Wednesday, July 10, 2013

NYC Educator: To Bobblehead, or Not to Bobblehead

NYC Educator: To Bobblehead, or Not to Bobblehead:

To Bobblehead, or Not to Bobblehead

Let's be clear. If I were going to get a bobblehead it wouldn't be the one you see to the left. It would be Diane Ravitch, or Leonie Haimson, or maybe Stephen Krashen.

But there are a lot of bobbleheads out there, and that includes the overwhelming majority of UFT chapter leaders. In fact, almost every one has signed an oath to never disagree with leadership in public. They are supposedly permitted to express disagreement within the confines of the Unity Caucus, but a very small minority of teachers are privy to what the hell goes on there. For all I know, anyone who speaks out of turn there gets a pinky cut off.

Yesterday, this blog received a comment from the sole Unity blogger, Ed in the Apple:

Unfortunately the union movement has spent too much time fighting internally rather than concentrating on their enemies...

Actually, I focus a lot on union enemies, like Bill Gates for example.  My union, on the other hand, invited him to keynote the AFT convention while every bobblehead chapter leader wildly applauded. To thank them, Gates went out and said screw them all once they retire. Actually, my life might be a little easier if I went to Seattle and applauded with the chapter leaders. But would I be representing and advocating for teachers if I applauded the man who's