Education “Reformers” and “Status Quo”: Timeout!
Democracy is messy, but this election season at times was downright filthy. The partisan pot-shots and polarization was most prevalent in social media – let he who hasn’t retweeted @LOLGOP cast the first stone – but the campaigns had their moments too.
In his victory speech Tuesday night, President Obama called for unity. He challenged us to put the rancor of the 2012 campaign behind us. And in a refrain familiar to those who have witnessed warring parties in a divorce, the President pleaded to do it for the kids:
“We want our kids to grow up in a country where they have access to the best schools, the best teachers. We want our children to live in an America that isn’t burdened by debt, that isn’t weakened by inequality, that isn’t threatened by the disruptive power of a warming planet. We want to pass on a country that’s safe and respected and admired around the world.”
“Let’s do it for the children” is a message that resonates strongly in me. Yet like political operatives, I often fall prey to divisive sniping – all too common in the sphere of public education.