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Education Issues Need More than 9 Seconds

I talk. A lot. NEA tries to make it useful by putting my voice on the radio or television so folks listening can hear what educators are thinking and fearing and hoping. Nobody has enough money to buy enough air time to have the public truly understand what’s at stake. We often have to depend on the kindness of free media and hope that there’s a story that needs to be heard and that educators will be invited to say a few words here or there.

I was interviewed a few weeks ago in a back-to-school network story about how teachers and teaching assistants and even bus drivers often spend money out of their own pockets to get students what school budgets and parents can’t afford.

(Watch a segment of Destination Casa Blanca)

They interviewed me for half an hour. When it aired, it was, of course, part of a larger story and my husband Tivo’d it and counted… 9 seconds of my interview.

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Does Preschool Matter?

I’ve just finished something I’ve come to love. The fact that I love it does not speak well of my mental health. I love being on the only woman – the only teacher, the only one who has ever had to get the attention of 35 human-type children – on a televised panel.

I guess it takes one wise Latina to balance out the guys.

Regardless, I’ve just returned from taping a panel discussion, hosted by one of my favorite reporters, Ray Suarez, for a show called Destination Casa Blanca – Destination White House.

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The show addresses political issues of importance to the Latino community, and arguably one of the most vital issues is education. The panel had a researcher, a civil rights advocate, a private school voucher advocate, Ray and me.

The topic was early childhood education and whether or not it mattered to the success of low-income Hispanic children.

Well, yes, I said. It does. The researcher said, yes it does. The civil rights advocate said, yes it does. The private school voucher advocate said, well, if it does, it doesn’t last so, no. It doesn’t.

That’s when the debate began.

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