Unions don’t put kids first

We all know that a major criticism of teacher’s unions is that they seem to protect tenured staff who have lost their passion and are “running out the clock” until retirement. A concern of mine is the abuse of union power especially when it affects the children.

When my wife was a teacher, and untenured, she taught middle school science to a number of highly motivated students. These children asked if they could spend their lunch/recess period with her during her free period because they did not have a scheduled study hall and would like some time during the day to complete their assignments. The union representative chastised her for this, claiming that they “fought to have a lunch period in their contract void of any student contact.”

Ignoring this reprimand, my wife and her “Science Kids” during their lunch break began to discuss why the area lakes seemed to be so “green” during the summer. Motivated, they entered a national science competition to analyze and discuss the reasons for this “algae bloom.” Her kids were winners as Illinois entrants in a science competition. This was NOT for a grade or extra credit, but to simply answer a question from inquisitive learners — why?

My question is why do we allow people in our public schools who have lost sight of “keeping kids first?”

John Hartl

Antioch