Randi Weingarten At Democratic Convention: Teachers' Union Leader Seeks Ways To Weather Criticism

Randi apologizing/lamenting:

"And what we've done as a movement, we focused, we fixated on fairness."

...was/is there something wrong about supporting "fairness for teachers"?!

The reporter putting words into Randi's mouth:

She appeared to recognize that if teachers' unions are going to weather another round of criticism, brought on by a new Hollywood film, "Won't Back Down," in which the union is the bad guy, they will have to adopt a strategy that starts with conciliation.

Conciliation?

What...

...give away "fairness for teachers"?

Replace "drive-by" evaluations with evaluations based upon the false god of admittedly invalid, unreliable standardized tests?

Give away tenure...

...trusting - once again - on the whims of an administrator fearful for her/his own job?

Weingarten went on to say:

"I know sometimes my members get really upset at me when I say this, but you have to look at yourselves and say, 'How can you change? How can you do things better?'"

Memo to Randi:

Your members (and the other teachers out there) constantly self-evaluate...ask themselves what they can do to better serve their students. So, speak for yourself...don't demean the rest of us with your PR pronouncements!

Randi:

You had it right when you said...

'That's the boss's job to fire somebody. That's not our job.'

Randi:

It's your job to represent your members!

As the article correctly states, we now have Democrats joining Republicans (outdoing Republicans) in demanding change, in demanding that teachers do things better.

We, the teachers need somebody to stand up for us...

...to get the message out that the rotten apples are a minority of the teaching profession, vastly outnumbered by the millions upon millions of selfless educators who daily suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous parents, pundits, and polticians...educators trying desperately to teach their students, providing love and support so often lacking at home.

So, Randi...

Instead of falling on your sword, raise it high and defend your members (and the teaching profession) from those who see public education as a replacement for the burst dot-com bubble and the failed housing market.

Teachers desperately long for a leader who will stand up to our bipartisan enemies, to say: