I used to think. Now I think.
The process of reflection known as “I used to think. Now I think.” has popped up suddenly in my reading and discussions.
Richard Elmore refers to it in an article in the Harvard Education Review. Debbie Meier writes about Elmore and the method on her blog. My brother and I were talking last night over dinner at Dunlay’s. He uses it with his education students at de Paul.
I was thinking about my days over thirty years ago when I worked at US Steel’s South Works plant on Chicago’s East Side.
Since Chicago’s downtown sits on the Lakefront, it has no real east side. But the area starting at 79th Street and Commercial Avenue, where the steel mills were, always was called the East Side even though it is on the far south side.
Back in those days, 20% of all the steel in America was made between 79th Street and Gary Indiana. I worked in a plate mill for seven years. I was a member of the Steelworkers Union.
In those days it would be hard to imagine the East Side without steel. Hammond without steel. East Chicago without steel. Whiting and Hegewisch without steel. We would always make steel.
But Chicago’s industrial base, its steel industry, moved away.
And the first signal of the end of steel was the signing of a no-strike agreement between big steel and the USW union. Rank-and-filers fought the no-strike agreement.
We lost.
When I became a teacher and I became a member of the National Education Association, it would be hard to imagine America without a public school system and a powerful teachers union.
Even now it is the largest union in the country. Combined with the AFT, it is even a bigger political force.
I used to think nobody could mess with us.
Now I think that in a few years, public schools and teacher unions might very well resemble big steel and the USW.
Back when I was a millwright in the 96 inch plate mill our national union leaders were afraid of losing everything, so they fought for nothing. And we lost everything anyway.
Now our IEA leaders are afraid of losing everything, so they fight for nothing, and we may end up losing everything anyway.
I used to think we were too big to fail.
Now I think if we don’t fight, we will surely fail.
THIS is good, and how right you are. A good strategy for Democrats and progessives is to put things into perspective for our citizens. I heard someone say tonight on MSNBC- “I never thought we’d be denying unemployment benefits to people. This NOT an American thing to do.” I think you’re onto something Fred, and some serious, thoughtful messaging is needed.