The Anti-Teacher Hysteria: Why Teachers' Unions Matter

[Karmadillo]

http://www.counterpunch.org/cooke03162010.html

The Anti-Teacher Hysteria
Why Teachers' Unions Matter
By SHAMUS COOKE

Nowadays a newspaper cannot be opened — or a TV turned on — without one being subjected to anti-teacher misinformation. The anti-teacher hysteria looks diverse on the surface, but underneath, this public controversy seeks to dislodge teachers unions: the right-wing trashes teachers’ unions outright, while the “liberal” media takes a more subtle, sophisticated approach, blaming the state of public education on “bad teachers” who must be fired and replaced. Both styles are the same in essence.

The bi-partisan goal is to undermine and dismember public education, so that public funds may be instead channeled into paying debts racked up by multiple wars and corporate bailouts. Also, as public education is gutted, rich investors parasitically benefit from it by opening for-profit “charter schools,” curriculum corporations, or the bevy of new companies that "certify" teachers for a fraction of the cost or time of universities, ready to serve at the new corporate McEducation institutes.

Obama’s Race to the Top campaign enshrines these odious goals into governmental policy, picking up where Bush’s anti-teacher union policies left off, and racing frantically in the same direction, to the bottom.

The schools that Bush’s No Child Left Behind labeled as “failures” are to be shut down under Obama’s Race to the Top. These schools are almost entirely in poor neighborhoods, where the social disease of poverty is an easy predictor of a child’s poor test scores.

But Obama ignores this obvious fact and blames poor grades and test scores on the teachers, exclusively.

<edit>

If teachers’ unions cannot keep schools open, or teachers from being fired, their power is undermined. If any teacher can be fired when they are labeled “bad,” then one of the fundamental concepts of unionism, seniority, is crushed. If teachers cannot be protected by seniority, then pro-union teachers will be targeted and fired, and the union will evolve into a paper tiger. And if union-protected teachers can suddenly be fired arbitrarily, then union-protected workers in other fields will soon find their seniority destroyed, and with it their unions. The struggle of the teachers is thus the struggle of all union workers. But unions benefit more than just union workers.

Anyone involved in politics — from the rank and file “activist” to those working for liberal-minded causes — understands that unions are the ONLY source of consistent resources for progressive campaigns, from money donations, TV advertisement, to door knockers and phone bankers, etc.

more...

[Tansy_Gold]

1. + infinity . . . I'm so sick of this shit and I'm not even a teacher

For those who were and are ---

Patricia Quast, Ridge School, Arlington Heights, Illinois, 5th grade, 1958-59

Charles Schlereth, Arlington High School, Spanish 3 & 4, 1964-1966

Art Brownell, Arlington High School, Freshman Algebra, 1963

Jodi Chesbro, Buckeye Elementary School, Buckeye, Arizona

Sherry Saylor, Buckeye Elementary School

Ruth Wiles, Buckeye Union High School

Christopher Marken, Mackinnon Middle School, Wharton NJ

[Davis_X_Machina]

2. All I want from a union ...

...is a collective bargaining agreement on salaries, so when times get tough the school board can't play us off against each other in a reverse bidding war -- seen that at private schools -- and protection against arbitrary dismissal. Over the last 25 years I've had sixteen sons or daughters of school board members, six captains of the football team, and three sons or daughters of my building principal, inter alia and I appreciated being able to sleep at night despite having them in my classes.

[Catshrink]

6. Let me offer some insight into why job security is so important to teachers

This is why unions fight for job security.

1) A student gets a B in a class, parents are upset because it should be an A because the student has always had A's before. Parents contact administrator. When we have job security, we can show the grades for assignments, assessments, papers, etc. and justify the grade: case closed. With no job security, the aforementioned might happen but, if that parent is vocal and well-connected, that teacher may find herself in a the proverbial hot seat.

2) Students decide they don't like a teacher because they have trouble following class rules (like being quiet when the teacher is speaking or staying on task) and decide to rally together to "get rid of her." Students create a petition and circulate it, parents get involved. With job security, the teacher presents her side, offers documentation of student effort and misbehavior, administrator sees that students are retaliating: case closed. (This happened last semester to one of my colleagues.) Without job security, this could result in firing if the principal also has it in for the teacer, regardless of how good the teacher is.

3) A teacher speaks up about a policy change at a school board meeting. The board listens politely but disagrees with the teacher. The teacher is disappointed but accepts the board's decision. With no job security, a board member may object to a teacher confronting the board and demand the teacher be fired. (This happend to a friend of mine who taught at a charter school, except it was the wife of a board member that demanded the firing -- and it was granted!)

These are just three examples. I'm sure others could add more.

[tonysam]

12. Administrators can STILL get rid of you; "tenure" doesn't protect

teachers the way it should. All it does is put a brake on a principal's worst impulses to fire willy-nilly. Principals can still fabricate charges against teachers they don't like and rig the hearings in their favor. You wouldn't believe the crap that goes on in these hearings; I have been permanently traumatized when the district robbed me of my career after HR and the legal department realized my principal fucked up when she dismissed me. Instead I was the one who was trashed, slandered, witnesses bribed, colluded with the union's lawyers to have my witnesses limited to zero, and documents forged to deceive the hearing officer. Furthermore, I was too destitute to appeal the award to the school and missed all of the deadlines to file a civil suit. Teachers "can't" be fired? Bullshit. It's done all the time.

