The End of Education

 

Part 3:

Proud to be Professional

Gary West

October 5, 2006

 

INTRODUCTION TO PART 3

In Part 1 and Part 2, I urged you to register to vote in the coming elections. [1]  If you are an educator, a state employee, a relative or friend of an educator, a parent or a grandparent of a child for whom you want a real education, please register by Saturday midnight and vote in November.

 

Especially if you are an educator – K-12 or higher ed.  Your profession – as well as your professionalism – is being challenged by people who don’t even know you – and who don’t even know your profession.  You are being bad-mouthed because of someone else’s need and greed.  You are being maligned by people who believe that South Carolina needs a return to the separate-and-unequal days of our state’s educational history.

 

And the reason for going back to the separate-and-unequal days?  It’s simple economics.  Economics was the reason before 1865 [2] – and it is still the reason in 2006.  The have’s want more and they want to take it from the have-not’s.

 

They want to use education to do it.  And they are bad-mouthing educators in order to get it done.

 

WHO’S AN EDUCATOR IN SOUTH CAROLINA

In South Carolina, educators make up the single largest educated employed group in any community.  Read that sentence again – in South Carolina, educators make up the single largest educated employed group in any community.

 

No matter how many doctors, lawyers, bankers, mill workers, truck drivers, line workers, hotel staff, restaurant workers, yard service and landscape technicians, WalMart associates – no matter how many other businesses or industries come into any community – they bring their families.  Families that include children of all ages.  Children that go to school.  The more families that move into a community, the more children there are in schools.  And that means there are more educators on the job serving those children.

 

Of all the educated employed people living in any community, educators are the largest employed group in any community.  Across the state, approximately 66,000 K-12 educators make up the largest single group of professional employees.  Add to those numbers, the technical education and higher education professionals and you can see that educators make up a significant number of workers in South Carolina’s communities.

 

Then, consider that those educators have families and friends of voting age.  Consider also that those educators make up a significant part of church populations as well as significant parts of civic groups.  Then, consider that educators have access to the parents and grandparents of the students they teach.

 

It is easy to imagine the impact that educators could have in every community and across the state – if they registered to vote.  If they voted.  If they talked to their Legislators.  If they campaigned on the issues.  If they got involved in the politics of education.  And if they got involved in the education of their politicians.

 

But they don’t.

 

In South Carolina, educators are the most under-represented professional group among elected officials at all levels.  In the State Legislator, there are lawyers, doctors, insurance agents, realtors, car dealers, financial advisors, and more – but there are few educators. [3]

 

In South Carolina, educators are also the most under-respected professional group – and not because they deserve that lack of respect but because they are used (and allow themselves to be used) for everyone else’s political games and gains.  Every other professional group responds in professional and positive ways to anything that demeans its profession or the members of its profession.  So few educators get involved in their professional organizations that those organizations do not fully represent the full range of professional educators who work in South Carolina.

 

And when someone attacks the profession of education or one of the professional organizations representing educators, nothing gets done publicly to refute the attacks.  As a result, education and educators are seen as guilty of what the attackers say or are seen as incapable of defending their profession even if the attackers are wrong.

 

Let me illustrate a specific example.  Educators in South Carolina may (or may not) belong to several professional organizations:  The South Carolina Education Association [4], the Palmetto State Teachers’ Association [5], and others that are directly related to content areas (such as the National Council for Teachers of Mathematics [6] or the South Carolina Association of School Librarians [7]).

 

Whenever a Legislator or a special interest group (like South Carolinians for Responsible Government [8]) wants to bad-mouth education or educators, they will refer to these organizations as “unions” – which, in a right-to-work state [9] like South Carolina, has specific negative connotations. [10]  The use of the word “union” in referring to professional education organization is intended to demean both education and educators.

 

We, as educators and friends of educators, never take a stand about that type of discussion.  We never demand that educators be seen as the educated professionals that they are.  We never demand that educators be given the status that comes with years of on-going education and re-education as well as with years of professional experience and service.

 

THE TOP TEN LIST

Educators in South Carolina are demeaned and belittled in the Legislature and in the propaganda of anti-education groups when their professional organizations are characterized as “unions.”  Each time the word “union” is used to describe educators’ professional groups, it is used as sarcasm, with disdain, and in contempt.  There are no exceptions – the word is used to paint a negative picture of educators in our state.

 

But, let’s consider if there is any real difference between professional organizations and unions.  Professional organizations and unions are very much alike in many ways.  Each serves its membership for specific purposes generally related to the work place.  Each addresses issues of common interest to its membership.  Each provides services through membership dues and fees.  Most have meetings and elect officers.  And all exist because of common needs, common issues, common problems, and the pursuit of resources to deal with those needs, issues, and problems.

