Responsibility is tough... Kinda

Two bills passed out of committee this week dealing with education. One is telling us what to do and another is taking resources away from our students. Both show the goals and true nature of their authors and supporters.

First, HB 2949 failed on a committee vote of 8-7. This would establish Education Savings Accounts ESAs, vouchers. However the legislature rules (this is the case is most legislatures by the way) give the speaker of the house and the speaker pro temp of the house a vote in all committees. They used their votes in this committee to sway the vote to 9-8 in favor of passage. The Tulsa World story reported that Rep. Jason Nelson was unable to show how much this program would cost. I guess that's that fiscal responsibility and belt tightening budgeting we keep hearing so much about. Read about the bill and vote here, and a solid analysis here.

The convoluted nature of their process should, at the very least, arouse suspicion. Why can't they just tell us what they want to do? Why so sneaky? There is no evidence anywhere showing where vouchers, by any other name, help any significant number of students and families. I'll refer to the wise words below to sum this argument up.

Next HB 2797 would require schools to incorporate anti-abortion education into their curriculum. Not going to debate the topic itself too much but, the idea of mandating the teaching opposing something that is legal is complicated. It happens a lot (anti-smoking, anti-drinking, anti-gambling). And I get the emotions attached to this topic, which leads me to one possible solution… Teach your kids your views and train them how you think they should be trained on this issue. But don't withhold information from them.

And afford everyone else the same courtesy.

Also, just as a thought, everyone okay with doing the same type of anti-gun ownership curriculum? I mean owning guns leads to murder and the taking of life and anything we can do to minimize the taking of life should be explored.

Speaking of leading to things, the bills intended goal is to create an abortion free society. Okay. I don't think there are a lot of people that would disagree with that being a positive world. Because aside from the traumatic circumstance (regardless of situation) being eliminated, that would mean we've reached gender equality, found cures or preventative cares for dozens of birth defects and pregnancy complications (many of which could prove fatal to one or both parties), we've ended most all sexual assault, and ended all unwanted pregnancies. All of these are reasons for abortions occurring. Most of those provide perfectly moral and legal situations for numerous decision to be made and people should have choices in those situations.

That last one is a big one because is causes the least moral clarity. One would assume eliminating that avenue for these situations to happen would be a great goal. And we are in luck because we know how to do that. To the benefit/detriment of millions of students, each state, and in many cases, each district, decides what sex/reproductive education curriculum to use. See here for a great and hilarious NQSFW analysis of our country's position on Sex Ed.

So we know comprehensive sex Ed works. I would assume it is in this bill., but alas I assumed. There is no discussion about sex Ed at all in this bill. Rep Emily Virgin said it best…

The story also noted Rep. Coody knew the money wasn't there for it to be implemented this year but “it will get the position of the house on the record” whatever that means… again fiscal responsibility at its finest.

We have to work together to fix this state. I get that. But it's a lot easier to work with someone if they can be taken seriously. And if these are the ideas, and it means enough to their party’s leadership to vote in committee (which is perfectly legal, but not that common) I don't know how seriously they can be taken…

It's important to note, neither of these bills are done. We've still got plenty of opportunity to defeat them and we have to. Please thank those that supported us, and start working on all the reps. We are being heard and it is making a difference.

This is about as quiet as I can be...

Soo I guess people do read these blogs…

If you ideas about education, have opinions about other ideas, and live in Oklahoma you should probably just keep to yourself and shut your mouth while the “grownups” make the big tough decisions. I’ve never been one to keep quiet, and I’ll be damned if I am going sit by and just allow the dismantling of public education. Clearly a conversation must take place. So let's have one...

There is no reason to tiptoe around some topics in this conversation. The tone taken by the legislators regarding education issues, especially towards those that dissent from their rigid world view, is largely due to the fact my profession is mostly women. This tone would never be taken, nor has ever been taken against corrections officers, oil executives, bankers, law enforcement or any other constituency to which the Legislature is answerable. I feel fairly confident in my accusation given the litany of legislation leaving Lincoln (blvd) laid-out against ladies, the party in power laughably lifts-up as legitimate governance. Two or three backasswards misogynistic pro-fetus ideas a session can be overlooked. But, a couple of ideas is not the case here.

