Big feelings

There is a bill in Utah that has passed the house and is moving to the state senate.  

It is about school choice and would give $8000 to students to use for a private school.  The state currently spends $4000 per student for public school.  It is a bill that bizarrely couples a raise for teachers with school choice.  (The coupling is there to make it more palatable.)

Let's imagine a scenario.  I don't like the library or want to use it, I'd rather get my books on Amazon.  The library never has the books available that I want.  The hold list is interminable.

So would we pass a bill that people who don't want to use the library (for valid reasons) would get a stipend to use at Amazon?  I could get the exact books I want!  Fast!  

The libraries would suffer if we take the money away to give to the people who want their books from Amazon, but so be it.

That sounds crazy, right?

Here are some things that one of the lobbyist/supporters of the bill, Allison Sorensen, said:

When it comes to school choice, I have taught at a private school, I have homeschooled and I currently teach at a Title 1 school.  I am like Farmers Insurance.

I know a thing or two because I've seen a thing or two.

And I have big feelings about this.

I have students whose families are barely hanging on.  Public schools are one place where they get stability and security.  It is the place where they can hope to break the cycle of poverty.  These students, with their struggling and/or dysfunctional families would not be able to afford or manage private school even if they were given $8000.  (Also, I don't think many private schools would accept the ones who are so far behind.)

This bill would just take money away from a group of people who need it the most.  Also, the whole reason we have public schools is because we have decided that educating the general public is better for everyone.  Everyone.  Widening the gap between the haves and have nots isn't better for anyone.

And I also have big feelings about teachers unions.  I get so tired of the rhetoric that is batted around in politics about the big bad teachers union who is only there for a money grab and doesn't care about students, but rather is out to hurt students.

I am part of the teachers union.  The teachers union isn't some inanimate evil entity.  It is teachers.

Here's what the union does:  1) send me notices that I can sign up for life insurance 2) advocate for teachers in the government.

I know all the teachers at my school who are part of the teachers union.  I can 100% guarantee that we are not in it for the money, or even the damn money.

Janelle and I were talking after school about this.  She said, "We know and they know we aren't going to strike.  We care too much about the students.  We wouldn't want to hurt our students."

I wish Allison Sorensen, delightful woman that she seems to be, would come to my school.

I would like her to see the teachers who bring food from home and drop off clothing and gloves and hats for the wellness room.  I would like her to see that every car is in the parking lot well after our contract hours are up.

I would like her to see us sharing ideas to try harder to reach them.  I would like her to see that we don't just say every student is our student.  We actually mean it.

I would like her to see us crying at times because our hearts are breaking over their tough lives that we can't fix.

I would like her to see the smiles on our faces when we welcome them to school.  

Then I would like her to tell me again that we don't care.