Teachers Union Decided to Oppose Common Core
Guest post by Michelle Gunderson.
Wednesday evening I stood before my brothers and sisters at the Chicago Teachers Union to speak in favor of our resolution opposing the Common Core State Standards. When I finished speaking, there was a call for the vote. It was unanimous. It was resounding - not a single voice raised in opposition.
There are times when the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) seems like an engine; that we are able to accomplish great and difficult work seemingly overnight. I would like to pull back the curtain for a moment, and help others understand the purposeful and deliberate process we take in order to form our decisions and actions at CTU.
There are those in the media who contend we are being reckless and blindly following Karen Lewis, the president of our local. Nothing could be further from the actual case.
As much as we admire Karen Lewis and are grateful for her talents, this work was not generated from her. In fact, characterizing this event in such simplistic terms denigrates the social justice transformation of the Chicago Teachers Union, a long and hard-won struggle that involves many. We do not act on Karen Lewis' behalf or her wishes. She acts on ours, with our guidance, and we love her for it.
It is hard to imagine a union in existence where a full democratic process is expected by everyone involved - leadership, rank and file, and union staff. Yet, in Chicago, we hold this ideal in such high regard we cannot imagine a union working any other way.
Several months prior to the passing of the resolution, the Caucus of Rank and File Educators began discussing and debating the Common Core in our open meetings. We read Diane Ravitch's bookThe Reign of Error in small study groups. And many of us followed Anthony Cody's work on this blog. Through conversations and study we came to a strong conclusion. The authors of the Michelle Gunderson: How Chicago Teachers Union Decided to Oppose Common Core - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher: