Despite very cold wind and rain, lots of folks came out to speak against the radical agenda of Daniels and Bennett. Strong speakers and an excited crowd was encouraging to see. By the way, not once did I hear anyone about "more money" as Daniels always suggests is the only point of unions. Instead, they talked about student achievement, the role of public education in a democracy, the arts; social studies; other important things schools do that aren't on ISTEP, professional development, hiring qualified teachers.
I attended this rally on March 5th with an optimistic attitude. I was ashamed and embarrassed to find that the roup of educators and parents present was extraordinarily rude; many of the signs contained nothing but political slurs and ad hominem attacks rather than constructive suggestions for political reform. The teachers left considerable garbage all around the statehouse and its grounds. I, for one, hold enormous respect for the legislators who ARE TRYING TO IMPROVE OUR SCHOOLS, even while I do not agree with their particular methods of doing so. Childish complaining, in the absence of polite respect for the institutions responsible for affecting change, is not credible and will not produce the desired change. If the goal of the rally was to prove just how contentious and boorish teachers may be, then it was a runaway success. Maybe next time we can take the high road in lieu of immaturity.
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