Friday, August 10, 2012

I Voted. And I'm Going to Vote Again. - Teacher in a Strange Land - Education Week Teacher

I Voted. And I'm Going to Vote Again. - Teacher in a Strange Land - Education Week Teacher:


I Voted. And I'm Going to Vote Again.

So, I voted Tuesday in the Michigan primary. I always vote, and I always get the little sticker, too, and wear it until the end of the day. Our whole family votes--we let our now-adult kids know that tuition payments weren't forthcoming unless they voted, while they were college students. Voting is a big deal at our house. I am the child of aVoter.jpg blue-collar, straight-ticket Democrat and a wishy-washy Republican. My parents joked at each election that they had to vote, to cancel each other out. But they never failed to act on that taunt, even though it meant standing in long, cold lines outside the township hall, after work.
Lately, I've been hearing educators who are unhappy with current education policy threaten not to vote in November. Or--claim they're going to sit out the top-ticket races. Or reluctantly agree to vote, but fail to financially support or work for candidates. Because they're so