objects to trying to go work with those who need it.