Saturday - March 19, 2011

Thank who?

A couple of days ago I got an email from my high school buddy in Afghanistan:

If you can read this, thank a teacher.
If you can read this in English, thank a veteran.
American by birth, Soldier by choice.

Sounds good, doesn’t it?

Then I started thinking about the underlying assumptions…

Here’s my reply: I’ve edited the names so as to protect my friend.

I hate to disagree. If I can read that, I’ll thank my parents. My mom used to sit me on her lap and read to me. By kindergarten I knew the alphabet and most of the phonetic sounds.

If I can read that in English and not German? Well, guess I’ll have to thank Grandpa Burgdorf, a first-generation German who ended up fighting in WWII. Admittedly, in the Pacific theatre. Guess it didn’t take too much time to conceive Mom. He was on Navy leave, Mom was born in ‘43. He wasn’t discharged until VJ Day. Family legend says he didn’t even see his only child until after VJ Day.

The fact that I can’t read it in Spanish? Thank Davy Crockett, Col. Travis, David Bowie, Sam Houston, President James Polk, future President Zachary Taylor, Gen. Winfield Scott…

The fact I can’t read it in French? Thank Gen. James Wolfe in 1759. Brits beat the French.

Hmmm, guess I should thank veterans.

Do I thank teachers? Yes. Do I thank members of the NEA union? NO!

Why?

_____, I married a girl with one child still at home. I had to do major tutoring to get him to graduate high school. I complained constantly to the school administration, and the Dayton Board of Education. I showed the letters from the functionally illiterate English teachers. Then I’d get calls from those teachers in the middle of the night threatening me. Ditto for the social studies teachers. I give the math teachers a pass; I couldn’t find that they were negligent or incompetent. My step-son just needed more ‘instruction’. (It’s in quotes because I still do not believe he couldn’t do it, he just didn’t want to. So he ended up with more instruction and homework from me. For once, his mother backed me.)

My point is that they weren’t teachers, they were incompetent union thugs pulling down a paycheck twice mine, and I didn’t get summers off.

I remember one time me and my wife met with the school superintendent and his staff. The subject was ‘bullies’. Not what I called them, what I called them was far less civil. Basically, there was a small group of ‘students’ whose goal was to disrupt classes. Classes my step-son was in, and having trouble with. He wasn’t their target.

My question: ‘Why are they not expelled for disrupting classes?’

Answer - from school superintendent Franklin––can’t remember if that was his first or last name. All I do remember is that he moved on to be superintendent of Washington DC schools. I’m sure you saw a huge improvement during his tenure in Washington!

Anyway, his answer was: “They have a right to be educated too.”

Translation: We need them to be enrolled so as to collect state and federal funds for the government school system.

Christopher

My point? Thank the parents who care enough. The NEA would have you believe the country would go to hell without them. Funny. The United States got along just fine without any unions, much less a teacher’s union.

Personally, my opinion is this: If you graduate high school, you are qualified to teach your children, or any other children, to high school level. If the teachers’ union objects, (you’re not qualified to teach) then they are providing a lousy product. You should sue the NEA, and individual teachers, for false advertising.

At the very least.

Posted by Christopher     on 03/19/2011 at 09:56 PM   
Filed Under: • Education •  
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