MAC Wk4 Blog Response - Debbie Patsel

MAC/ Week 4, Reading: The Art of Possibility: WE, US, THEM, oh MY!

As I finished reading this book, I was struck by the WE story. That is one of the current problems in my district. WE do not have a contract and WE are being picked on and bullied by OUR governor. WE are going into our third year without a contract. WE are state operated and final control lies with the governor that hates teachers. WE try to sit down and negotiate terms of the contract, but THEY won’t play with US.

WE won an award for back pay because THEY violated the block-scheduling clause in the contract. Now, THEY have to pay thousands of dollars in compensation to US.  THEY won ‘t let that go and are trying to find new language to change that part of the contract while holding up 3200 other people in the unit.

HOW do THEM, and WE get to US? WE have hired a mediator, again. Every contract year the union needs to do this to move the district to action and to develop a contract. The district has been state run for 22 years and it only gets worse. It is no wonder we are a failing district, although I believe all districts throughout the country were expected to fail under NCLB because of the business of charter schools and big business.

OUR children are the ones who are suffering. WE ask, WHERE are the parents? WHY aren’t THEY screaming foul when THEM, (the district), fired ALL world language teachers, art and music teachers, librarians, tech coordinators, and academic support teachers? ALL of US, do the downward spiral, yet WE are blamed. WE are held accountable and evaluated by test scores that are a poor judgment of how and what children really learn.

So, how do WE become US? At this point in time, WE don’t. THEY won’t let US be. What has happened here? How did it get so out of control? There is no happy ending here right now. THIS has to be played out with mediators, arbitrators, and patience. US, THEM, WE, OUR, I, it doesn’t matter, THEY are all unreasonable and ALL of US suffer. Oh MY!


Debbie, 
You could only write a blog post like this if you truly understood the WE concept.  I am sorry that the situation seems so bleak in your school districts. You are right of the push for charter schools and the privatization of education.  Some places are trying to get public education to fail, no matter how it hurts current students or the students who will not be able to afford the education later. I hope they THEY will get with Y'ALL (sorry, I'm from Texas) and the US can move forward to find an educational solution that will benefit everyone.