Yesterday a teacher friend in Indiana, let's call her Cassandra, became a victim of one of the unintended consequences of education reform in America. (Or maybe it's an intended consequence. As Lily Tomlin said, "No matter how cynical you become, it's never enough to keep up.") The student numbers in her program were manipulated downward until her position was no longer necessary, so she was "riffed." That's corporate slang for the euphemism "Reduction in Force," formerly known as getting "downsized" or "laid off" and, back in the honest days, getting "fired."
But the plan, as seems to be common knowledge, is to move her out and a friend of the administrator in. Those students manipulated out, will be manipulated back in this fall. In Indiana, the teachers union has been emasculated and tenure all but eliminated. This teacher has been an activist against the current wave of what is called education "reform." There is a strong suspicion this played a roll in her firing because all the evidence that she was being unfairly treated was presented to the powers that be in her district to no avail.
Cassandra is a victim of nepotism. Nepotism is a form of corruption. Nepotism is just one of the many reasons labor unions were formed and continue to be necessary.
Cassandra had been teaching for eight years. She's a single mom.
That should send a powerful message to her colleagues, no? "Shut up. Your ability to feed and house your children is Dear Teacher: Shut Up or I'll Starve Your Children | Clemsy's Corner: