Vilifying teachers is bad for teachers, but its worse for students. Anyone who tells you that they are bashing teachers in the interests of students is playing an ugly, cynical political game. How can you imagine that breaking the spirits of teachers, giving them more to do with fewer recourses and less pay, is going to end up in better teaching? Its as though Corbett, Rendell, Nutter, Hite, the Inquirer, the Daily News -- its as though theyve created this scapegoat for their own deep cowardice and ineptitude and moral failures, but in doing so, theyve forgotten that TEACHERS are the ones in the classrooms, with the kids, you know, TEACHING. Of course, thats even giving them the benefit of the doubt that they actually care about the kids at all. Even so, it makes no sense. But the teachers know. I mean sure, it sucks to take a $2400 a year pay cut, but well survive. It sucks to live now with the uncertainty of no contract and no right to strike, lest they revoke teachers licenses. But what really really sucks -- and I promise you, this is first and foremost what is breaking the hearts of most teachers out there -- is that THIS IS NOT GOOD FOR KIDS. The people who are doing this, THEY DONT REALLY CARE ABOUT KIDS. At least not about brown and black and poor kids. This is one of those moments when folks like Hite and Nutter could be launching the next great civil rights movement on behalf of black, brown and poor children. They could take a stand against Corbett and his cronies. They could put their livelihoods, and their political careers, and their very bodies on the line and say: ENOUGH. Clearly they have chosen another path, of accommodation, of appeasement, born of fear. And I get the fear. This shit is real. But point me to a movement that actually effected change where people didnt rise above their fear to put real shit on the line. Money. Jobs. Bodies. As a society weve so sentimentalized the social justice movements of the past, and so domesticated their leaders, that many of us, most of us perhaps, somehow imagine that it didnt take real risks, real sacrifices, to bring about change. Corbett says its time for teachers to make a sacrifice, as though he has any idea at all what sort of sacrifices teachers are already making. But I think its time for all of us to make some real sacrifices. Im tired of the union asking teachers to wear read shirts and demonstrate outside their schools in the morning before school starts. Im proud that Philadelphia school students at Central planned such a great protest that Corbett was too scared to step into the building, but Im frustrated that grownups havent managed to do anything so brave and to such effect. I get it that teachers are afraid of losing their licenses -- I dont want Julie to lose hers, lord knows -- but when are we going to move past outrage and chanting and waving signs and into real, powerful, collective action? And who is going to lead us in that? I for one am ready. Im just done being afraid, and Im done being outraged. I want to DO something. Im no leader, I dont even know where to start, but Im willing to put my body on the line, to get arrested, to do whatever it takes. But what? What? I dont even know where to begin.
Posted on: Tue, 07 Oct 2014 21:00:09 +0000
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