Teachers: Professionals or ‘Education Workers?’
by Kyle OlsonThere’s a weird thing happening in public education. Hardcore unions are attempting to rebrand themselves as “professional organizations.” In fact, the American Federation of Teachers bills itself as “A union of professionals.”
Both the AFT and the larger National Education Association attempt to portray themselves as associations yet negotiate collective bargaining agreements and oftentimes act like their brethren in the industrial unions – hardly white-collar professionals.
So with the increasing call for more professionalism in the teaching ranks – and less of a collectivist