The teachers unions fought a good fight.  They lost.  Mike Pence delivered the deciding vote yesterday to confirm Betsy DeVos to head the Department of Education.  As with much of President Trump's agenda, the left is apoplectic.  We get that.  After having to endure eight years of Barack Obama's "fundamental transformation," we know what it means to be in the opposition party.

But herein lies the difference: while opposing Barack Obama, we never sought to destroy the institutions that served the general populace.  The "radical left" has been on a tear since the day after the election.  (See Berkeley, confirmation hearings, protests, judicial activism, etc.)

Teachers unions, and by extension teachers, are now faced with a choice: they can "help" lead, follow, or get out of the way.  The objective is, first and foremost, the education of America's children.  Make no mistake: teachers unions, as all unions, primarily serve the interest of their constituents: teachers.  There is no harm in that, necessarily, up to the point where said interest coincides with the interest of students and parents.

The vast majority of teachers are caring and professional.  I know many teachers who put in extra hours, pay "out of pocket" for supplies, and genuinely care for the well-being of their students.

Teachers unions, by contrast, care not a whit about "educational outcomes."  For them, it is always "show me the money" – if only we had more money, we'd produce better outcomes.  A recent study from the CATO Institute showed:

American student performance has remained poor, and has actually declined in mathematics and verbal skills, despite per-student spending tripling nationwide over the same 40-year period.  

Unions generally, and teachers unions in particular, are appendages of the liberal establishment.  Their contributions to the DNC and other liberal causes are legendary. 

It's time to form parent-student unions.  Parents and students need to reclaim their power in demanding the best product at the most efficient cost.

Betsy DeVos has proposed to promote school vouchers, dismantling the disastrous Common Core initiative, and charter schools, homeschooling, and school choice.  As with any other Trump reform, the left sees the impending apocalypse.  Leftists are prepared to fight the now confirmed DeVos to the death.  If they care for "the children" as much as they care of their own interests, this is a mistake.  Education reform is long overdue.  We have fallen behind other industrialized nations, particularly in math and science.   

The teachers unions will most certainly stand athwart any and all reforms.