Obama pulls a Joe Clark :Education and Obama at odds
The public education community and President Obama are at odds .Several years ago I ran for Arlington School Board Trustee.I lost my election because there was a block of votes I counted on getting , I did not get them .It was the votes of the teachers.Being that I was not a teacher ,but I was a union man ,I assumed that the teachers who joined the teachers union would support me.I was a viable candidate with years of experience volunteering in the community in the education field,and they supported the AISD hand picked candidate. Well that"s politics.
This week in politics President Obama along with his Education Secretary Arne Duncan supported the firing of 93 staff members and teachers in Rhode Island Central Falls High School.The unions in my case withheld support because they desired favor with the school district, now it remains to be determined whether the unions will continue to support President Obama.
The teachers unions: American Federation of Teachers 1.4 million dues paying members,and National Education Association 3.2 million members have been solidly in the Democratic camp for years.Union's primary concern start with the protection of the employment of teachers. Their primary concern is not with education ,it is with tenured employment.
Often times when concerned parents wish to discuss their child's education, the parents are placed in defensive positions.Therefore all sides attend parent-teacher conferences in their own world.Our American school systems are behind Lithuania in student performance.60 percent of black students do not graduate from schools. America,in order for us to compete on the world stage and not lag behind the Lithuania's of the world, we will need to restructure our American school systems.Think.It does not matter whether you are thinking outside the box or inside the box, above all Think!
The teachers unions will have to seriously think about education and children first.Teachers need to teach because they can't help it,instead of the "I got mine,you gotta get yours" mentality.Parents need to teach at home because that's where life's lessons begins.Together we all have a state in this,second rate is no rate.Obama and his Administration have now fashioned themselves as a latter day Joe Clark,lets see if it works .
posted by EdGray4America.com at
10:38 AM
4 Comments:
Ok I am hooked now your site is a favorite.You are right on target with the unions. Students needs should be put first. While on vacation in San Diego I attended the National Education Association National Conference. I heard and meet Arnie Duncan, he stated in his speech the three most important variables in education.The first being unions the crowd went nuts with applause. Keep your excellent blog going and thank you for being brave enough to stand up.I can not wait to meet you in person .If you ever come over to Greenville
Texas I would love to talk with you and show you Boles ISD the poorest school district in Texas.Your comments are going to cause some folks to be upset. However you are telling the truth and these are very tough times.
I think it is about time someone stood up to teacher's unions and I'm glad the president is giving his support as well. It's nice to see that more than lip service is being paid to education reform. It's time that we approach education from a kid-first standpoint, and not a business standpoint.
I think there is truth to what you say about the aim of teachers' unions .
I strongly believe that teachers need to find a way to 'teach the children' instead of just teaching them a subject. There are some fabulous teachers out there who do just that!
As for the parents, we need to spend more time 'raising our chidren' instead of placing all of our focus and energy on providing for them...we cannot expect the teachers to raise them.
As for our children...we all need to show them that they have hope and a future...and that we believe in them!
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