Bill Ayers speaks

Ayers stresses need for public schools to teach democracy, social skills, ABCs

http://www.purdueexponent.org/index.php/module/Section/section_id/?module=article&story_id=17932

By Ty Jepson
09/25/2009

William Ayers spoke Thursday night in Lawson Computer Science
Building, and at first had to drown out the cries of protesters
outside the windows.

Ayers is a professor of education and senior university scholar at
the University of Illinois at Chicago. Ayers' lecture, "Inequality
and Education: The Challenge for Urban Schools," was part of the
Cummings-Perrucci lecture series for the department of sociology.

Ayers began his talk by addressing the protests occurring outside the
building where the lecture was held.

"I'll also have to speak above the pitchforks," he joked. "They're
protesting a cartoon character, not me. I think if they were in here,
they'd agree with me.

"I don't find it off-putting or disturbing for people to protest."

Ayers spoke of how cultures and generations came together to elect
President Obama in the 2008 presidential election and used the Obama
slogan, "Yes we can," as a starting point for the discussion of urban
education.

"Now we can say, 'Yes we can,'" he said. "But yes we can what? What
about urban schools?"

Ayers proposed that schools change their curriculum to one that is more active.

"Schools are not just places that teach ABCs," he said. "They also
teach democracy and social skills."

Ayers talked about how in other countries with "regime" governments,
students are taught through obedience and conformity, and said U.S.
schools should be different.

"Those schools also want students to learn and stay off drugs and
show up on time," he said.

Ayers said U.S. schools could be different from schools in countries
with "regime" governments by showing that each human being should be
valued. Ayers said conditions in some schools, compared to others,
are "offensive in a democracy."

"It sends the message to kids, 'Have the right parents,'" he said.

Ayers shared personal stories about teaching and about his children,
but also talked about other politicians.

He said Secretary of Education and former Chicago Public Schools
Superintendent Arnie Duncan is a smart man, but criticized the way
dropout rates, suspensions and rates of teachers leaving, especially
in the black community, skyrocketed in Chicago under Duncan's watch.

Ayers also criticized John McCain's handling of education rhetoric
during the presidential campaign, saying the way McCain's responses
were framed, there was no room for argument because the statements
were obvious.

"Whenever he talked about teachers he said we need to get the lazy,
incompetent teachers out of the classroom," Ayers said. "Simply by
saying it, he wins."

The final point Ayers made was a warning against letting education
become a commodity.

"The metaphor of the marketplace is a failed metaphor," he said.
"Left liberals and right conservatives and everyone in between have
bought the image. We have to argue that education is not a product
like a refrigerator ... Resist at every turn that education is a commodity."

Adriela Fernandez, assistant director of the department of
international programs in agriculture, said Ayers' lecture was
valuable from an educational standpoint.

"I think the greatest value of his speech was that it took place," she said.

Fernandez said that in academia, there needs to be a discussion.

"A plurality of ideas," she said. "It made me proud to be a part of
the Purdue community."

Irwin Weiser, interim dean of the College of Liberal Arts, said it is
important to raise questions and have debate at a university.

"If all kinds of people can't come to speak, we've lost our way," he said.

Weiser said Ayers was chosen to come speak last spring.

"Most lectures at Purdue are arranged far in advance," he said.

Weiser said he didn't anticipate the number of people voicing their
opinions about Ayers around campus.

"When I heard Bill Ayers was coming, I thought some of his supporters
would come out," he said. "I was naive, I didn't anticipate the
reaction. It was pretty clear they underestimated the level of interest."

.