CHANGES TEACHERS UNIONS MUST MAKE

Billionaire Bill Gates was a guest on Morning Joe (MSNBC) mainly because of a $50 million dollar donation made by his foundation to fight Ebola virus epidemic. However, what I found most interesting was his remarks about education, which I thought were especially perceptive. He said “they”, meaning his foundations, have found that schools with 10% excellent teachers are excellent schools but even more important, it happens when these teachers are in the lead in their school. I think what he was saying, and this is the important part, is teachers know best how to teach. At first bluish, most of would agree and say, of course, that should be so obvious that it is trite to have to say it. The truth is that is not what happens; it is much more complex than that.

Start this discussion with unions, specifically teachers unions; therefore, what Gates was saying is not accurate because teachers are in charge of teachers’ unions and still schools are failing. The popular press, especially the right wing press would have us believe teachers are in charge of teachers unions but careful analysis will show this is not accurate. In the unions where so called teachers are in charge, they are teachers in name only, because they are more interested in salaries than they are in the students, which is the major fault of all unions. However, I am aware of a recent move by skill labor union leaders to correct this. My hope is that this will spread to teachers union. With this new brand of leadership, the leaders have recognized that the main function of a union is to guarantee all of their members are highly “skilled”. If I hire a “union member”, that person knows how to do the job and therefore deserves the salary he or she is paid. These unions now have established educational programs and a system of categorizing member according to skill levels of members, which is exactly what teachers union leaderships must do. When that happens, teachers will truly be in charge. That will be the 10% Gates was talking about.

For now, the rightwing is correct; teachers unions are a big problem because teachers unions elect their leaders from people, some of them professional teachers and others who are skilled firebrand union leadership in the manner of Jimmy Hoffa. Teacher union membership commonly elect leaders who put salary and job security first as opposed to putting job evaluation based on teaching skills first as other skilled workers’ unions are starting to do to that end.   

Having said that the rightwing is right in identifying unions as being a problem, they are clearly wrong in the solution they advance, which is to destroy all unions.  

Unions are absolutely critical to any solution. There is no clearer example of the need for political compromise than this situation presents. Of course, classically Republicans have taken a position of “no compromise on anything”—to use and only trope, it is their way or the highway. There is evidence that their way, that is destroying unions, is destroying our public school system; look at current poor evaluations of public schools and match that with the fact that Republican governor after Republican governor has destroyed teachers unions (public service unions). The governors are willingly responding to the public perception, which is bad because teachers unions have degraded themselves, as I explained above, by protecting incompetent teachers and fighting to increasing salaries. The distrust of unions leads to ineffectiveness in salary negotiations. If we do not have teachers’ unions, they cannot do as Bill Gates implies; only good teachers can correct our educations system. They are the only ones who know the problems and how to solve them in a way that benefits students. Unions must insure, and this is not an option but an obligation, only “skilled” teachers stand before their class.  

Am I hopeful this will happen? Yes, and no! Teachers unions will change because they must. However, because the fundamental Republican principle, which is that “they” be in charge, demands they continue to try to destroy—without compromise—all unions no matter how good they are at providing skilled teachers or skilled labor. What has to happen is that unions must overcome this innate bias by providing the best schoolteachers in the world; certainly, a big part of that is to make sure the public will support the idea that teachers are paid and respected for what they do; however, “true teacher”, are a unique breed of people. Teaching is innate in teachers; it is part of their soul. Strangely enough this may be why teachers are generally willing to do their best, even while being paid less than others with comparable education are. Maya Angelou explained what compels a teacher with this innate trait to do what they do, “If you learn, teach”. 

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