To my critics: Teachers deserve rights
- Diane Ravitch's column supporting Wisconsin teachers got huge, emotional response
- Many agree teachers demonized, she says, but others think they deserve it
- Wisconsin public sector unions agreed to all the governor's financial demands, she says
- Aim is busting unions, she writes, to leave no barrier to more cuts in pay, benefits
Editor's note: Diane Ravitch is a historian of education and the author of the best seller "The Death and Life of the Great American School System."
(CNN) -- A few days ago, I wrote an opinion piece for CNN.com explaining why teachers in Wisconsin -- and throughout the nation -- are angry, and it isn't just because Gov. Scott Walker asked them to pay more for their pensions and health-care benefits. They are angry because of the unwarranted public vilification that has been heaped on them for the past two years.
The response was unlike anything I have ever seen before, and I've been writing about education for 40 years. The column received more than 8,000 comments and more than 37,000 Facebook shares. I personally received scores of emails. The overwhelming