Phew! Ten Years Ago Today Seems Like a Different World. Jason Passed. There is No Annual DC Trip with NWP. Definitely A Marker in Time

In yesterday's Facebook memories, a picture of Dr. Jason Courmanche (UCONN), Danielle Peretti (then Grad Students at UCONN), and I while in Representative John Larson's office, someone took our photo. It was right before doing a shot with the politician and his staff, too. It was St. Patrick's Day. We used to meet every March during my Spring Break to lobby with the National Writing Project. It was part of the work, a reunion, and time to advocate for teachers and schools. 

That was also the year that everything in DC began to change. The Tea Party voted out funding streams that supported NWP work, many of the Senators and Representatives from parts of the U.S. no longer were interested in hearing teachers from their State, and then the larger political craziness began, followed by Covid, followed by more and more and more political crazy. 2016 to 2026 have been a decade, indeed. 

I miss our DC trips through, which also involved one night of tequila somewhere...we often met Jason's friends who lived in the area. He was an every man's man...loved by many. And now he's been gone for over a year. Daniel, in fact, is acting in his position as the other National Writing Project Director in Connecticut.

And University administration is ga-ga over A.I. and Departments of Education are Defunding grants, programs, and support for children in the United States is at an all-time low. And I see the photo of me in DC....driven by a career in education, a doctorate, the opportunity direct my own National Writing Project site and give back all the greatness it game me as a teacher....I see Jason who had the same love and pride for the work as I do, and I see the hope that March always brought us when visiting our Congressmen and women from all over the U.S., our Representatives, and how none of that exists any more. Poof. Gone. A photograph of what once was. And what it was, was the heart and soul of the best professional development for teachers ever...an investment in educators to work towards best literacy practices with all students...all with an emphasis on writing.

Perhaps historians of the future will look at the phenomenon of blogging and read what they may see as a silly bunch of words talking about investing in years, and supporting youth to write, and having politicians that represent the people....and start laughing, because it would be so odd to the world views they might have. Why would kids write? Why have teachers? That is so 2016!

Okay, Wednesday...time to flip some things around. Mid-week. Let's restore some sanity, okay?