From Dennis Van Roekel’s speech at the opening session of the NEA RA. « Fred Klonsky

From Dennis Van Roekel’s speech at the opening session of the NEA RA. « Fred Klonsky:

From Dennis Van Roekel’s speech at the opening session of the NEA RA.

JULY 2, 2012

We all know there are plenty of people who are eager to offer advice — or worse, try to impose their ideas on our profession. Bloggers, columnists, elected officials, and self‑proclaimed reformers, they are constantly weighing in about public education. I mean, they have an opinion on everything — the who, the what, the when, the where, and the how — all of that about public education. Always opinions.
The “who” they love to talk about and blame are teachers. As if this disjointed and underfunded system is somehow the fault of those who teach and the people who work in those schools. But the real problems are the profiteers and mega-rich Wall Street folks who created an economic crisis that has our country and the world reeling.
And the solution isn’t to attack educators, it’s to give respect. That’s what will attract talented young people to become teachers and education support professionals and college professors.
The other part of the “who” in education is the students, and the