Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/54552
VOICE YOUR VIEWS, CONT. FROM PAGE 5 they broke. He was right! He'd be ashamed of our behavior toward huge numbers of our children and our neglect of the quality of their lives. And so am I. If anyone out there is thinking that I'm an- other of those weak-kneed, whiny, snot-nosed, hand-wringing liberal teachers, you're wrong! I'm a hard-nosed, teary-eyed, ramrod straight, saluting patriot who happens to teach American history, American government and economics. And I turn to mush when I see a student – a child – suffering need. There is an old song that says it best: "Bless the beasts and the children, for in this world they have no choice, they have no voice." I'm in the process of revising those New Year's resolutions I made from 2011. This year, I am resolved to do everything in my power to raise Arizona to number 25 in that Quality Counts study. Is average too much to ask? Will you join me? After all, it is our future! Thomas C. Carey Scottsdale Education Association Member MEMBER TALK oPen Letter to PuBLiC eduCation'S fineSt: teaCHerS If nothing else, winter recess provided teachers a much- needed respite from the stress of teaching in the age of high-stakes testing. Only those working in the trenches of public educa- tion fully understand what it means to be a teacher in 2012. Floods, tornadoes, conflagra- tions, and earthquakes predicted by the Mayans, Nostradamus, and Hollywood are nothing compared to the elemental perils already faced by the heroes and heroines in today's classrooms: • Water – As early as 1995, education scholar Frank Smith correctly declared public educa- tion a disaster comparing it to the Titanic, doomed to sink under the weight of high- stakes testing solutions devised by politicians and other meddlesome people. • Air - As if NCLB didn't jam the hazardous waterways with enough high-stakes testing flotsam, a stiff Chicago wind blew in with Race to the Top which instigated SB1040 and more hot air (even for politicians) than one could imagine. • Fire - Burnout's symptoms of exhaustion, cynicism, and inefficacy are not like stress, which, like the tide, comes, then goes. Whether suffered by teachers or students, burnout interferes with optimal cognitive performance, its serious conse- quences lost on blowhards who dismiss concern for stress and burnout despite having little or no experience working as a teacher in today's classrooms. • Earth – In each high-account- ability classroom stands a teacher whose dedication and commit- ment to students defines the rub- ber meeting the road and what it means to be a hero. I start my 2012 with a thank you to every classroom teacher. Thank you for your commitment to public edu- cation and the students you serve. May the year provide you endless supplies of the resilience necessary to keep you safe from test practice (and test-practice mongers) and focused on best practice which you know to be the only real way to help your students learn and love learning. I especially want to thank every SEA member for understanding that your dues produce vic- tories at local, state, and national levels, define you as a member of your professional organiza- tion, and an educator who stands up for quality education. I am proud to stand with you and thank you for your continued support. Anne M. Hanson Scottsdale Education Association President AEA Advocate x Spring 2012 37