Thursday, February 26, 2004
Mom, I'm a Terrorist
Ever had one of those days where everything seems to be going well – the sort where your professional life is going so well that you want to climb on top of your desk and shout, "I'm the king of the world!" and dance a jig? I was having a day like that earlier this week. Things were going really well. In fact, I went through my day working hard to make sure my students understood why the Truman Doctrine was so important to American foreign policy in the nuclear age (notice: not nuculer, but that's a whole other chestnut) and trying to get 14 year olds to understand what Romeo and Juliet is saying, if not why we still read it. Then I got home and discovered something about myself I didn't know…I'm a member of a terrorist organization. I KNOW! I was shocked too! I had no idea I was WILLING a part of terrorist organization! And I pay dues to these people!
At least that is what the head of education in the United States would have you believe. Rod Paige's comment was shocking and an affront to every teaching professional. Even as a joke, which Paige claims it was, it does not diminish the idea behind his comments: teacher's unions are evil and any respectable teacher should be ashamed of being a part of such an organization. Even as the audience of governors and other government officials laughed, it drove home the unspoken suggestion: teachers and those that represent them clearly cannot possibly have any legitimate say in forming the policy that affects them every day. And even as Rod Paige only moments later praised teachers for their fine work with a wink and a yuk-yuk-just-kiddin'-ya smile, it does not weaken the clear contempt that the Bush administration has for teachers. While Paige calls the joke "an inappropriate choice of words" any human being living in the world today would know that such an utterance is more than inappropriate.
Why be angry, even after a few days have past? Doesn't every person have a right to disagree? Doesn't every person have the capacity to disagree with an organization while still being supportive of the people in that organization? Absolutely. I have been doing that for quite some time. As an American citizen, it is my right, if not my duty, to question Bush on our involvement in Iraq, if only to gain a better understanding. Yet I remain unwaveringly and overwhelmingly supportive of our fine military. As a Christian, I question how the Catholic Church handled the recent sex scandals, but support the rank and file priests and nuns who do so much for humanity. And yes, as a member of a teacher's union, I question some policies that the MEA and NEA hold, and work to change them while supporting my colleagues who work so hard to create an educated society.
But I am not Rod Paige. I am not the head educator in the United States. Rod Paige is. I do not speak for the President of the United States and the government of the United States on matters of education. Rod Paige does. I am not responsible for formulating policy that affects every teacher, school and district in the United States. Rod Paige is. So when Rod Paige calls those teachers that he is charged with representing members of a terrorist organization, yes, it is a big deal. It requires more than platitudes and insincere apologies. I am a teacher and I take it personally. I consider it irresponsible, reprehensible and repugnant. I consider it slanderous. And it makes me question exactly how this man, who has spent time (distant as it may be) as a teacher, administrator and superintendent can possibly stand in front of educators now and ask us to follow his lead.
But then again, I'm just a teacher.
Ever had one of those days where everything seems to be going well – the sort where your professional life is going so well that you want to climb on top of your desk and shout, "I'm the king of the world!" and dance a jig? I was having a day like that earlier this week. Things were going really well. In fact, I went through my day working hard to make sure my students understood why the Truman Doctrine was so important to American foreign policy in the nuclear age (notice: not nuculer, but that's a whole other chestnut) and trying to get 14 year olds to understand what Romeo and Juliet is saying, if not why we still read it. Then I got home and discovered something about myself I didn't know…I'm a member of a terrorist organization. I KNOW! I was shocked too! I had no idea I was WILLING a part of terrorist organization! And I pay dues to these people!
At least that is what the head of education in the United States would have you believe. Rod Paige's comment was shocking and an affront to every teaching professional. Even as a joke, which Paige claims it was, it does not diminish the idea behind his comments: teacher's unions are evil and any respectable teacher should be ashamed of being a part of such an organization. Even as the audience of governors and other government officials laughed, it drove home the unspoken suggestion: teachers and those that represent them clearly cannot possibly have any legitimate say in forming the policy that affects them every day. And even as Rod Paige only moments later praised teachers for their fine work with a wink and a yuk-yuk-just-kiddin'-ya smile, it does not weaken the clear contempt that the Bush administration has for teachers. While Paige calls the joke "an inappropriate choice of words" any human being living in the world today would know that such an utterance is more than inappropriate.
Why be angry, even after a few days have past? Doesn't every person have a right to disagree? Doesn't every person have the capacity to disagree with an organization while still being supportive of the people in that organization? Absolutely. I have been doing that for quite some time. As an American citizen, it is my right, if not my duty, to question Bush on our involvement in Iraq, if only to gain a better understanding. Yet I remain unwaveringly and overwhelmingly supportive of our fine military. As a Christian, I question how the Catholic Church handled the recent sex scandals, but support the rank and file priests and nuns who do so much for humanity. And yes, as a member of a teacher's union, I question some policies that the MEA and NEA hold, and work to change them while supporting my colleagues who work so hard to create an educated society.
But I am not Rod Paige. I am not the head educator in the United States. Rod Paige is. I do not speak for the President of the United States and the government of the United States on matters of education. Rod Paige does. I am not responsible for formulating policy that affects every teacher, school and district in the United States. Rod Paige is. So when Rod Paige calls those teachers that he is charged with representing members of a terrorist organization, yes, it is a big deal. It requires more than platitudes and insincere apologies. I am a teacher and I take it personally. I consider it irresponsible, reprehensible and repugnant. I consider it slanderous. And it makes me question exactly how this man, who has spent time (distant as it may be) as a teacher, administrator and superintendent can possibly stand in front of educators now and ask us to follow his lead.
But then again, I'm just a teacher.
