Monday, July 26, 2021

This Will Be Our Last Post Together

Reading Aloud to Henry Walsh
The little counter that accompanies the analytics page of this blog tells me that this is my 400th post. I have decided that it will be the last. To paraphrase Dr. Pangloss, I make this decision for the best of all possible reasons. I have said what I have to say on the topic of literacy instruction and after nine years out of the classroom, I think it is time for new voices to take up the cause of thoughtful literacy instruction.

I started this blog in earnest after I retired nine years ago to continue the conversation with teachers about literacy instruction that I had begun at the start of my teaching career in 1969. As I wrote, I found I could not avoid commenting on issues related to public education like the Common Core, the education reform movement, charters, vouchers and the like. Diane Ravitch, Jonathan Pelto, Mary Howard, Stu Bloom, Mike Simpson and others started sharing my work and the blog reached a wider audience than I could have ever imagined.  

I am grateful and humbled by this. Over the years, however, new voices have joined the blogosphere with fresh and knowing perspectives. I found that Peter Greene at Curmudgucation did a better job of debunking education reform than I did. Paul Thomas at Radical Eyes for Equity did a better job on social justice issues. Jersey Jazzman did a better job of debunking the myth of charter school excellence. Steven Singer at The Gadfly in the Wall did a better job at righteous indignation. So I decided to stay in my literacy lane, for the most part, the one area I felt I had some real expertise.

As I look back on my literacy writing for this blog over the past few years, I truly feel I have said what I needed to say. It is all out there in cyberspace for those who want it. When I took a year off from writing the blog a while back, I noticed that thousands kept visiting the old posts even without new content. I trust that will continue and I hope teachers and teacher leaders continue to find them useful.

So that's it. I hope all of you will continue the good fight for good literacy instruction. It is a never ending battle, and while I know we will never get it completely right, I know that many of you will continue to passionately pursue the best literacy instruction possible for children. This fight demands knowledge, informed decision making, the will to speak up for the children, the will to take risks in instruction, and the desire to continue to read, write, learn and grow. Keep at it.

I am off on new projects. I have decided in my 75th year of reading, writing, acting, and blathering that the truest, most lasting form of human communication is through story. I plan to spend much of my remaining time writing and telling stories that I hope will resonate with others. If you are a baseball fan, you might be interested in one such story project: my new blog The Faith of a Phillies Fan. It turns out baseball stories are really fun to write. And I will continue to act, just another form of story telling, after all. I get my third shot at playing Shakespeare's Sir Toby Belch in a production of Twelfth Night this fall.

Be well all. Thank you for your passion and readership and feedback and sharing over the years.

25 comments:

  1. Russ, I'm incredibly grateful for all of your years writing this blog. As you know, it's informed my advocacy for a long time! I will continue to return to it in the future. Best of luck in your next chapter!

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    1. Thank you, Julie. Be well and thanks for all your support throughout the years.

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  2. I am so grateful to your wisdom and unrelenting dedication to education Russ. I am one of those who still obsessively reads your posts no matter how long ago they were written and I know that I will continue to share your writing with others. While your blog may be ending, your influence will long continue. Thank you my friend!

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  3. Thank you, Mary. One of the best things about writing this blog has been getting to know you. Carry on the fight for great literacy instruction. I, and so many others, are counting on you. Hope to have that glass of wine with you some day.

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  4. Thank you for sharing your professional wisdom and personal commitment. Your voice has been invaluable in the edu bloggosphere, and it will be missed.

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    1. One of the best things about doing this blog was getting to meet and know educators like you, Peter. Thank you for all you do for the profession. Please hug the Board of Directors for me.

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  5. I'm sorry to hear this, Russ. Thank you for your informative posts and also your good book full of wonderful advice for parents and teachers, A Parent's Guide to Public Education in the 21st Century. Take care.

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    1. Thank you for your support through the years, Nancy.

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  6. Total stranger here, thanking you for all your thoughtful and incredibly valuable posts. I've found so much to think about & be enlightened by. important conversation.

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    1. Thank you, Madeleine. No reader is ever a total stranger to me.

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  7. Thanks for everything, Russ. I get it, but I’m sorry to see you go.

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  8. Thank you for sharing your experience and wisdom with us. I have learned a great deal from you and I will truly miss reading your blogs and posts.

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  9. I hate to see you sign off Russ. There are two people I lean on when discussing the joy and purity of reading...you and Stephen Krashen.

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    1. Thanks, Bill. That is very flattering to be mentioned in the same sentence as Stephen.

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  10. You are an inspiration to us all. Your posts are amazing. Thanks for all you've done for literacy over the years.

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  11. Russ, you have a family at Garn. It has been a privilege and pleasure to publish your writing and so wonderful to get to know you. You truly make a difference in the world. Love and good wishes from us all at Garn. Denny

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    1. Thank you so much, Denny. I love my Garn family.

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  12. Thank you for your bog all these years! Always appreciated the perspectives and ideas you shared. I wish you lots of joy on your new adventures ahead.

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  13. Thank you very much, Russ. Even though I'm a math teacher, I've enjoyed your thoughtful posts, and have shared them with my coworkers. Best wishes for your new writings!

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  14. Thank you for your faithful blogging and for your willingness to share your knowledge with those eager to learn from it. I have enjoyed reading your posts. Thank you, Russ.

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