People who are not and have not been in this endeavor of public education have NO concept at all of how much administrative law is rigged in favor of school districts and of administrators.

[Catshrink]

16. I know they can still get around it.

In charters there is no protection at all; in union schools a bit anyway. They saved my butt once when student made stuff up in retaliation for me confiscating her i-Pod. Once the admins figured that out it was over.

[FarCenter]

3. Seniority is a really bad criteria for rewarding or promoting employees

As the years go by some employees grow on the job and in their personal life and become more effective performers.

Other employees, for a whole variety of job-related and personal factors, become poorer performers.

[readmoreoften]

7. You mean workers. I"m not a passive "employ-ee" of an "employ-er", thanks.

[NNN0LHI]

9. Performance is a subjective measure while seniority is not thats why

I worked with all kinds of fuck-ups who moved right up the ladder. Not because they were better qualified. It was because they were really good at sucking the bosses ass a lot better than anyone else. They had no shame whatsoever. I don't know how these scum could go home and look their families in the face after licking the bosses ass at work all day. Thats the system you prefer over seniority?

Don

[proud2BlibKansan]

13. 99% of teachers really do get better with experience

The seniority system in teaching is not only fair, it's what's best for our kids.

[roguevalley]

22. seniority is not the same in teaching as it is in other professions.

Teachers get on a multi-column pay scale and you have to earn advanced degrees and stay a long time to move up. Where other professions give raises at regular intervals, teaching does not. You have to earn it and you have to stay a long time. If you don't, you will dead end at some point. The seniority that everyone is so damned INCENSED about only applies when there are cut backs or layoffs in personnel.

I don't think you would be too damned happy in your profession getting cut when junior people stay anymore than us. I would like you to know that seniority doesn't give you any perks beyond being the last to be furlowed or fired. Nothing more.

[NNN0LHI]

24. How are school district superintendents and assistant superintendents selected?

And other supervising staff? Weren't they all teachers at one time? It wasn't seniority that caused them to move up the ladder was it? Was it just luck? Or something else? What do you think it was?

Don

[roguevalley]

27. in my thirty years, it was they applied for the jobs after getting certified

for administration and going through a practicum where a local principal helped them by having them in their building for a period of time. It's done through the application process with appropriate certification. You can tell the teaching guys moving up. they kiss central office ass. sometimes you get up there because you were the sib or child of an admin. It varies. Seniority won't move you from teaching to admin. You have to be certified and apply.

[roguevalley]

20. really. when you have a job you have to recertify for every few years

taking classes and working for advanced degrees so you can afford to live, then I will listen. Seniority keeps veterans in the job. Half the problem now is poor college teacher programs and not enough vets to mentor new teachers. There is a reason most leave the profession in the first five years. The things you cite can apply to any job out there. Its too bad that teachers get the kibosh from people who apply these criteria to them alone. I suppose you can say the same shit about doctors and brokers.

[FarCenter]

25. I was commenting on seniority, not teachers

Note that I chose to use the word "employees", not "teachers", since the principles apply in many occupations.

You can see the bad effects of a seniority system in the US Senat and House, where the Democratic committee chairmen are a collection of aged and incompetent time-servers from safe disticts. Unfortuantely, there appears to be no way for younger, creative, and dynamic representatives and senators to take over those jobs.

[roguevalley]

28. teachers have seniority in the district amongst each other that helps

when the pick slips fly. As for the party, you have to go and put in the time before you move up. There is no substitute for being there.

[LiberalFighter]

4. IMO it is most likely the fault of 1) state legislators 2) school administrators

[Supersedeas]

26. they are looking for additional funding whereever it can be found--the Feds have requirements

[Karmadillo]

5. Kick

nt

[readmoreoften]

8. There's a word for anti-union Democrats:

Republicans.

[Starry Messenger]

10. +100,000

[roguevalley]

23. amen. times google.

[Political Heretic]

19. Amen. At least - that's how it should be. It's not how it really is.

[proud2BlibKansan]

11. It's gotten really bad here on DU as well

For 6+ years I have come to the Education group here for great discussions with other teachers. But now we have teacher bashers who come to that group and post crap that contributes nothing positive to the discussions. I am sick of it. I even alerted on my own post today after I cussed out a basher. First time I have ever done that on DU.

The worst part of all of this bashing is that the things many of the bashers complain about are things teachers have zero control over. If the teacher across the hall from me is a bad teacher, I can't fire her. And I can't make her better. I just get to put up with the chaos in that classroom and deflect concerned parents. People who don't work in a school have no idea how hard it is.

Some of us really are trying to make schools better places for our kids. It's sad that so many supposed liberals have bought into the bad teacher crap.

[tonysam]

14. I think the bashers are in one of two categories

Charter school propagandists who have an agenda.

Obama supporters who can't understand this guy is way, way, way off in the head when it comes to public education and is not the great liberal people thought he was.

[Catshrink]

17. Excellent analysis.

some are paid propagandists.

[bemildred]

15. Politicians and administrators fucked up the school system.

Authority and responsibility belong together. (The buck stops here.)

[Political Heretic]

18. I have zero respect or tolerance for those who scapegoat teachers.

[Solly Mack]

21. K&R