Politicians’ doublespeak hurts education

It is time to see through the doublespeak and look at politician's comments through a more critical eye. Take for instance many candidates' claim that their education policy is to put students first. This begs the question of how we can put students first by making educators an afterthought when making efforts to reform education.

Case in point is comments made by Aaron Bean that were recently published in the local media.

"We just have to know the unions are out for getting the most they can for their union members. My goal will be to make sure that kids are the priority," said the would-be state senator.

Contrary to Mr. Bean's assertion, I believe that our teachers' unions are an important safeguard to ensure that all stakeholders in public education have a voice in education policy. The men and women we send to Tallahassee do not have as much skin in the game but they believe that they know best how to run our schools. This is why our district alone is saddled with over $150 million in unfunded mandates from our state government. This, in my opinion, is irresponsible.

Furthermore, if our state's leaders truly had faith in our public schools, they would not be repeatedly devising ways to move the goalposts that make it impossible for our schools to show any kind of real progress in student learning. The burdens increase on teachers and students alike in the name of accountability and we do not receive any recognition for our work to do what is right by our students. Instead, each new legislative session brings new means for beating up on public schools. The FCAT writing test is the best (or worst, depending on where you stand) of this attitude. For years, we have been telling students that spelling and grammar do not count on their writing test. This year, however, the state forces new metrics on our schools that jeopardize many students' chances to be promoted to the next grade. Thankfully, the Department of Education sounded retreat to head off the inevitable backlash.

And what about the private, charter and parochial schools that are supposed to be the panacea for parents to best serve their children? They are not subject to a fraction of the red tape that Tallahassee foists upon our public schools. This is why we need groups like the Florida Education Association (FEA) to advocate for the embattled educators who are fighting in the trenches and sacrificing time, talent and treasure for our students. We the educators who teach, mentor and counsel our youth do not have the luxury of being able to trek to the state capital to question what we believe to be unsound policies. As long as our unions can speak for us, we will have a voice and I see nothing wrong with our constitutional right to associate with those of like mind. Besides, in a right-to-work state, the union's work benefits all teachers whether or not they pay union dues.

Education does not have to be a partisan issue. FEA membership comes from all parts of the political spectrum. When our leaders are ready to stop playing games with the union, we are ready to work together for the betterment of all students' education.

Sincerely,
//signed//
John Louis Meeks, Jr.
FEA member since 2002