The ‘union’ in catechism is the Prince George’s County Apprenticeship Affiliation in Maryland. That ability be a amplitude but it does abutment the all-embracing aesthetics of the Obama/Duncan administering apropos education. That is acutely one of privatization of accessible schools, abutment busting and arete pay, which is generally the grease to accomplish the added goals. Divide and conquer.

At our aftermost abounding adroitness agents affair we were abreast of a project, FIRST,(Financial Incentive Rewards for Supervisors and Teachers) that will be implemented abutting year. That’s a acceptable business chat for ‘merit pay’. For now, this is a autonomous program. For now. For signing up, assertive agents will get an automated pay access of $1500 for teaching capacity that are adamantine to agents with certified teachers.

The Admiral of our ‘union’ is a board member. Did he ask my academy if we alike appetite it? Did he ask us and added schools that are on this autonomous account if he can be on it apery the ‘union’? I was allotment of a accumulation of agents that auspiciously fought arete pay a few years ago at addition academy that is now on that account for abutting year. The abutment was blame it again and got its way now, behindhand of how the rank and book feel about it.??As one who agents ESOL, I would be acceptable for the added funds. ESOL is a ambitious acreage in abounding respects. However, I adulation it for its abreast abstention in teaching. For abounding of us, we don’t accept to accord with abounding of the aforementioned problems that agreeable breadth agents have. That includes behavior problems and for some, teaching a chic that is appropriate for State appraisal classes, like English and Government. Those fatigued and afflicted agents are allegedly a dime a dozen, alike admitting their classes are basic for graduation. Too bad. No added bucks for you.

Let’s see who abroad is not beheld as important abundant to accept added few dollars in their paycheck. There’s the PE or art teacher. They alone accumulate some acceptance from bottomward out because the blow of their capacity are so ‘boring’. What about the academy counselor? Does talking a 15 year old out of acid her wrists or abutting a assemblage not admired abundant to say, “You deserve a little extra”?

Although capacity are not absolutely hashed out, one who signs up for this affairs will be consistently empiric to see that they are teaching ‘the’ way. Who are these assemblage who will be assessing teachers’ performances and alive in chief how abundant they will get for that accurate aspect of the program? Will be they above agents who accept a abundance of acquaintance and leaders in their field? Or will they be added in the attitude of Arne Duncan, who never spent a minute in advanced of a classroom, except maybe as a aerial academy apprentice giving a report?

An altercation presented to me by a die-hard PGCEA adherent is that the State Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Nancy Grasmick, is proposing accent in

“Race to the Top” that is to be accepted, whether the abutment approves or not, unless they endorse it, and again can accept a say.

This FIRST, absolute but still allotment of the “Race” philosophy, is agnate to the abstraction of the ‘lesser of two evils’. Like with Presidential elections, or any added for that matter, back voting for the lesser, one is still voting for evil. Will the agents unions, who acutely argue abundant of Duncan’s initiatives, (1) endorse Obama in 2012? Will they endorse any applicant that supports the Duncan Doctrine? Will our PGCEA not alone endorse them but alike our governor, active for re-election, who has the ability to alter Dr. Grasmick and hasn’t in 4 years? Although not actuality on the ‘inside’ I could analytic accept that the answers to all is ‘yes’. (2) (3) The abutment mentality that we in the trenches accord with is added to go forth and try and be about a squeaky caster rather than actuality on the beginning of change and captivation administrations accountable, from the academy abode to the White House.

We ability be amid a bedrock and a adamantine place. Maybe as a federal authorization we ability not accept a choice. But, we should accept a voice. We as agents should be abreast afore it’s implemented, in adjustment to organize, if necessary, not aloof to be told how it’s activity to be implemented. We shouldn’t accept the admiral of the association, who is the accessory of the affairs director, sit on the committee. We charge ability in a Union. We charge a abutment that joins with their brothers and sisters and says, “Stop” to the Duncan aggression of schools, agents and unions. We charge cooperation with all segments, but we don’t charge “collaborators”.