I am a retired special education teacher who worked for the New York City Department of Education for 36 years in various capacities. I am a liberal who understands the real definition of that word. I was a product New York City’s public education system and the once free city university system. My educational philosophy is simple and comes from my sources. I believe the purpose of a public education is to create an educated citizenry able to think, debate and oppose those in power when they forget that their authority derive from the governed.