PrintTeacher teaches teachers about social justice
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November 20, 2011
Social justice, according to liberals, is about inclusiveness right? Embracing--nay celebrating--differences and all that wonderful stuff that conservatives abhor. Except of course differences in income, or talent used to increase income, or avoiding the tax subsidized sphere, or...doing anything that liberals don't approve. Why then mockery, condemnation--anything to squeeze more money from wealthy tax payers for the favorites of liberalism, especially teachers valiantly educating urban urchins.
As the latter, especially those deemed minority, fall further behind in basic skills and accomplishments while exhibiting socially destructive behavior, the liberal solution is more money for schools--and not so coincidentally, the teachers. Blame the parents, blame the communities for the problems of urban schools? Unthinkable! They are victims of the system, a system that can only be corrected with more money--money from the rich, the nasty corporations.
Disagree with this and you're a racist subject to scorn! Mockery.
Listen to Karen Lewis, president of the Chicago Teachers Union, vice president of the American Federation of Teachers speaking at the aptly named Northwest Teaching for Social Justice conference in Seattle last month. Angry at former Chicago Public School chief and now U.S. Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, an old pal and neighbor of President Barack Obama (D), for his support of (public) non union charter schools, this oh so sensitive teacher, understanding his differences delicately observed
"Now, you know he (Duncan) went to private school 'cause if he had gone to public school he would have had that lisp fixed."
Making it all better she mockingly added,
"I know, that was ugly, wasn't it? I'm sorry."
The teachers, learning about teaching for social justice, chuckled at this profound insight.
(Duncan attended the [private] University of Chicago Lab School, the same school the Obamas placed their daughters while living in Chicago and where new mayor and Obama pal Rahm Emanuel's children now learn.The children of the latter two do not seem to lisp.)
Continuing her pacing as she lectured about teaching for social justice, Lewis highlighted good differences, using herself as an example.
" I am the only black woman in the class of 1974 from Dartmouth College. Woo. People are impressed. Let me tell you, I spent those years smoking lots of weed, self-medicating. Self-medicating, thank you. Sounds like you all did to. Oh, I'm sorry there are kids here, I wasn't suppose to say that right? Too late!"
But that's ok because she also speculated about Duncan's years at Harvard
"He was an athlete, so he might not have been self-medicating, but I wouldn't count on it."
The teachers, learning about teaching for social justice, appreciated the potty talk.
Blaming the bearer of the bad news, the Chicago Teachers Union issued the following statement
CHICAGO - Today, the Chicago Teachers Union released the following statement in response to a viral video promoted by right-wing, anti-public education advocates. The edited clip features remarks made by President Karen GJ Lewis in a keynote address before the Rethinking Schools - Northwest Teaching for Social Justice Conference which convened in Seattle last month.
Whoops! Bad differences. Using its right of free speech, the Education Action Group distributed the video, thereby earning the honorary title of "right wing and anti education."
Meanwhile, Karen Lewis, a self described former comedian (couldn't you tell?), and her liberal community valiantly paces back and forth, blaming and mocking everyone but the parents, the community, the mentality for the problems of a significant portion of young people.
Cuz that's real social justice.
