Across the Middle East people are rebelling. When these rebels are interviewed by foreign journalists one word comes up again and again. It’s not wages. Not benefits. Not even freedom. It’s dignity, an intangible something that goes beyond purely economic and political considerations, something that touches on one’s sense of personal worth.
Something akin to this is occurring with respect to teachers in this country. They have somehow become the primary targets of budget cutters. Their economic perks, their wages and benefits, their political right to unionize, are being diminished. But beyond this there’s a strong new current of profound disrespect for their professional dignity, their worth to society.
The Howard Beales of “Network” fame have now morphed into governors, state legislators and House reps in Washington. They are mad as hell, not about to take it anymore, and raging against everyone who they blame for their own failures and those of the country’s. Somehow these raging change-agents have focused their prime energies against the educational class. Decided to not only reduce the standards of living of the pointy heads, the smarty pants who always seem to favor causes that these ragers dislike or find immoral, but to break their spirits and show them who’s really the boss in this country — and it ain’t some school marm with job security and a pension when she retires.
The last GOP Chief Executive stated a desire to be “the education president.” His successors in GOP ranks are something very different. They aspire to not only make teaching less desirable in economic terms than other middle class professions, but make it seem somehow not all that important, not something a really talented person would consider even if they truly loved kids and hoped to help improve the futures of a new generation.
Government leaders everywhere still speak of the critical importance of education. In deed that speaks far louder than words, however, they are not only undermining teacher standards of living but flagrantly diminishing their dignity.
After the Governor Walkers of our political world win their war on teachers, we’ll all still be sending our children and grandchildren to learn in classrooms run by this war’s losers. This would appear to be the ultimate pyrrhic victory.
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