CALLING QUITS IN CAROLINA: Veteran teacher Kris L. Nielsen pulls the curtains back on North Carolina public schools in this passionate resignation letter posted on Diane Ravitch's blog. Nielsen's exhaustive list of reasons -- the 23 detailed points tally a mind-boggling 891 words -- reads more like a Utopian teacher's code of conduct than a sayonara note. There aren't any specific criticisms of education technology, but Nielsen raises deep questions about getting carried away with collecting data--at the expense of teaching and real learning.
Cooler heads may question the wisdom and motivations behind posting a heated letter online, but as one friendly commenter points out, the "letter is all about her like Animal Farm was all about pigs and chickens...It is about the state of education today and gives voice to what many experienced, effective, talented teachers are feeling." Happy trails, Mr. Nielsen.
