N.J. governor asks teacher what she and her colleagues want... | Get Schooled | www.ajc.com

N.J. governor asks teacher what she and her colleagues want... | Get Schooled | www.ajc.com:

N.J. governor asks teacher what she and her colleagues want from him: To teach 

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New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie had a heated exchange with a teacher on the campaign trail this weekend. The teacher penned a note to him today.

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By Maureen Downey

As a New Jersey native, I read everything about the Garden State and its charismatic governor Chris Christie. The governor – who is expected to cruise to re-election Tuesday – had a brief encounter with a schoolteacher this weekend on the campaign trail. Christie is touted as a future GOP presidential candidate and has a national fan base, especially after his handling of Hurricane Sandy a year ago.

On Saturday, the teacher asked the governor about why he portrays New Jersey schools as failing. It is a fair question given that New Jersey students, along with peers in Massachusetts and Connecticut, lead the nation on the NAEP tests. New Jersey posts high scores on most national tests, but it also has some of the nation’s highest school taxes.

Apparently, Christie was not in the mood to argue his education stance, as this photo of the moment suggests.

The teacher, Melissa Tomlinson, has posted a letter to Gov. Christie about the incident, which you can read in full here.

But this is part of Tomlinson’s blog posting today: "Letter to Governor Christie from the New Jersey Teacher He Screamed At."

Dear Governor Christie,

Yesterday I took the opportunity to come hear you speak on your campaign trail. I have never really heard you speak before except for sound bytes that I get on my computer. I don't have cable, I don't read newspapers. I don't have enough time. I am a public school teacher that works an average of 60 hours a week in my building. Yes, you can check with my principal. I run the