It shouldn’t matter the gender makeup of our profession. Regardless of the gender diversity of our profession, we are just that, a profession, of professionals. Professionals that know what we are doing, and how to do it. We read books, and learn from one another, participate in PD, and take time away from our lives, for our profession. We do that to make us better. It’s where we get our notoriety. That stuff we derive from the classroom, which we in turn use to promote our partisan political ideology… Except that’s not what we do. We tell the truth and teach kids to be responsible, intelligent, wise, and thinking citizens. If those things are a threat to you and your plans, then just come out and say it.

I also see a strain of jealousy in the comments that have been used to describe those voices from #oklaed. There are 149 people that meet 75 days a year in OKC. They call themselves our legislature. We call them that too, because it's their title. While they make more than many teachers, and work WAY less (75 DAYS of work TOTAL). In most cases they can’t seem to find their ass with both hands without taking money from education and giving it to oil companies. And they just can’t seem to figure out where and how hey lost their way. They did what God Reagan told them to do, cut, cut, cut… But try as they might, they can’t seem to make the facts fit their narrative. It turns out when you don’t have any money, you can’t pay for things… And they are pissed that they might get called on it…

So there they are, sitting at 23rd and Lincoln seeing us measly, weak, ineffective, lazy, union-thug, liberal, slug (yeah Gov. Keating, we remember that one…) teachers actually making an impact on the discourse and making their fragile lives difficult. I KNOW it's much, much easier for them to do what they want when we just sit by and don’t pay attention, but we aren’t doing that.

Could it be they are envious of our influence? That our students, their parents, and our communities do not see us as the evil they try to call us? The political leaders of Oklahoma are running out of devils to blame their sins on, and they are getting cranky. Could it be that we actually know what we are talking about? And its not all just a partisan political ideology? The only reason a politician would be upset at someone using “politics” effectively (which is EXACTLY what #oklaed does) is because they are getting their asses handed to them in the debate. If you like, we would love to teach you how we get that notoriety. It's not hard, read, learn, study, become wise, and help guide people to their own knowledge. That’s all teaching is… And it's not that you haven’t tried, it just helps to use facts. Real ones. And numbers too. Good ones. Not just “the math you do to make yourself feel better as a republican (thank you Megyn Kelly).

I am unwilling to be “legislative-splained” our situation by men and women who have no understanding of history, governance, or the culture they serve. I will not accept “we can’t do anything” from men and women who have done EVERYTHING to ensure nothing could be done to undo their dishonest, impractical, and pathetic “business-minded” decisions and actions. You wrote the rules, you have to rewrite them. And it's your fault the laws are so hard to pass. What was it your mother said about making your bed?

Let’s discuss the topic of decorum. It seems to be the virgin ears of these poor fragile men and women can’t handle when teachers call them on their BS. I can only wonder what type of student these men and women were. At the OK Policy state Budget Summit in reference to a question about expanding medicaid funding and the Affordable Care Act (ACA), Sen. Clark Jolley, mentioned “anything with Obama’s name on it, is DOA in Oklahoma”. 

(I have the tweets to prove it too)

Two things about that statement, the ACA, is the acronym and there isn’t a B, an H or an O in that acronym. The term Obamacare has been used since before the ACA’s inception to disparage and discredit its merit. Who was it using it with such distaste? So, when it comes to things being DOA, shouldn’t those responsible for that death share some blame? Secondly, at a time when “all options have to be on the table” and “everything has to be considered”, why isn’t changing this conversation and climate so it can happen a part of he conversation? I’m not so starry eyed to think all will be acceptable but, if Sen. Mazzei can talk about not making tax cuts, surely some of these legislators can have the tough conversation with their constituents, and more importantly, their donors. 

It would also help if these ladies and gentlemen would take their jobs seriously...

I keep trying to bring this to a close but any sort of conclusion I begin just continues into another grinch about how the men and women that run our state couldn’t care less about your kids. So I’ll just finish with this. As a collective group, They. Don’t. Care. There is no logical way to come to any other conclusion. They keep saying “we have to make tough choices” well, the thing is, it’s their job to make those tough choices,nerve made all the ones we can. If they are too weak and fragile to live with decisions that help people that cannot help them, then in the immortal words of Ms. Delores Landingham, “Well, God Jed… I don’t even know if I want to know ya.” And if you don’t get that reference go watch The West Wing TV series NOW, or at least watch this scene.Watch the whole thing, watch the whole series (you’ll thank me later), but the line is 2:20-2:35.