Strangely enough, I think I do understand him. Maybe it's because he seems to be headed toward an approach I've long advocated. And parents may be the teacher's greatest ally in creating and reinforcing that love of learning. Teachers may say they believe all their students are capable of learning. Parents actually believe it - at least until the schools certify that they're not.
Poor children are less likely to do well in school, of course.
We see that. But increasingly, children rich and poor are also less likely to be invested in the future we yearn for and, therefore, less interested in the values we espouse. They are more violent, less hopeful, less happy - at least in part because they know they are less likely to be at the center of our concerns. What we need, it seems to me, is to commit ourselves to catching a generation of children who are falling behind - rich kids and poor, city and suburban, black, white, yellow and brown. Yes - and a great deal more.