Don Samuels, Chanda Baker, Sondra Samuels: As the teachers union digs in, it's students who suffer

Minneapolis Star Tribune ^ | March 8, 2010 | DON SAMUELS, CHANDA BAKER, and SONDRA SAMUELS

[rhema]

On a personal level, union leaders such as Education Minnesota President Thomas Dooher no doubt care about our schools, teachers and communities. We all know many wonderful teachers in Education Minnesota's ranks. They are our relatives, neighbors and friends.

Yet on issue after issue, Dooher stands defiantly in the school entrance, horn in hand, blocking any innovation that would lift black children from north Minneapolis out of the endless cycle of poverty and failure. Many leaders within the black community, including us, will not stand politely by and allow such injustice at the hands of Education Minnesota to happen any longer.

[rhema]

Education Minnesota's hollow defense of the status quo is a cynical, morally bankrupt agenda, which focuses more on protecting the adult members of teacher unions than protecting the interests of the state's most vulnerable children. Dooher has become the last holdout for the failed status quo, one that has yielded no significant change to the achievement gap over the last three decades. His commitment to thwarting real reform has blocked every bridge that spans the racial and socioeconomic performance gap.

[Da Coyote]

With all due respect teachers are a dime a dozen. In fact, I don’t want ANY one teaching my kids with ONLY a teaching degree as their certification.

We’ve got plenty of real teachers out there who know math, physics, English, etc who are NOT union members.

Fire the b*stards, and hire someone with a real education.

[MplsSteve]

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[Pusterfuss]

My F-I-L and M-I-L are retired government school teachers, and two Sisters-in Law are too. All are from the “Blame America First” calling. Makes for some interesting conversations at family gatherings.