I haven't had much energy or inspiration for a blog post recently. The school year has taken off like a runaway train and I'm holding on for dear life. I'm bummed out about health care, bummed out about the "surge" in Afghanistan, bummed out that this presidential administration is as beholden to the banks and corporations as all the others that came before (but did I expect any different?)
Oh yeah, and especially bummed out that my state legislature is buying into Obama's carrot & stick approach to education reform -- particularly because in Wisconsin the government has not paid its fair share of special education costs in at least 25 years and for the past 16 years we have suffered under horribly regressive revenue caps that limited what a district could raise through property taxes. (The taxes of homeowners have gone up astronomically, while businesses carry an infinitesimal percentage of the tax burden. And whose fault is that? You got it -- THE DAMNED TEACHERS!!)
We've finally gotten an Assembly controlled by Democrats (not to mention our national Congress and President) and the solution is … punish the damned teachers!!! It is extremely disheartening when I know how hard I -- and my colleagues -- work and how much we make due with so little. I'm kind of sick of being cast in the role of pariah, the blight on public education.
Okay, I know that this administration has big fish to fry what with mopping up the mess left by their predecessors (nice mixed metaphors, eh?) but it gets my goat that they are taking the politically expedient, blame teachers route when it comes to education. It's the path of least resistance, and requires no work, no imagination, and best of all … no money. Business as usual here in Education-land.
Maybe we could have a little accountability for our elected officials, hmmm? Sorry, Mr. Obama, you haven't met AYP in keeping your campaign promises. Nor you, Governor "I'm married to a teacher" Doyle. (Sleeps with one, screws the rest.) I think it's time to impose sanctions.
Sigh. But hey, it's Wednesday and we're over the hump! Thanksgiving approaches, maybe a chance to have a blogger meet-up next week. That will be fun. So from my house to yours, have a good rest of the week.
8 comments:
Hang in there.
Damned teachers! It's all your fault. And, let's not forget, Bill Clinton's fault, too. But, seriously, you do good work and the current administrations don't have a clue about education. We can only hope that they will learn something about the subject and do the right thing. They probably won't, but, who knows? Stranger things have happened.
I've been deflated by the same issues, with no energy to write about it. Thank you! I'm married to a teacher who is involved in the thick of things here in Milwaukee where our mayor wants to usurp an elected school board to give himself a platform for running for governor. Most discouraging is that the people I talk with - teachers included - seem to be OK with this because "something has to change." Has everyone lost their collective minds?
Thanks again for reminding me that there are still like-minded people in the world. Maybe it will get me to start writing again.
You may know that we just had a mayoral election here, in which Michael Bloomberg basically bought himself a third term. The New York Post, which is one of Murdoch's papers, regularly pillories teachers, and extols the virtues of the chancellor, Joel Klein. I didn't feel disgusted with Messrs. Klein and Bloomberg until this fall, when in the course of the campaign they debased themeselves, in my eyes at least, by joining in to heap ridicule and scorn on teachers.
Many days I wonder why I subject myself to this....
I guess that corruption is nothing new, but, man is it disheartening. And yes, I hear you on why subject myself to this? I still find joy in it, in spite of everything.
Am I the only commentator to sift through Suzy's rant against public officials to discover an invitation for all of us to have Thanksgiving dinner at her house? I'll bring the cranberry relish!
Seriously, though, as I sat with my class watching Obama's "Race to the Top" speech (made at Wright Middle School in Madison, Wisconsin and broadcast live to all schools in the district), I felt anger and hurt. More "blame the teacher" rhetoric. Obama's big message that day was that states like Wisconsin, which have "firewall laws" preventing teacher evaluations to be linked to student test scores, need to repeal those laws in order to qualify for "Race to the Top" funds. And, 2 days later, our Democratically-controlled legislature and Democratic governor repealed Wisconsin's firewall law. That next week, Gov. Doyle returned to Wright Middle School to sign that piece of legislation. He sure knows how to kick teachers in the teeth, smiling the whole time he is doing it.
Incidentally, Madison has a bigger achievement gap between majority/minority students than Milwaukee. If Milwaukee citizens lose control of their school board, Kenosha, Racine, Beloit and Madison are next, according to teachers' union insiders.
Maria, do you need a place to go for Thanksgiving -- at least one where you can freely express your opinion re: Israel and Palestine?
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