{"id":2950,"date":"2012-11-19T16:36:10","date_gmt":"2012-11-19T21:36:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/stager.tv\/?p=2950"},"modified":"2016-01-02T11:52:58","modified_gmt":"2016-01-02T16:52:58","slug":"au-contraire","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/stager.tv\/?p=2950","title":{"rendered":"Au Contraire?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>
Rufus T. Firefly
President: Huxley College<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I often explain to graduate students that I don’t play devil’s advocate or any other clever games. Just because I may say something unsaid by others, does not mean that I don’t come to that perspective after careful thought and introspection.<\/p>\n

Being an educator is a sacred obligation. Those of us who know better, need to do better and stand between the defenseless children we serve and the madness around us. If a destructive idea needs to be challenged or a right defended, I’ll speak up.<\/p>\n

My career allows me to spend time in lots of classrooms around the world and to work with thousands of educators each year. This gives me perspective. I am able to identify patterns, good and bad, often before colleagues become aware of the phenomena. I have been blessed with a some communication skills and avenues for expression. I’ve published hundreds of articles and spoken at even more conferences.<\/p>\n

People seem interested in what I have to say and for that I am extremely grateful.<\/p>\n

The problem is that I am increasingly called upon to argue against a popular trend. That tends to make me unpopular. In the field of education, where teachers are “nice,” criticism is barely tolerated. Dissent is seen as defect and despite all of my positive contributions to the field, I run the risk of being dismissed as “that negative guy.”<\/p>\n

Recently, I have written or been quoted on the following topics:<\/p>\n