Tell Your Governor: Stand up for Students and Teachers
Parents expect schools to hold high standards and hire teachers with the training, maturity, and expertise to reach every learner. Our children, whether in a Kindergarten or an Advanced Placement Physics classroom, deserve no less.
Now high standards for our kids’ teachers are being dismantled, with Arizona allowing untrained college students to teach. In another state, a Governor sat passively by while the President of Hillsdale College and its charter school chain said that teachers come from “the dumbest parts of the dumbest colleges” and that “anyone can teach.”
It is time to stand up and oppose this dangerous trend as it moves across America. Let your Governor know our children deserve qualified professional teachers. Let them know that teachers deserve accolades, not attacks.
You can take action below.
This alarming campaign to denigrate and de-legitimize the teaching profession is not limited to two states. It is part of the radical right’s war on public schools.
Last year, an article in the American Conservative entitled “Sick of the Teachers”called on states to reduce teaching credentials so that “educated housewives” and retired policemen could easily become teachers. That same article called for every public school to become a charter school.
Shortly after that, the American Enterprise Institute advocated for a revolving door of teachers based on the university adjunct model. You can read more about the attacks on the profession of teaching here in this excellent article by Kathryn Jones of Salon.
The future and safety of our children are at stake. Putting untrained young people in classrooms is a foolhardy way to solve a teacher shortage created by those who now embrace this radical idea that is now spreading.
Please send your email and tweet your Governor and let them know that you expect respect for the teaching profession and oppose all efforts to destroy high standards. America’s children need our support.
Our actions will now be sent via Capitol Canary. We hope that you enjoy the new look.