This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2010, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
As an educator, I am appalled at the rhetoric that is being aimed at our public schools. Those who are critical of our schools couch their language by saying they are in support of the public schools when, in reality, they would like to see them degraded or destroyed altogether.
The most appalling part of this may be the real motivation behind this misguided and malevolent movement: money.
There have always been businesses that benefit from education and for a long time they have been partners in the educational process. Now some business interests want a bigger share of the educational dollar and would build charter schools (still public). Then, by appealing to some parent's vanity or desperation, take students from their neighborhood school.
When a school system cannot maintain a two-tiered system any more, these schools can be privatized. We will then have two separate school systems: one for the haves and one for the have-nots. Dehumanizing students in No Child Left Behind legislation and their teachers in a number of so-called educational reform campaigns is an important step in this process.
The insidious manner in which some organizations are clamoring for educational reform, by dehumanizing students, their teachers and teacher organizations, creates a distortion of the real needs of schoolchildren in the United States.
There are schools in trouble. Those schools reflect the actual problems in their students' families, neighborhoods and communities. The problems facing education are not just educational; they are societal. A commitment to a quality public school in every neighborhood should be the goal for every school board and state legislature.
The federal government is welcome to assist, but our schools are local, under local control. The solutions to these problems should be solved by the principal stakeholders: parents, teachers, administrators and teacher organizations. Dehumanization of the principal players in the educational process, students and teachers, will not help the situation.
Please remember:
1. Our students are not a product. They are people.
2. Teachers are not the enemy here. They are on the front lines. Troops wounded by "friendly" fire are still a tragedy.
3. Teacher organizations are not the enemy here, either. Educators who feel valued and secure in their jobs will transfer that feeling to their students.
4. Education is not a means to an end. It is more than a career path; it's a lifetime quest.
5. The challenges facing education should not be solved by politicians or big business. Educators, parents and teacher organizations should work as partners.
6. Education is not a business. It is a place for nurturing our most precious resource, a child's mind. Futile test preparation takes precious time away from priceless educational enrichment, which is not meaningless fluff.
7. All people in our republic deserve an equal opportunity for success. A quality public education is the great equalizer.
Richard M. Heath is a 34-year educator who lives in Kaysville.