 

Just to show that there is a double standard being used in addressing the needs of public education, let’s take a quick look at a list of unions in South Carolina. [11]

 

So, here it is – the top ten list of unions that have an impact on what happens with state law and state dollars:

 

Number 10.    AARP (American Association of Retired Persons); http://www.aarp.org/; in South Carolina, provides voter’s guides, online articles, and other resources for its members; AARP in South Carolina; (http://www.aarp.org/states/sc/) lobbies for health care, drug costs, and other issues of importance to its membership. [12]

 

Number 9:      SCMA (South Carolina Medical Association); http://www.scmanet.org/; their online banner includes the text “Voice of One.  Power of Many”; online articles and resources for its members; lobbies in the legislature for issues related to liability and risk management costs as well as other issues related to the profession of its membership.

 

Number 8:      South Carolina Bar; http://www.scbar.org/; its website indicates current membership of about 11,500; that’s about 1/6 the number of public school educators in South Carolina; lobbies legislators on issues related to its profession.

 

Number 7:      SCAT (South Carolina Association of Taxpayers); http://www.scatsc.org/; online there is nothing about them or their membership, but there is a lot about their lobbying members of the Legislature on issues that have direct impact on the funding of public education and other areas of public interest.

 

Number 6:      SCADA (South Carolina Automobile Dealers Association); http://www.scada.org/;  sponsors the high school all-star football game; lobbies the Legislature on matters of car taxes (the $300 sales tax cap for all cars).

 

Number 5:      Hospitality Association of South Carolina; http://www.schospitality.org/; the website states that they are “the voice of the foodservice and lodging industry in government…[and] aggressively represents the interests of the South Carolina foodservice and lodging industry by offering the best government and public relations program”; lobbies state government for issues of interest to its 2300 member businesses.

 

Number 4:      South Carolina Association of REALTORS; http://www.screaltors.com/; SCAR lobbies to maintain its ability to charge 6% for every home sale transaction. [13]

 

Number 3 and Number 2 (tie):  South Carolina Republican Party (http://www.scgop.com/) and South Carolina Democratic Party (http://www.scdp.org/); ‘Nuff said.

 

Number 1:      South Carolina Chamber of Commerce; http://www.scchamber.net/; website banner says “The Unified Voice of Business”; lobbies in the Legislature for all things related to business, including tax breaks to businesses that locate in South Carolina that have impact on funding for education.

 

The list above is not intended to impugn any union in the list.  The list includes organizations – or unions – of people, agencies, and businesses that have common needs and that are looking for common ways to meet those needs.  Each union listed above exists solely to assist its membership in reaching the goals that are common to that membership.

 

Each of those organizations – or unions – does an excellent job.  As you visit their websites, you’ll notice the “one voice” theme that is common to all.  Each union lobbies the Legislature for the things they believe the state can help with.  Each is active politically, civically, and socially.  Each protects it “brand” as much as any business protects its trademarked products.  Each campaigns for policy and law that is favorable to its membership.  Each contributes to the political campaigns of candidates for public office in an effort to place policy-friendly people in government. 

 

And nothing is wrong with any of that.  It is what it takes to do business.  It is what it takes to make things happen that are favorable to doing business.

 

And these organizations – these unions of individuals, agencies, and businesses – are well-represented among and well-respected by the policy makers and the law makers in our state.

 

But, those same policy makers and law makers will bring up the word “union” as though it were a viral infection when talking to or about educators. 

 

So, why the difference?  Why are some groups treated differently than educators are treated in the policy making process?

 

The answer to those questions include (1) educators don’t vote, (2) educators don’t have one voice, (3) educators don’t campaign for their issues, (4) educators don’t participate in government, and (5) educators don’t believe they can make a difference in the way they are perceived.

 

So why would anyone take us seriously?

 

There is much to be done to become a real union of educators who can make a difference in our own profession. [14]

 

In the meantime, our only voice will be at the ballot box in November.  Be there to be heard. 

 

WHAT MUST BE DONE

This article, like the first two in this series, was written for one purpose – to convince you to register to vote, if you are not already registered.  Saturday is the last day to register.  Please do it now so you won’t forget.

 

If you – as an educator, a relative or friend of an educator, the parent or grandparent of a child for whom you want a real education, a community member who knows that education is the heart of our democracy – if you do not register by Saturday, you cannot vote in November.

