Reply #18: Unfortunately, [View All]

[chervilant]

there are quite a number of DUers who have swallowed this corporate ruse, and many have jumped on the bandwagon to bash teachers and vilify teacher's unions.

I have been struggling to become a teacher for the past three years, through the accelerated teacher certification process here in Texas. I've experienced a number of administrators whose primary concerns are the ubiquitous standardized tests (the TAKS here), and the ridiculous constraints imposed by NCLB (now RTTT}. Glaringly absent is any real regard for our students, because students don't decide whether their school is an 'acceptable' or 'recognized' campus (thus, safe from the harsh consequences imposed by NCLB--now RTTT).

I grant you there are 'bad' teachers, just as there are 'bad' doctors, lawyers, engineers, etc. Unarguably, however, administrators have the strategies required to remove such teachers. In fact, the specious argument that 'bad teachers' are the reason public education is failing is a big red herring promulgated by the corporate megalomaniacs who intend to privatize teaching--and any other public service that might provide them further opportunities to expand their wealth and power.

I very much appreciate your post, Time for change. I hope you've been following madfloridian's brilliant work on this topic.