Dear Friends,
Apologies for the interruption in RF updates. Illness intervened.
We have some outstanding material for those with energy during what, for many, is the last week of school. Congratulations to all who persevered!
We are especially happy to report that all the Rouge Forum educators are back from Oaxaca, where they participated in massive demonstrations in the last few weeks. We are pleased that all are safe and sound and look forward to a detailed report soon.
Here is a podcast with Alfie Kohn, an interview with Michael Baker.
The AFT is backing merit pay, a bosses’ dream, around the US, and it may be that NEA is not too far behind We are all witnessing employers attaching school worker pay and benefits to test scores.
And, given the bread and butter unionism of both AFT and NEA, it is not too surprising that there has been no formal outcry, other than from the Rouge Forum, about school policies which attack kids who cannot always afford the school lunch.
Importantly, here is a request from our colleague Doug Selwyn (doug.selwyn@plattsburgh.edu), seeking information on an action-research project:
These are some of the challenging questions Doug poses to all of us:
- What does it mean to be well educated?
- What do you need to know and be able to do to be successful (whatever that means)?
- How are you served by your education?
- What do you do that helps you to be successful right now?
- What are the characteristics of an educated person?
Rouge Forum members will be leafletting and participating in the upcoming United for Peace and Justice conference in Chicago later this month, noting that UFPJ has no strategy, no analysis of why things are as they are, and therefore winds up with a series of disjointed tactics that, unless altered, will never challenge the class tyranny that typifies every governmental relationship in the world now. UFPj appears to fear naming the world social system, capitalism, and absent that grasp, can only lead people into participating in deepening their own oppression, but confusing that participation with resistance.
At issue is to build a mass base of class conscious people willing to take real responsibility for their own histories and to make sacrifices in order to transcend the system of capital, and reach toward a world where all can care for all, where freedom and creativity can be unleashed by forces of equality and reason.
We will also be at NCSS, the first weekend of December. We will be sponsoring a booth, a pre-conference clinic (a tour of the borders of San Diego), and several workshops. And a party to boot!! Be there or be square.
We expect the next Rouge Forum Conference will be in Louisville, KY, in March, next year.
The struggle in Palestine sharpens every day, as does Iraq and Afghanistan. Robert Fisk who is often featured on our www.rougeforum.org site has a fine short article in the Independent.
Last, remember the Rouge Forum discussion list is open for debate. Email: Rouge-Forum-Discussion@googlegroups.com
Thanks to Judy P (very much), Carolyn, Monty, Donna, Sean A., Wayne, Sheila S., Tommie and Bob, Kelly, Doug and Connie, Betty and Don, Carol J., Phil C and Tom T, Sgt. Carrie, and Dirty Edd.
All the best,
r
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