Friday, May 13, 2022

Throwback to 2016, the Year We Visited Louisville & the Reunion Tour of a Lifetime. Thinking of my @LouisvilleWP Family

Yesterday, I was invited by teacher leaders of the Louisville Writing Project to share work we did nationally with a book study of Chavez's The Anti-Racist Writing Workshop. I was honored to work with an incredible team to guide conversations about the book and to adapt workshops for K-12 classrooms. It was an honor that Louisville paid attention, and I was super excited to see Jean Wolph. Phew. She is an angel upon angels for me. Funny, too, because I had a photo of her, Chitunga, and Dean Ann Larson from when we toured U of L in 2016. It was such a great trip...being able to highlight Louisville and hoping he'd choose to be a walk on for the football team.

Nope. Not him. Small school = good school. He did right by himself. LeMoyne was a stellar choice that worked and made him who he is.

While in the session, I was updated with all the changes not only in the state and district, but at the Univerisity. Holy insane, Batman. I mean, INSANE. It's hard for me to believe that any location could make worse decisions, but somehow they do. The greatest things for me in KY were the Louisville Writing Project and the Kentucky portfolios. I had over a decade of absolute joy....

...but politicians do as they do, and then University administrators scandal as they do. The results are disastrous.

The tragedy continues to fall on teachers.

There was no other professional development opportunity like that offered by the Louisville Writing Project. In fact, nationally (if not internationally), all roads for excellent literacy instruction led to the leadership of Jean Wolph. I always loved how, once a year, I'd run into her at a conference, usually with a crowded room of super fans, because she and her KY team were always leading the way. Kentucky was on the map. We all trusted the knowledge they were sharing. Teachers teaching teachers. It mattered.

Whose short-sighted inanity is this? What stupidity takes away the greatest PD named for teachers in the nation, especially one with the reputation for simply being the best? What the @#$#@ is going on with U of L?

I will never understand University life, their thinkers, and the lack of good leadership all in the name of excellent leadership. Universities are epicenters for communities, and teachers (with their students) are part of that community. You choose not to invest in them, then why would they ever want to invest in you? I loved my time learning on U of L's campus. I'm now cringing at all I'm hearing. 

Boo on U of L. I will cherish Jean Wolph and U of L forever. I am so disappointed in my alma mater. They will definitely be hearing from me.