Click on link to NY Times Article above.
Ms. Weingarten does not seem to address the points of needed reform; instead she only continues to define teachers as undervalued and misunderstood. While this might be true, the American Federation of Teachers “the Union” defies economic realities and has for decades. If public education in New York State was a private sector corporation, the implosion of the company would be forecasted in terms of months, not years and it has become imperative that a more centrist view among public unions, policy makers, legislators, and taxpayers must be embraced so we can ensure a competitive education for our children now and in the future. Intractable union leadership and union doctrine, not the dedicated educator inside the classroom, has become a threat to the public school system and their focus and priority is unclear, if not self-serving. Children must truly become the first priority. In my opinion the AFT would do better to focus on material reforms that will renovate public education into a citadel for children that protects learning and reflection of mind, body, and spirit to a new level rather than spewing self-righteous indignation towards any critic who has not been in front of the classroom. You don’t have to be a dentist to know that the dental health of a society is at risk if it costs $5,000 to get a cavity filled. I can only hope that progressive educators will not only step up and speak out about the sanctity of their profession, but also bring forward new ideas that accomplish the true mission of public education.
