Opinion
Education Letter to the Editor

Union Letter Produces a ‘Hanging Curveball’

March 20, 2007 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

To the Editor:

While forcing myself through Paul J. Phillips’ Feb. 28, 2007, letter to the editor, I nearly fell out of my chair when I got to this unwitting invitation for ridicule, wherein he asks: “Why is it that no one explains why a teacher, forcibly assigned to a school he or she did not want, will suddenly bring fabulous results?” Does anyone else see it—that hanging curveball waiting to be knocked out of the park? Just substitute the word “student” for “teacher.”

I’ll bet Mr. Phillips, the local union president, would like to take that one back. Besides the obvious benefit of choosing one’s school, there is deeper meaning to his statement in that he was oblivious to the double standard. His consideration of students’ needs ranks so far below that of the teachers he represents that they never entered his mind. Or does he actually believe that some people are more equal than others? Doesn’t anyone read Animal Farm anymore?

David Crawmer

North Greenbush, N.Y.

A version of this article appeared in the March 21, 2007 edition of Education Week as Union Letter Produces A ‘Hanging Curveball’

Events

College & Workforce Readiness Webinar How High Schools Can Prepare Students for College and Career
Explore how schools are reimagining high school with hands-on learning that prepares students for both college and career success.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
School Climate & Safety Webinar
GoGuardian and Google: Proactive AI Safety in Schools
Learn how to safely adopt innovative AI tools while maintaining support for student well-being. 
Content provided by GoGuardian
Reading & Literacy K-12 Essentials Forum Supporting Struggling Readers in Middle and High School
Join this free virtual event to learn more about policy, data, research, and experiences around supporting older students who struggle to read.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Education Quiz How Did the SNAP Lapse Affect Schools? Take This Weekly Quiz
Test your knowledge on the latest news and trends in education.
1 min read
Education Quiz New Data on School Cellphone Bans: How Much Do You Know?
Test your knowledge on the latest news and trends in education.
1 min read
Education Quiz How Does Social Media Really Affect Kids? Take This Weekly Quiz
Test your knowledge on the latest news and trends in education.
1 min read
Education Quiz How Many Teachers Used AI for Teaching? Take This Weekly Quiz
Test your knowledge on the latest news and trends in education.
1 min read