From the gift that keeps on giving, ReDefined Ed, by
Wendy Howard:
While working on our upcoming
National School Choice Week event that will showcase the historic Brown v.
Board of Education decision I noticed some similar behaviors between those who
opposed desegregation in that landmark case and the behaviors of those who
oppose school choice today.
Anger, hatred, name calling. Shall I
go on? People can be very cruel when they feel threatened or disagree.
Wow!!!
For years the school choice movement
vilified teachers, portraying them as union thugs who only cared about comfy pensions
and Cadillac benefits as charter school and voucher proponents sold their
substandard wears as alternatives to failing public schools. And according to
Mrs. Howard these are the good guys?!?
Education reformers and school
choice supporters are constantly trying to rewrite the narrative as more and
more people stop buying the snake oil they are selling and waking up to how bad
they have been for education. Patrick Gibbons of Redefined Ed thinks teachers
were tricked into thinking they were victims so they wouldn’t support school
choice which is really just another name for privatization.
Teachers and public school supporters
are guilty of one thing though and that’s not waking up sooner to the assault
on public education and public school teachers. We sat back as profiteers, mercenaries
and union haters wrote the narrative. We woke up late because we couldn’t
understand the vitriol and hatred channeled our way but we didn’t wake up too
late.
Mrs. Howard is right though, people
can be very cruel especially when they are trying to make a buck and everyday
folks like teachers who dedicated their lives to children are standing in their
way.
Another day, another self serving and ridiculous change
to the school choice narrative.
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