 

You may feel that you don’t know enough to vote.  That’s OK.  Get registered anyway; then, you have a month to study the issues enough to make a good voting decision.

 

WHAT’S COMING NEXT

Over the course of the next month, I’ll share with you several more articles – all related to what is happening to public education in our state.  I’ll do my best to inform, entertain, and enlighten (you know, the same kind of drivel I’ve been doing for years) – but with a little edginess because education is too important to lose to somebody’s greed – just because enough good people didn’t vote.

 

Remember:  Bad politicians are elected by people who don’t vote.  Don’t be one of those…

 

 

Endnotes

[1]    Click this link to open and print the Voter Registration Form:  http://www.state.sc.us/scsec/vr/VR_Blank_Form.pdf.  You can also find the online voter registration form at   http://www.state.sc.us/scsec/votereg.htm; click that link, then click your county name; you will see the address and other information about your local voter registration board; see the link “click here to fill out an application”; right now, you’ll see another link called “NEW Voter Registration Form”; click it; then click the “open” button; when the form opens, print it, fill it out, and sign it; attach one of the accepted forms of ID; then mail it to your local voter registration board.  Please do it now.

 

[2]    Before 1865, economics was the reason for owning slaves; http://www.fte.org/teachers/programs/history/lessons/lesson03.htm.  Southern states could not be competitive in the world market unless they could maintain an enslaved work force.  In the global economy of the 21^st century, American business cannot be competitive without lowering worker wages.

 

[3]    Check this link to see the occupations of current members of the House of Representatives:  http://www.scstatehouse.net/html-pages/housemembersd.html; check here for current Senators: http://www.scstatehouse.net/html-pages/senatemembersd.html.

 

[4]    South Carolina Education Association (SCEA);  http://www.thescea.org/ .

 

[5]    Palmetto State Teachers Association (PSTA);  http://www.palmettoteachers.org/ .

 

[6]    National Council for Teachers of Mathematics; http://www.nctm.org/.

 

[7]    South Carolina Association of School Librarians; http://www.scasl.net/.

 

[8]    South Carolinians for Responsible Government (SCRG); http://www.scrgov.com.

 

[9]    South Carolina is a “Right to Work” state.  For more information on Right to Work states, see http://www.nrtw.org/rtws.htm.  For more information on South Carolina’s Right to Work Law, see http://www.nrtw.org/c/scrtwlaw.htm.

 

[10] When politicians or special interest groups want to demean educators, they’ll use the word “union” as though it were a four-lettered word.  That is ironic because unions have historically represented working people in our communities.  Using the word “union” to put down another group is the equivalent of saying that our state’s working people are a negative factor – something you don’t want to be.  And, the irony is that most of our politicians and special interest groups want to appeal to the working people in every community as a significant part of their political base. 

 

[11] There’s no intent to make anyone mad about inclusion in the top ten list of unions in South Carolina.  The listed organizations exist for the exact same reasons that other professional organizations exist – and each does an excellent job of serving its membership.  The list is intended – simply – to cause the reader to understand that there is a double standard being used by some people who bad-mouth professional educators but who are willing to work to meet the needs of other similar unions.

 

[12] AARP has a retired educator branch, the National Retired Teachers Association (NRTA); http://www.aarp.org/about_aarp/nrta/, which would be yet another teachers’ union, I suppose.

 

[13] You can read more about the anti-trust suit against the National Association of Realtors (still another union?) at http://www.usdoj.gov/atr/public/press_releases/2005/211754.htm and http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2006/07/realtors_ftc.html.

 

[14] I want to be sure that you understand the use of the word “union” in this sentence is poetic license – because it is illegal in South Carolina for public employees to unionize.  Thus, the use of the word “union” in bad-mouthing professional education organizations is really moot.  It’s absolutely  impossible for professional education organizations to be unions in South Carolina – if they were unions, then the state’s professional educators would be law breakers – which would mean they couldn’t be hired as educators because they couldn’t pass the SLED checks.  Ain’t politics a kick in the head…

 

 

About the Author

Gary West has lived in South Carolina for more than 30 years.  He has been an educator for all of those years.  He believes that everyone has the right to work and that that work is part of the American dream.  He believes the American dream is being re-defined – without the American worker being involved in the re-writing of that definition – that the American dream is being defined “for” the American worker instead of “by” the American worker.

 

You can reach Mr. West at garywwest@earthlink.net. 

 

This article and others can be found online at http://home.earthlink.net/~garywwest/.  Permission is granted to share this article in electronic or printed format as long as you don’t change it or charge for it.  Read responsibly.