How Can We Break The Stronghold That The NEA Has On Education In America?
First of all, saying that this single group is to blame for the problems in education today is like saying the NRA (National Rifle Association) is to blame for all the shootings that happen (in schools, malls, drive-by’s, robberies, etc…). Simply – it is NOT TRUE! Public education is in a constant state of flux – it changes with society, and with the needs of each community. Well, as fast as any bureaucracy can change. Schools and educators are constantly being told what to do and how to do by people who are NOT in education – kind of like a farmer telling a fisherman how to ply his trade. Or a businessman telling a farmer how to plough… The goal of any union is to look out for it’s constituency. The goal of the NEA is to do that AND make education better. Check out the websites below for information…you may be very surprised at what the NEA can do for STUDENTS! As for economically…well, let’s see…I am a teacher, my contract says I am to work 7.5 hours/day, 184 days a year (~
The easiest way to destroy a union is to make it not be in the interest of the membership to remain members. Most teachers are part of the NEA because their local unions are member unions, which give the teachers a membership as part of their local dues. The REAL question you are asking is how do you remove the local teachers union from acting in the education/political arena. First, look at why teachers unionized. Teachers are just about the lowest paid profession that requires more than 4 years at a university. Before unions, teachers were paid a poverty level wage, they had substandard or no benefits, they were under the dictatorship of the principle, and they were subject to dismissal or transfer with no notice. It was a very hard life that was one of the only professions opened to traditional minorities. Blacks, women, and other minorities were able to get in and thrive. The problem was that these people had a history of being without power. The profession began to change after WW
I do not feel that public education is failing the students. I feel that parents are failing their children. The problem starts at home. Yes, the NEA and AFT are politically powerful. Their sole goal is to protect children. No meaningful reform will ever occur because there is no way to hold parents accountable.
