Continuing our discussion on the pros and cons of charter schools, which began in Educate Me Part 1: A Candid Conversation About Charter Schools, I held a conference call with three charter school teachers to find out the pros and cons of charter schools and traditional public schools. They were all Generation X who began their careers around the turn of the millenia, and taught in the fields of special education, English, Art, and general education.
In this discussion, we cover the three teachers’ journeys from public schools to teaching abroad to charter schools, that was fueled by the “pink slip years,” a time when new teachers were laid off at the end of every school year. This was just another attempt by business interests to defund public education and divert funds to private contractors.
Call To Action
It’s time to stop the privatization of public education. We can’t call ourselves progressives when we’re only trying to get publicly funded State colleges and universities. We must fight the attack on K-12 public education. This means electing leaders who will fight for our children. Start attending your local Democratic clubs. Speak to the groups and educate them about the corporate interests that are stealing public funds, buying politicians, and pushing through bad legislation in our Statehouses and Congress. Don’t fall for “progressives” that are unwilling to defend public education, or even worse, advocate for the private management of public education.
This battle should be as big as Occupy Wallstreet.
It’s up to us.
On a side note: Undercovered Magazine is a labor of love. All members have contributed their content without receiving any funding for the past six months. Kindly take a moment to help fund Jenna’s writing by donating to paypal.me/jennajbeck.
