Motley Moose – Archive

While some think liberals like me are only ever angry at the choices the president has made, are not supportive of him,  are PUMAs or whatever, I want to dispel that notion.

I do not agree with the president’s education choices/ideology and will fight him and Duncan on that always.  But when he inspires me, I speak up. I am not afraid to speak out when I support what the president says/does, anymore than when I do not agree or support his choices.

I truly believe ALL OF US have an obligation to speak out and influence our fellow citizens, our legislators, and colleagues.  I have posted this on FB, knowing some of my friends and relatives are extremely right.  Some get very angry at me.  Some believe it is wrong to “speak publicly about politics with family and friends.”  Not me. I believe it is a moral obligation to speak out.

Here is my note on FB.

At first I just wrote this as a comment in the diary about DWS.  Then I decided it deserved a diary.  My anger right now is fierce, is deep and I wonder if people will ever wake up to the greed, the hate, the narrow visioned, bigoted view of the tea party.  

This is the time for those on the left to speak loud, speak clear and not back down.  Democracy is about compromise.  Obama wants to compromise. But enough is enough.   One cannot compromise with those who do not believe in compromise.  

This is why I believe in strong unions, in strong advocacy groups.  NOW is the time to speak out.

I originally wrote this as a comment in my other diary, wanting to get off the issue of whether or not POTUS should be more or less involved in WI.

But then I decided it needs a diary, not just a comment.

So this is about educators, and even though I know ALL public employees are involved in WI, I have never been anything but a teacher (but I support ALL of them).  For forty years I have taught, mostly sixth grade, but at some point or another I did K through college, classroom to specialist in the media center, an MA in ed tech, an MA equivalent in Counseling and 100 credits above those degrees.  I am now retired but still sub.  Education is my expertise as well as my passion.

So I want to address the hot potato issue of tenure which seems to irritate many, even on the left.

Some ask me why I am such a diehard, union supporter.  I may have mentioned some reasons in comments here. It started for me long before I became a teacher. Today I am feeling particularly saddened about some things happening in our country.  Or perhaps more about what is not happening up front as opposed to what is happening behind the scenes.  

While I believe the truth is on the side of workers, from teachers to firefighters et al who are fighting to keep hard fought for rights to private sector workers who have lost so many of those right, the media seems on the side of corporate profiteers.  

I am not a researcher.  Unlike some of the great detailed diaries here, this will be short, albeit not all that sweet.

Public employees of all stripes and persuasions are being targeted across this country.  They are the face of labor and their unions are arguably the “last standing strong.”   Teachers’ Unions are in particular under attack.  Public education itself is under attack.  Much of these attacks are based on lies and spin.

More….

On Friday I substituted in a local school in the fourth grade.   While I was there, during what is known as Focus Groups sessions, another teacher came to teach Lesson 1 in their “Bully Proofing Our School” unit.  This unit has been around for years and I used it before.  

It got me to wondering.  How can we bully proof our adult citizenry?  

First let me say, I was impressed by the woman’s beautiful voice.  Inspired is not what I felt.  Saddened by the reaction of so many is closer to my emotional reaction.

I do not watch American Idol for one reason.  I get disgusted by what passes as entertainment these days.  Simon what’s-his-name’s nasty treatment turned me off the first time I witnessed it.

I will explain after the fold.

Way back when as a new teacher, when people used to ask me, “What do you teach?”  I would answer, somewhat sardonically, “Children, I teach children.”

It amused me that so many of my peers, not in education, did not get it, looked down on me, and considered my job easy.  I knew if I said, “Math or science” they would give me some fake admiration, and then, politely remind me how much more money I would make if I had gone into research, or business.

It was the late 1960s’ when I began my teaching career at age 21.  And by the early 70s I knew that a) I picked the right career b) my job was one in which I had no conflicts with my basic anti war, free love, kumbaya soul acquired during my years in college.

More to come…..

Maybe it’s my age.  Maybe it’s just me. Maybe it’s my years and years of frustration.  

Yesterday I had some disagreements here and elsewhere over the Bush I stupidity. From my vantage point, I saw more commenters take the “see Bill Clinton is really the jerk” stance than Bush I defines who and what the right was and remains.  

While we can debate forever about Bill’s response, the truth is it is a judgment call…quite subjective.  Some saw Bill’s reaction confirming Bush’s sexism, and in a sense wishing he could be like him, while others saw Bill reacting the only way he could; acknowledging it was wrong, and acknowledging that because it was a Bush, the press would give him a pass.  More to come…