Chicago Teachers are Fighting for all of Us

[TBF]

The teachers' fight in Chicago is part of a larger struggle to save public education.
September 12, 2012

The 26,000 members of the Chicago Teachers Union are leading the fight for our schools (CTU)The 26,000 members of the Chicago Teachers Union are leading the fight for our schools (CTU)

FOR TOO many years, public school teachers and their unions have had to endure a bipartisan attack on their rights, their working conditions, even their competence and commitment--all in the name of what's supposedly "best for the children."

In Chicago this week, teachers have taken a stand for what's really best for children--fully funded public schools and qualified, well-compensated educators to teach them. The 26,000 members of the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) are saying "no" to the smears against educators, "no" to the neglect of public schools, "no" to transforming education into a business venture.

Their courage and determination has won them widespread sympathy and support, according to public opinion polls. Though it isn't always represented in the corporate media, with their cozy relationships with city officials, the spirit of solidarity with the teachers is palpable to anyone who has walked the picket lines with teachers or joined the massive rallies that now paint downtown Chicago CTU red on a constant basis.

In this sense, the Chicago teachers strike represents another in a series of upheavals that have crystallized the bitterness with a system ruled by the 1 percent--from last year's occupation of the Wisconsin Capitol building in defense of union rights, to the Occupy Wall Street movement that spread from New York City around the country, to the angry anti-racist protests this year over the murder of Trayvon Martin.

While these struggles may have different sources and aims, they are tied together in fundamental ways. They represent a new resistance to the status quo, where corporate power reigns supreme, and where political leaders try to divert the blame while making working people sacrifice ...

More here: http://socialistworker.org/2012/09/12/teachers-fight-for-all-of-us

[TBF]

2. I agree completely and thought the article did a nice job explaining.

I know that we have to change with the times and incorporate new methods, but this shifting to privatized schools and never-ending testing is only helping one entity - the Pearson Company in the UK that creates all this testing and makes a boatload of money off it. I'd love to know how many family members of folks involved in educational administration have shares in Pearson. Earlier this year a friend pointed out an article to me (I know I posted in somewhere in the education group) that indicated Texas has spent over $1.2 Billion on testing since 2000, all while cutting salaries and increasing class sizes.

[idwiyo]

3. K&R