Five years ago. . .
I was just a teacher. This meant that I was busy planning my
lessons, working with students and their families and enjoying the career path
that I had chosen. Of course there were
flaws in the system centering around equity and achievement for all students,
and Wisconsin's
educators had been targets of some political posturing, however, at the same
time these problems seemed like ones that all of us could work cooperatively on
addressing. When I would tell people
that I was a teacher they would respond with affirmations and positive comments
about the profession I was proud to be a part of.
I was just a union rep in
my building. It was a role that I took
seriously, yet at the same time wasn't central to my identity. I knew the need for and the power of the
union. Yet, at the same time I was
confident that the staff and leadership at MTI would be able to address the
concerns that I, and my colleagues might have.
I attended meetings, when I was able to, and shared information with
fellow educators about upcoming issues and events that were of importance to my
profession. My union membership was
something that, in hindsight, I truly took for granted.
I was just a citizen who
was concerned about public education, equity and social justice. I talked with friends and family, but didn't
act on my ideas or my philosophy about social, political and economic
issues. I voted on a pretty regular
basis, but didn't put a whole lot of thought into my decisions at the
polls. I certainly didn't take an active
role either in elections, or in communicating with elected officials.
Looking back on it, there
is no doubt but that I was naïve and complacent. I felt confident that I was secure in all
aspects of my future. The problems that
I knew existed around me were peripheral to my daily concerns. Things happened to other people, in other
places, but Wisconsin
was a safe and secure place for me to live and work in. I wanted to make change happen, but at the
same time didn't have a sense of urgency, or a real vision of how to make these
things happen.
Four years ago something fundamentally changed my world and impacted both my present
and my future. Scott Walker dropped the bomb that was
Act 10 on the state of Wisconsin. Suddenly everything was different.
I was still just a
teacher, but the word just began to take on a whole new meaning. Now instead of being another professional in
the community I was a part of a system that was portrayed as damaging to my
home state's economic, social and political stability. My professional expertise was questioned and
my value to our society was critiqued and lowered. The dialog around education shifted away from
working cooperatively to improve educational outcomes for all students and
towards privatizing and standardizing our public school systems. I was awakened to the truth that not everyone
supported public education, and in fact for some public education was something
to be dismantled and reconstructed in a very different, and troubling way.
I was still a union rep
for my building. The meaning of being an
MTI member had fundamentally changed.
Wearing a MTI shirt, hat or button now made me a target either for
adoration, or condemnation. My union
membership wasn't an accepted part of the educational landscape, but now was a
point of political contention. I also
realized that I could no longer take my union for granted. I needed to become a more active member and
recommit to the power of collective action in the workplace.
I was still a concerned
citizen. Yet, at the same time I was
becoming more active politically, I felt my ability to have an impact on events
slipping away. As part of a crowd of
100,000+ I felt the power of the people, and at the same time saw this
outpouring of emotion and dedication ignored by a small number of decision
makers who felt no need to honor our voice.
I became more aware of how the system had worked to benefit me over the
years because I was faced with the realization that this system was now working
against me. I, and many of my colleagues
were now on the outside of the system looking in.
Now
here I am the product of a lifetime of complacency jolted by four years of
intense action. I live and work in a
climate that has been fundamentally changed through a combination of
legislation, policy and rhetoric designed to demean and undermine both my
profession, and the public school systems of Wisconsin.
The legislation and
economic decisions that have impacted public education in Wisconsin are easy to see. It is clear that we live in a state where
public schools are not valued by those who hold the purse strings.
Walker
also calls to stop using Smarter Balanced exams, which students are scheduled
to take next month.
host.madison.com|By Molly Beck |
Wisconsin State Journal
Education officials say Walker's proposed aid cut doesn't go far
enough to help struggling districts.
postcrescent.com
The policies that have
been enacted also show a fundamental lack of understanding and respect for
educators and the job that we do.
Educators in Wisconsin
are now held hostage by a combination of evaluations and ratings that ignore
the realities and goals of a public school system.
There's no convincing research to show that value-added
models have done anything to help teachers improve or kids learn, and growing evidence
shows them to be wildly inaccurate and erratic....
huffingtonpost.com
The leaders of our
political majority ignore some basic realities in their ongoing pursuit of
wealth and power for a limited few. The
simple truth is that a healthy society supports all its citizens, and as a
result thrives and grows.
A research group says that by improving educational
performance, the United
States could increase its gross domestic product
over the next 35 years.
nytimes.com|By PATRICIA COHEN
Yet these so called
leaders continue to divide and conquer the citizens of our state and in the end
create enough dissent to not only maintain their power, but expand it through
purchased elections and a disregard for the public good.
