And here you thought that reformers were being unfair saying that some teachers’ unions blame kids for the country’s education problems:
“Duncan apparently thinks that you can just demand and command improvement,” says Metro Association of Classroom Educators chairman John Trotter. “He wants to replace everyone … except the ones who matter, the children.”
Trotter says the children in failing schools are the main problem.
“They are unmotivated and lazy. Yes, there are many incompetent and idiotic and mean administrators who need to go,” Trotter says. “There are even some bad teachers, but these are really rare. The problem starts with the students. What is Duncan going to do with some so-called students who act like miscreants each day?”
Nice. And don’t forget that the primary argument against many education reforms is the noble work the public schools do serving all students.
Update: A friend at the AFT writes asking for distance from these guys and points out that their website is, well, ridiculous. See for yourself.
How dare those “so-called students” act like miscreants and make their teachers’ jobs harder. They simply need to grow up and stop acting their age.
Evidently he! is also a big fan of the exclamation! point!
http://www.theteachersadvocate.com/activities.html
To defend good, hardworking teachers from incompetent and martinet administrators is noble.
To defend lazy, incompetent teachers from administrators doing their job makes you an idiot for hire, a bully.
But, to defend a weak, ineffectual teacher who is robbing a child of a year of learning makes you nothing more than a punk.
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