Because American schools are places of democracy, where we model for our children the best of what we can be. And when we disagree, we sit at the table together and work through the issues. That’s what grownups do. That’s why.
I do not belong to my association, as I am not eligible for membership. But I believe that everyone should have a seat at the table. When we leave people out, that’s not democracy.
Yes, there are plenty of bad examples of those in management and union alike who act poorly. But we don’t outlaw politicians when we don’t like their actions. And we haven’t eliminated corporations from the nation because of a few bad seeds.
So we shouldn’t eliminate the voices of working folks, either. At our best, we’re all pretty darn good. And we should always be trying to be our best. That said, there are checks and balances built into our government for a reason. We’re all better together. ((There are lots of folks sharing their thoughts on unions today. You might want to check them out.))
When I got my first contact, the union did a presentation about member benefits. It wasn’t the slick presentation but the sage advice of a mentor teacher that got me to sign the card. She said “When the chips are down you don’t want to face the gamble alone.” The chips are definitely down and I am not gambling my students’ future on the outcome of cost cutting unproven measures. My union and I will fight.
Thanks for this, Bud. It’s nice to see the trope of democracy picked up here. Too many forget that the union is a democratic institution, for better or worse, just like our country. I’m going to be writing more about this in the next day or two.
Looking forward to that. Democracy is messy. I like messy.