"Oftentimes it happens, we live our lives in chains. And never even know we have the key."

Was Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Bennett trying to butter his teachers up before slamming them? We won't be fooled again.

Why does Michelle Rhee get to be the notable exception to full accountability?

Maybe it's my natural inclination to be suspicious of anything "market-based." But I'm just not sure what good it will do for schools and kids to unleash a multitude of "teacherpreneurs" on America.

Unions. They're about banding together to leverage greater control over our work. The issues are about power and money--but also about social class divisions.

We organize--because without allied strength, we have even less control over the difficult professional work, for which we must accept accountability.

If school reformers really wanted the best possible teachers in every classroom, they'd select and prepare them carefully, support them diligently and fight to retain them.

We're teetering on the brink of losing one of America's best ideas--a free, high-quality public education for all children in America.

Making music is what we're meant to do, as human beings. Cooties and all.

Rather than spending energy trying to ferret out the inadequate teachers, we might focus on producing, and retaining, genuinely excellent educators, creating a culture of teaching expertise.