Monday, December 14, 2009

Edumacation

I have recently received a Masters Degree in how to lie with statistics. My current millieu is without contract and I have witnessed first hand both sides being disingenuous through their use of facts; skewing facts to the particular message desired and outright lies. It's a pleasure to be a teacher in this environment.

Atticus Finch tells his kids that it is a sin to kill a mockingbird. My experience shows that there are no mockingbirds when it comes to education; not the parents, not the teachers, not the kids and not the administrators. It's every man, woman and child for themselves. It takes a contract dispute to clarify the mercenary role of educators in American society. The message we learn is that it is everyone for themselves. There is no community, no "educational environment," and no concept of doing the right thing.

As a parent, this is disheartening, yet enlightening. I will internalize this experience as a teacher, as a taxpayer and, as a parent. It's unfortunate, but this world is all about money. Teachers want it, taxpayers want it, administrators want it. All of this want means that we are eventually stealing from the kids. And that my friend, sucks!