Musings on Politics in Education

News today from the state legislative body furthers a bill into legislation which prevents the largest teacher association in the state from collecting their dues through the teachers' payroll. All other professional organizations in the state will still be allowed to do so. Republican legislators make no secret of the fact that this piece of legislation is directed at the teachers' group primarily because they have supported mostly Democrats with their political action committees. That last statement is not just conjecture -- the discussion of this was overheard when the Republicans neglected to cut off their microphones as they discussed and planned this strategy. Wow, what gall!! It may have happened but I have never known of a group of so-called professional law makers to be so openly punitive.

I am reminded of a doctrine which says that when men receive a little authority, it seems to follow, that they will begin exercise it unjustly over others. Another word that comes to mind is spite. Who wins when we spitefully use our authority over others? What is gained?

As these things have been discussed in the news media it has been said by those governing, we are just giving them back what we got when the Democrats ruled. Gee, what examples we set for youth and those who listen, watch and follow.

It is not my aim to align myself with one political group or another in what I write here, but to objectively attempt to look at the big picture and what we are trying to accomplish. With teachers their primary aim should be what is best for children.

With the legislative body their primary aim should be what is best for children.

Spite used against teachers does not promote an attitude of cooperation on what is best for children.

Another irritating point thrown around pertaining to schools is that of merit pay. While it sounds like the panacea for solving money problems or the answer to separating the wheat from the tares, Nay, not so!! I have never known a human who could totally separate their true feelings from the evaluation process and be honest. I have known and been involved in a few situations where the evaluations of teachers were done with the negative feelings of an evaluator becoming far too involved and entwined in trying to assess the job being done by a teacher. Usually it becomes a labor of nit-picking on the part of the evaluator.

Individuals having never been subjected to this type of job evaluation look on it favorably. Once involved in the process they begin to see its unfairness. It is very difficult to be objective when evaluating people you just do not like for one reason or many reasons.

I believe that when it is perceived that an educator is doing an inadequate job the evaluator should be someone who does not know the individual personally and can evaluate objectively. A framework for evaluating (with scaffolding) can be constructed such that an objective outsider can assess effectiveness in a classroom along with other factors such as student achievement.