Why hasn't a powerful former educator like Laura Bush come forward to defend her profession?

[Generic Other]

Why hasn't she spoken out? She trotted out her credentials constantly and rubbed our noses in it every day for 8 years. Yet not a peep out of her.

According to her biography in the National First Ladies Library "After graduating from college, Laura Bush taught second grade at Kennedy Elementary School in Houston, Texas for two years...Education has been the primary focus of Laura Bush's tenure as First Lady and the issue that has bound all the various efforts she has spearheaded. When she eventually was able to deliver testimony before the Senate Education Committee on January 23, 2002, Laura Bush called for higher teacher salaries..."

http://www.firstladies.org/biographies/firstladies.aspx?biography=44

Amazing. It turns out she was the poster girl for education. The school marm with the golden apple. We all remember that, don't we? Her staunch defense of hubby's NCLB. What a remarkable example of a Republican educator she was.

Oh and we mustn't forget her daughter toiling away in an inner city school. Wikipedia reports that Jenna is following in the family matriarch's shadow:

"currently works as a part-time reading coordinator at the SEED Public Charter School in Baltimore, Maryland, and contributes a monthly news story about education for the Today show."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jenna_Hager

The SEED school you ask?

"The The SEED School of Maryland is a statewide college-preparatory public boarding school that began in August 2008 with its first class of 80 sixth grade students. The Maryland General Assembly passed legislation to establish the program which is publicly funded through state and local sources."

http://www.marylandpublicschools.org/MSDE/programs/residential_ed/

And then there's Jeb Bush. Asked about what was at the top of his educational reform agenda, he replied

"Applying digital learning as a transformative tool to disrupt the public education system..."

http://wn.com/Jeb_Bush

He enthusiastically endorses the idea of teachers selling their courses to schools to break the education monopoly. Of course his brother Neil has just the digital software needed. Replacing live teachers for computers and digital learning. What an innovative idea.

Former first lady Barbara Bush donated an undisclosed amount of money to the Bush-Clinton Katrina Fund with specific instructions that the money be spent with an educational software company owned by her son Neil. Information about the effectiveness of the program, through district-generated reports, was not readily available..."

http://www.mahablog.com/2006/03/23/unbelievable/

Ah yes. Destroy the unions. Replace the teachers. Welcome to the new face of public education parents and students. Another Bushco enterprise. They have been planning this hostile takeover for a long time.

[Newest Reality]

1. All hail the great wisdom of that

crime family. They are on top of it! Their rap sheet probably makes some crooks envious.

I sometimes fantasize about running them out of town, so to speak. You know, the look on their faces and such. The justice of it. Running them out of the country would be even more of a wonderful experience.

Hey, we don't do that here though. That's barbaric and so uncivilized. Crime families are the stock and trade of the way things work now and a genuine fixture of the American, were #1, fuck yeah, way.

Well, if it ever did come down to the people's justice, don't forget Paraguay.

[struggle4progress]

2. I myself am perfectly happy not hearing from the Dallasites

[Sherman A1]

3. Simple answer

She got hers, so who cares about anyone else.

She is too busy making big bucks as a truly terrible speaker on the lecture circuit to give a tinker's damn about anyone in what was once her profession.

[bluetex]

4. Not sure the premise is accurate

Can one not be moved to impart knowledge and share the wonders of education....simply because it's what they're called to do?


Who here has seen the sparkle in a small childs eyes....


When they first see a moth change into a butterfly?
When a tadpole grows to a frog?
When the secret of mathmatics is made clear?
When they learn how to sound out letters to make into words?
When they learn to put down onto paper their thoughts?


Some appear to be confusing an avocation with an agenda.

[SoCalDem]

5. She's too busy sweeping the front porch

& "bedazzling" her shirtwaists:)

[proud2BlibKansan]

6. She was a lame librarian

I'd just as soon she stay out of this one.

[bluetex]

7. WOW.

Librarian not "educator" enough?

[proud2BlibKansan]

8. She was a lame librarian

As opposed to librarians who are actually dedicated.

Not hard to understand. Unless you came here for -shall we say - other reasons.