Let's Stop Pretending That They Are Education Reformers

A few days ago a video was posted (Click Here), on one of the education blogs that should be viewed by anyone who has even a passing interest in, well, our nation’s future as a democracy.  I know I sound like a crazy person when I make that kind of a statement, but reserve judgment on my sanity (at least as it pertains to this topic) until you finish this blog post.

I think that most of us would agree that a well-informed citizenry is essential if a nation is going to sustain a democratic form of government.  Right?

Ok, most of us would probably agree that the way a democracy ensures that the citizenry is well-informed is by providing Public Education, free of charge (except for taxes).

Nothing outrageous about that, although I did just lose my Libertarian support.

For our mathematicians it looks like this:

Citizen + Education = informed voter (good thing,  YAY!!!)  and

Citizen – Education = uninformed voter (or non-voter, BOOO!!!).

So here is where I need you to reserve your judgment regarding my sanity;

Right now in this country our education system is under attack by people who want to cash in on the amount of money caught up in our education system.  To these people, the most important thing is $$$$$$$$$, hundreds of billions of it.

These people, btw, already have bucket-loads of money, but they want more.  They are the same folks I labeled as LIARS in my last post. 

In order for them to cash in on the US Public Education System, they need to clear away some Obstacles to Maximum Profit (OMP).  Those obstacles are veteran teachers (too expensive) and teacher unions.  The unions are important because they protect the due process and collective bargaining rights of the teachers. 

What is due process? 

“The idea that laws and legal proceedings must be fair. The Constitution guarantees that the government cannot take away a person's basic rights to 'life, liberty or property, without due process of law.' Courts have issued numerous rulings about what this means in particular cases.” www.lectlaw.com/def/d080.htm

And collective bargaining?

“Collective bargaining consists of negotiations between an employer and a group of employees so as to determine the conditions of employment. The result of collective bargaining procedures is a collective agreement. Employees are often represented in bargaining by a union or other labor organization.” topics.law.cornell.edu/wex/collective_bargaining

The due process rights of teachers were put into place because in the past, teachers had been dismissed from their jobs for doing outrageous things such as teaching evolution or advocating for decent working conditions. 

Collective Bargaining is important because if workers negotiate contracts as a group they have a better chance of improving conditions for all the workers with a minimal threat of harassment and/or dismissal.

It is important to understand that these protections arose out of necessity.  I know this might shock some of you, but sometimes, just sometimes, companies are run by people who want to make as much money as possible, even if that means that working conditions for their employees are less than appropriate.  If you want an example of how bad it can get for workers go here: The Triangle Shirtwaist Fire of 1911 .

Or even better, do some research on where the clothes you are wearing came from. 

Truth is, Our History is filled with examples of working people being treated badly by bosses who cared more about profits than people.  That's why there are Unions in the first place.

The people who want to cash in on Public Education can’t do so without removing the OMP.  But the thing is this, most reasonable citizens would never agree to their real agenda so these people (Corporatists) label themselves as Education Reformers and create fake grass-roots organizations to attack- teachers and unions. 

And so far they have been incredibly successful in their efforts.  Teachers and unions are being vilified in the public discourse.    If we are to believe the Corporatists, the main problem in public education is that there are too many BAD TEACHERS, they are impossible to get rid of and the union is only concerned with keeping BAD TEACHERS on the job. 

Now, some folks have figured out what the corporatists are doing, but when they try to wake up the rest of us, they sound like….crazy people.  Most of us don’t even listen, and a large chunk of people who do listen, dismiss the warnings as ridiculous paranoia.

Which is why that video is so important for us to watch.  So, in case you didn't watch it yet, here is that link once again   ( Seriously, Click Here If You Didn't Click Before) .

The guy talking in the video is detailing how Stand For Children went into Illinois and, using a bunch of cash, bought off elected officials, bought up lawyers and lobbyists, and beat the crap out of the teacher’s union. 

It is a sickening display of corrupt politics.  It is also proof of what people such as Diane Ravitch and Jonathan Kozol (not to mention the education blogs) have been saying for years. 

This is no joke. 

Public Education as we know it, will cease to exist if the Corporatists are not stopped.

Already they have been successful in getting the NEA (National Education Association) to cave on the issue of using student performance (test scores) in rating the effectiveness of teachers, even though the NEA knows that there is absolutely no good research supporting it.

You see that? Teachers will end up being fired because the National Education Association doesn’t have the chutzpah to stand up to the Corporatists. 

Just so you know, Obama’s Education Secretary Arne Duncan is the lap-dog of the Corporatists.  He implemented a Corporatist model in Chicago when he ran the school system there.  It’s an incredible disaster. 

I have always been a supporter of NEA.  My mom worked for NJEA (New Jersey Education Association) for 20 or so years.  I wanted to work for them after I finished my teaching career.

Not anymore.  

They are an embarrassment.  At the moment when it was time for them to do their job and stand in between the Corporatist thugs and the Teachers they have sworn to protect, they instead stepped aside.  They should be ashamed.

Folks, remember, who we are talking about.  This isn’t about Auto workers, or Sanitation workers, or Dock workers.  They are all honorable professions and those workers deserve protections as well.  No, we are talking about Teachers, the people who are responsible for educating the next generation of citizens, of voters, of our children.  It is one of the most important jobs in our society. 

They deserve to be respected and admired.

And yet we treat them like shit. 

In reality, it is already incredibly easy to fire a teacher, even a veteran teacher of 20 or so years, who had never received a negative evaluation in his entire career, not because of a bad evaluations system but because he was a very effective teacher.  It can take as little time as a few months.

Don’t believe me?  Well, I will introduce you to this teacher in my next blog entry.