| 00:00:01 | CORNEL ALWAYS GETS MY BLOOD BOILING BECAUSE I AGREE WITH HIM SO DEEPLY. |
| 00:00:07 | I'M OLD NOW, SO I REMEMBER DR. |
| 00:00:11 | KING. |
| 00:00:12 | I WAS A YOUNG TEACHER IN BOSTON AND A WHITE GUY LIVING IN THE BLACK COMMUNITY, AND THE BLACK MINISTERS DID ME AN HONOR OF LETTING ME STAND BY HIS SIDE THE FIRST TIME HE CAME TO PREACH IN BOSTON COMMON, AND HIS WORDS CHANGED MY LIFE FOREVER. |
| 00:00:29 | THAT IS WHEN I TURNED MY BACK ON AN ACADEMIC LIFE AND DECIDED TO TEACH FOURTH GRADERS IN OUR POOREST NEIGHBORHOODS. |
| 00:00:41 | I GET SO ANGRY ON HIS BIRTHDAY OR ON MARTIN LUTHER KING DAY -- I HEARD POLITICIANS WHO TURNED THEIR BACK TOTALLY ON EVERY SINGLE THING HE LIVED AND DIED FOR, NEVER LIFTED A FINGER TO BRING AN END TO APARTHEID IN SCHOOLING, WHICH IS NOW AT A HIGHER RATE THAN IT WAS THE YEAR HE DIED, AND THEY SAY, "I, TOO, HAD A DREAM. |
| 00:01:08 | " YOU CANNOT PLAY GAMES WITH THE DREAMS OF OUR PROPHETS. |
| 00:01:14 | DR. |
| 00:01:15 | KING DID NOT SAY HE HAD A DREAM THAT SOMEDAY IN THE CANYONS OF OUR CITIES, NORTH AND SOUTH, WE WILL HAVE TESTS AND ANXIETY-RIDDEN SCHOOLS. |
| 00:01:27 | THAT WAS NOT HIS DREAM. |
| 00:01:28 | WE'VE RIPPED APART HIS LEGACY, AND THEN WE USE HIS NAME IN VAIN. |
| 00:01:33 | MY THING, AS YOU KNOW, IS CHILDREN. |
| 00:01:39 | CHILDREN IN THEIR SCHOOLS. I'M NOT AN ECONOMIST. |
| 00:01:42 | I WAS SCARED OF NUMBERS, BUT MY WORLD IS CHILDREN. |
| 00:01:49 | THE ONLY TRIED AND PROVEN AVENUE OF EXIT FOR THE CHILDREN -- THE POOREST CHILDREN IN THIS COUNTRY FROM THE DESTITUTION OF THEIR PARENTS IS TO GIVE THEM AN ABSOLUTELY TERRIFIC, EXCITING, BEAUTIFUL, SPECTACULAR, AND EXPENSIVE PUBLIC EDUCATION. |
| 00:02:14 | [APPLAUSE] AND TO FUND IT NOT SIMPLY AT THE SAME HIGH LEVEL AS THE RICHEST SUBURBS, BUT AT A HIGHER LEVEL BECAUSE THOSE CHILDREN NEED IT MORE. |
| 00:02:26 | TO SAY ONE MORE THING ABOUT THAT -- IN THE PAST FEW YEARS, CLASS SIZE HAS BEEN SOARING IN OUR SCHOOLS BECAUSE THEY HAVE BEEN LAYING OFF TEACHERS AND. |
| 00:02:40 | I WALKED INTO PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN NEW YORK WHERE I FIND 36 CHILDREN IN A FOURTH GRADE CLASS LIKE BACK IN THE 1960'S. |
| 00:02:50 | I WALKED INTO A HIGH SCHOOL IN LOS ANGELES -- 40 KIDS IN A 10TH GRADE SOCIAL STUDIES CLASS. |
| 00:02:56 | I MADE THE MISTAKE OF ASKING THE TEACHER RIGHT IN FRONT OF THE KIDS HOW SHE TEACHES 40 KIDS IN A CLASSROOM. |
| 00:03:08 | SHE SAID, "DO NOT EVER ASK THAT QUESTION. |
| 00:03:13 | FIND OUT." AND THEN SHE LEFT THE ROOM. |
| 00:03:15 | THERE ARE A LOT OF FACTORS THAT GO INTO TERRIFIC EDUCATION, BUT ONE THING I KNOW FOR SURE IS THAT THE SIZE OF THE CLASS A TEACHER TEACHES IS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT FACTORS IN THE ENTIRE PEDAGOGIC WORLD. |
| 00:03:36 | [APPLAUSE] I HAVE HEARD PLENTY OF OLD TIME CONSERVATIVES -- PAT BUCHANAN ONCE YELLED AT ME -- REMEMBER HIM? |
| 00:03:43 | HE ONCE YELLED AT ME ON I SAID, SURE -- THE FACT OF THE MATTER IS, I HAVE RICH FRIENDS THAT ARE SO MUCH LIKE ME. |
| 00:04:03 | THEY WILL SAY TO ME, JONATHAN -- THESE ARE PEOPLE WHO READ MY BOOKS AND SAY THEY CARE ABOUT THESE POOR KIDS IN THE BRONX. |
| 00:04:11 | THEY WILL SAY TO ME, JONATHAN, DOES CLASS SIZE REALLY MATTER FOR THE CHILDREN? |
| 00:04:19 | I ALWAYS ASK THEM WHERE THEIR KIDS GO TO SCHOOL. |
| 00:04:22 | HOW MANY CHILDREN ARE IN THEIR CLASS IS. |
| 00:04:27 | TYPICALLY THEY ARE IN A LOVELY SUBURB -- 16, 18, PARENTS PANIC WHEN IT GETS TO 21. |
| 00:04:33 | IF THEY GO TO LOVELY PRIVATE SCHOOLS LIKE SIDWELL FRIENDS HERE IN WASHINGTON, IT IS MORE LIKE 15. |
| 00:04:44 | THEN I SEE THESE KIDS PACKED INTO CLASSROOMS WHERE THERE ARE MORE CHILDREN THAN SHARES. |
| 00:04:52 | I DO NOT KNOW HOW EVERYBODY ELSE ON THIS PANEL FEELS, BUT HERE'S WHAT I BELIEVE -- A VERY SMALL CLASS SIZE AND THE INTIMATE, AFFECTIONATE ATTENTION ENABLES A GOOD TEACHER TO GET TO EVERY LITTLE GIRL AND BOY -- IF THAT IS GOOD FOR THE SON OF A PROSPEROUS POSITION OR A SUCCESSFUL LAWYER -- PHYSICIAN OR A SUCCESSFUL LAWYER OR A DAUGHTER OF A SENATOR OR CONGRESSMAN OR THE PRESIDENT HIMSELF -- THEN IT IS GOOD FOR THE POOREST CHILD OF THE POOREST WOMEN IN AMERICA. |
| 00:05:34 | [APPLAUSE] >> GETTING EVERYBODY INVOLVED HERE TO HAVE SOME FUN -- LET ME COME TO YOU. |
| 00:05:42 | JONATHAN |
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