Jon Stewart’s show comes on at 10PM in Chicago. Frankly, I’m sleeping by then.
So, I didn’t get to watch his latest teacher monologue until this morning on the internet. And his interview with Diane Ravitch.
If you haven’t watched his Crisis in Dairyland: Angry Curds this week, you must.
You will not see or hear a greater defense of teachers and the hypocrisy of our critics than this.
At some time in the future, when we look back and analyze when the public began to shift in their opinions about schools, teachers and teacher unions from antipathy to support (we can most recently thank Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker for his contributions), we can mark its beginning when Diane Ravitch broke with her neo-conservative friends, rejected her earlier views and spoke out for truth.
Diane spoke her usual common sense on Stewart’s show again last night.
Earlier in the evening I was at an IEA Region meeting to hear candidates for IEA office. Elections are next weekend at the state convention.
Four candidates appeared: Bob Blade and Cinda Klickna, They are presently VP and Secretary-Treasurer and are running for president. Rainy Kaplan and Al Llorens are running for Secretary-Treasurer.
There were other questions from other delegates. I had three:
How did you vote when the Board of Directors agreed to support a change in the legislative platform on taxing retiree benefits?
Why did you vote the way you did?
At last year’s RA you supported changing the legislative platform to place a two-tier pension on the table for discussion, which three days later was passed by the Illinois legislature. Do you regret your vote?
Bob Blade was unrepentant. He had voted for the changes and regretted none of it. Apparently there is little he would stand and fight for.
Puzzled, one delegate asked, “Is there no line in the sand where you would just say no?”
He thought for a moment, and as if struck by lightening, Blade responded, “collective bargaining!”
Oh yes. Collective bargaining. He was clueless to the joke that if you allow the legislature to take away anything you might bargain for, the right to collective bargaining is just an empty shell.
For the record, Klickna voted against the tax change, Llorens voted for it.
Only Rainy Kaplan, who is running for Secretary-Tresasurer spoke as someone who understood the need to stand and fight. She had voted no at the BOD’s meeting. She said that she was wrong to have supported the change in the legislative platform last RA.
I had pledged to support those who supported the rank-and-file. I’ll vote for Rainy. If Jon Stewart could be convinced to run for IEA president, I would vote for him.
Fred Klonsky 
What bothers me is that the IEA did not even think of surveying the IEA retirees. It would only take one question via email or the website or God forbid, snail mail. That question would be, do you agree or disagree that the IEA should support taxing retirees pensions. The IRTA, the “other” organization that has 35,000 members took the time to do that.
I think it is quite arrogant of this leadership to ask the IEA Board composed of active teachers to support this legislative platform. The IEA-R does not have adequate representation on the Board (one vote), nor does it seem that the active teachers wish them to have equal representation. Of course when they need the retirees to lobby for their issues, that is a different story.
Did you more or less know their answers before you asked? Or was this fresh and on the spot?
Jonathan
Knew.