It's time for an educational "uprising"

As the results of a standardized test taken by adults in Rhode Island have proven today, along with the recent refusal of teachers in Seattle to give students the Measure of Academic Progress test, it's time for the teacher scapegoating to end and for us to make a real change in education that takes high stakes testing off the table.

A couple weekends ago I attended the Muse concert at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit. Muse has always been one of my favorite bands, and my favorite song of theirs is "Uprising." As I stood there in the arena singing along, I couldn't help but think how apropos the words ring true for the educational climate of today. I feel like this song should be the rallying cry for teachers against all the media, politicians, and "reformers" who do nothing but bash us and try to make it all about the test scores.

There was one part of the second verse that I initially didn't fit the rallying cry the way the rest of the song did:
"We should never be afraid to die"
But given our nation's current obsession with arming teachers after the tragedy of Sandy Hook, those words actually have kind of a sad irony to them.


"Uprising" by Muse

Paranoia is in bloom,
The PR transmissions will resume,
They'll try to push drugs that keep us all dumbed down,
And hope that we will never see the truth around
(So come on)

Another promise, another scene,
Another packaged lie to keep us trapped in greed,
Green belts wrapped around our minds,
And endless red tape to keep the truth confined
(So come on)

They will not force us,
They will stop degrading us,
They will not control us,
We will be victorious
(So come on)

Interchanging mind control,
Come let the revolution take its toll,
If you could flick a switch and open your third eye,
You'd see that
We should never be afraid to die
(So come on)

Rise up and take the power back,
It's time the fat cats had a heart attack,
You know that their time's coming to an end,
We have to unify and watch our flag ascend

They will not force us,
They will stop degrading us,
They will not control us,
We will be victorious