This morning I had the pleasure of joining with the Bad Ass Teachers of Washington state (Wa-BATs) to leaflet and picket outside a conference of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation funded astro-turf organization Teachers United. The people going to the conference were predominantly teachers interested in learning from well-known educational experts speaking about instructional methodology and did not necessarily support the larger political aims of TU. The majority politely accepted leaflets on their way in to the conference. The text of the flier is what follows.
Did you know?
Teachers United advocates that:
“Principal observation, peer observation, student academic growth, and student perception should all factor in to a teacher’s evaluation.” They do not advocate for equitable funding for all public schools to implement an evaluation system actually supported by the vast majority of classroom teachers.
Did you know?
Teachers United “… network voted overwhelmingly to support I-1240, which would allow up to 40 charter schools in Washington, designed to serve students from low-income families.” Charter schools increase racial segregation and lead to elitism. Charters have done untold damage to public school systems around the country.
Did you know?
Teachers United states on their webpage “We believe that our unions are vital to protecting the rights of teachers. As with anything important, thoughtful participation is essential.”
Yet Todd Hausman, TU’s Director of Membership, participated in a commercial for the Freedom Foundation in which he stated falsehoods about how his union dues were being used. The ad said “Todd’s union took his dues money and used it to fund a political candidate he did not support, and he had no say in the matter.”
Did you know?
TU’s Chris Eide is a steering committee member of Democrats For Education Reform-WA. DFERs are committed to ending traditional union values. Chris is also an Alumni of Teach for America. DFER heralds the current lawsuit that is challenging teacher tenure in New York.
When testifying in the WA legislature against using seniority in staffing decisions, he told legislators that the WEA opposition arguments were “just excuses to protect under-performing teachers” adding that he was “embarrassed” that his own union would deploy such tactics.
Did you know?
Teachers United DOES NOT speak for teachers! They speak for their benefactor Bill Gates Jr. and the corporate reformers who seek to overturn the pillar of democracy: A truly PUBLIC education system for ALL students.
We are teachers who speak out for the rights of our students to be taught by professional teachers.
We will not be capriciously deprived of our livelihood because of astro-turf groups such as TU.
We are teachers who speak out against high-stakes standardized testing and the way it warps curriculum, instruction, human development and the teacher/student relationship.
We are teachers united against the privatization of public education.
We are teachers united to fight societal poverty and racism, two factors that have a profoundly powerful and negative impact on student achievement.
We are BATs.