New data reveals our public—not private—school system is
among the best in the world.
alternet.org
They attack the
cornerstone of our democracy and applaud things that destroy the foundations
that a healthy society needs to prosper.
In a stroke of whimsy or irony, two new studies about
American education have been released in time to get the most media coverage
during School Choice Week. The first, from the National Center
for Education Statistics (NCES), looks at the international tests that rank
students worldwide in reading,…
charlotteobserver.com
billmoyers.com
Whether it was a
"drafting error" or intentional, the ongoing disrespect for education
is clearly evident in everything this administration says and does. In this thinking, education is useful only in
terms of job training and economic growth, even then only tailored for the
needs of the employer, and loses its value as an exploration of the world
around us and a tool for questioning our reality.
And he wants to add a line about meeting the needs of the
workforce.
washingtonpost.com
The drafting file for Gov. Walker’s budget bill includes at
least two references in which the administration’s budget shop had requested
the removal of key...
jsonline.com|By Jason Stein
Suddenly all the ongoing
aspects of my life blend together, educator-union member-citizen, become one
and of equal value. There is no way to
be "just" anything in the world we currently live in. Every role that we fill is of value and adds
to the collective potential that exists in a democratic society. If we are ever to fulfill the vast potential
that our founding philosophy espouses then we must be more than
"just" citizens, educators and organizers (labor or otherwise). We must look out for the collective good and
be the voice for all those who are silent, either because of apathy,
depression, suppression or repression.
We must truly become the change that we wish to see in the world.
All too often I hear my
fellow educators speak with despondency and hopelessness. It is true that public education is under
siege, that the initiatives and "reforms" that are being foisted on
us often run counter to what we know to be best practices for children, and
that our own personal financial and professional circumstances have changed for
the worse. Yet, at the same time we must
continue to fight and hold on to hope for the future. It is in the blending of the roles that it
becomes possible to keep the optimism going.
Labor organizers joined with community activists, joined with educators can
forge a powerful coalition that can strike back against the wave of negativity
and privatization currently buffeting public education. Our goals and vision of social justice
overlap and enhance each other.
Collectively we can overcome the pessimism and not only regain what we
have lost, but even improve on what previously existed, not only in public
education, but in society as a whole.
United Opt Out National serves as a focused point...
unitedoptout.com
The Chicago Teachers Union is an organization of educators
dedicated to advancing and promoting quality public education, improving
teaching and learning conditions, and protecting members' rights.
www.ctunet.com
For years, states have cut education spending and put
policies in place that left our schools and students "failing."
Recently, contentious reelection races often included criticism of budget cuts
and reduced education spending. It would...
empathyeducates.org
The
Good, The Bad and
The
Ugly. . .
The Good . . . On February 16th take the time to go to Edgewood College
and be part of an open discussion about public education reform.
The Public Education Reform train left the station long ago.
Various political and corporate agendas, from both parties, are at the
throttle. Recently the Wisconsin legislature
held hearings...
stopthetrain.weebly.com
While it would be great if
MMSD didn't have to ask the public for funding and that the state would pick up
its share of the costs of educating students, the upcoming referendum provides
an opportunity to build a positive coalition around Madison's public schools.
Español Referendum Resources & Open House Dates and
Locations Find dates and locations of upcoming informational sessions,
frequently asked questions and answers, print materials like brochures and
posters and more on our...
buildings.madison.k12.wi.us
The Bad . . . The argument for privatizing schools is that families and students
need to have freedom and choice about where and how they receive educational
services. Never mind that the choice
that is offered is often less in many ways than what exists with our public
schools. An educational marketplace
won't do much more than turn out an educational version of the Walmarting of
America. Is that something that is best
for all of us, or really any of us?
Tuesday's annual release of state test scores of students
attending private schools using vouchers included scores from students in the
statewide...
host.madison.com|By Molly Beck |
Wisconsin State Journal
The Ugly . . . Virtually every time Governor Walker speaks it gets ugly for Wisconsin. This effect is magnified when he is speaking
about something with such wide ranging implications like our state budget. This budget is another mess of cuts,
hypocrisy and recycled failed policies.
MADISON,
Wis. (AP) — Highlights of Gov.
Scott Walker's $68.2 billion two-year state budget released on Tuesday:
journaltimes.com|By By SCOTT BAUER
Gov. Scott Walker's budget proposal would turn the Natural
Resources Board into an advisory panel to 'to strengthen leadership.'
host.madison.com|By Steven Verburg |
Wisconsin State Journal
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