MLK Jr. Day 2012: Organizations v. Community
Education, PoliticsJan 14, 2012Let me preface this commentary with a confession: I have lived my entire life in South Carolina, a non-union state, and I have always felt a tug toward a Henry David Thoreau-Groucho Marx-Woody Allen-esque recalcitrance to join anything. That said, I have come to see a powerful and often unspoken distinction between organizations, about which I remain deeply skeptical, and community, about which I remain loyal.
The National Education Association (NEA) has received criticism for publishing an Op-Ed with Teach for America (TFA). Ken Bernstein found the piece to be “unbelievable,” while raising the possibility that union members felt betrayed. Anthony Cody first responded with “I just don’t get it,” and then raised this question:
“I wonder how it is possible to fight vigorously for a minimum one-year residency program and simultaneously praise someone whose recruitment