Spastica Rex

Punk Rock

Johnny Rotten wore a t-shirt that read “I Hate Pink Floyd.”

I wear a t-shirt that reads “I Hate The Gates Foundation­.” As an enthusiast­ic former member of the original punk rock movement, I can tell you that few teachers represent the punk rock ethos. Most alarmingly­, administra­tors and educrats are the antitheses of punk. They’re all looking for some expert or celebrity to tell them how education should operate and they’ll mindlessly promote whatever snake-oil they’re handed until the next “new thing” or catch phrase comes around.

You know what, disco still sucks and so does centralize­d, commoditiz­ed, education profiteeri­ng. It’s like polyester slacks and butterfly collars.

Get real and DIY.

Welcome to the Machine

Hello. I’m Robert G. Valiant (not to be confused with Dr. Robert J. Valiant, my father).

“Spastica Rex” is a pseudonym I’ve used for many years on the internet hangouts I frequent. In real life, I generally go by “Bob.”

I’ve spent about 20 years in the field public education. I worked for around seven years as a classroom teacher, spent several years as a technology coordinator for middle and high schools in Seattle, and did one year as “House Adminstrator” (Dean of Students) for a math/science magnet middle school in the Seattle Public Schools. After my employment with the SPS, I managed technology resources for the Seattle Community Technology Alliance and sat on the City of Seattle’s Technology Advisory Board.

Recently, I concluded my career in public education as a bureaucrat for the Intermountain Education Service District in Pendleton, Oregon. In that capacity I was engaged in secondary “improvement,” online-education, staff development events, professional learning communities, home-school, and rural education.

I’ve seen a lot in public education, and I’ve come away feeling that most of what I’ve done — outside of direct work with children — was pointless. In fact, much of it was much worse than pointless.

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