The Teachers

March 8, 2011

Dear Lowell School Teachers and Staff,

First of all, thank you. Thank you for all that you do day-in and day-out for my child and the nearly 300 other children you take such good care of. The children you teach, you guide, you mentor, you love. The children (more than half of which are identified as economically disadvantaged) who sometimes come to school without having eaten breakfast, or who arrive without warm winter clothing, or who are understandably distracted by challenges they face at home.

I see you treat each one of these children with deep caring and respect. Often, I am amazed at the care and time you take with each one of these young people.

Today I volunteered in a classroom for an after-school homework club. And although school was over, a classroom teacher organized the group, passed out snacks, tutored children, and escorted the kids to their rides an hour-and-a-half after the last school bell rang. Meanwhile, another teacher hand-delivered special homework to my daughter so she would also have something to do during the club.

I've seen you zip-up coats, open milk cartons in the breakfast room, offer a stick of gum to a child on her birthday, host potlucks for your students and their parents, post "We Missed You" notes on the lockers of kids who were out with the flu, and meet with us during parent-teacher conferences where you treat us as if our child were the only one that mattered for those few minutes.

But now I've seen something that stuns me. I've seen some of our state's politicians try to tell me and my fellow citizens that you're living the high life. That you earn too much money, that you receive health and retirement benefits you don't deserve or we can't afford. These right-wing politicians are trying to tell me that your right to bargain collectively as a union of educators threatens our state because we don't have enough in our budget to cover expenses. And yet these same politicians want to give tax breaks to businesses to lure them from neighboring states.

I did not elect these politicians, but they are governing my state. And for that I apologize. I personally apologize to you. For the fact that you and other public workers have been targeted by their right-wing agenda.

I know I speak for many other parents, neighbors, workers and citizens of our state when I say that I will not stand by silently nor passively while ANY of our valued workers--but especially our teachers--are singled-out with blame, scapegoated, or sacrificed in this race-to-the-bottom capitalism.

In the end, this is not about teachers--it's about all of us. I take this personally. And I have a hunch we will not be divided nor conquered.

This is still OUR Wisconsin and I will do whatever I can to make sure we remain true to our progressive, socially just, and pro-human traditions--of which a strong foundation is supporting our schools, our teachers and our children.

With appreciation,
Brian Lavendel
Madison WI