Thanks to Kipp Dawson of Pittsburgh for drawing my attention to this letter written by Melissa Tomlinson, the teacher who confronted Governor Chris Christie, who shouted her down and said contemptuously, “What do you people want?”
This is her answer, which appeared on Mark Naison’s blog:
Dear Governor Christie,
Yesterday I took the opportunity to come hear you speak on your campaign trail. I have never really heard you speak before except for sound bytes that I get on my computer. I don’t have cable, I don’t read newspapers. I don’t have enough time. I am a public school teacher that works an average of 60 hours a week in my building. Yes, you can check with my principal. I run the after-school program along with my my classroom position. I do even more work when I am at home.
For verification of this, just ask my children.
I asked you one simple question yesterday. I wanted to know why you portray NJ Public Schools as failure factories.
Apparently that question struck a nerve. When you swung around at me and raised your voice, asking me what I wanted, my first response “I want more money for my students.”
Notice, I did not ask for more money for me. I did not ask for my health benefits, my pension, a raise, my tenure, or even my contract that I have not had for nearly three years. We got into a small debate about how much money has been spent on education. To me, there is never enough money that is spent on education. To invest in education is to invest in our future. We cannot keep short-changing our children and taking away opportunities for them to explore and learn.
As more money is required for state-mandated curriculum changes and high-stakes standardized testing, it is our children that are losing. Programs are being cut all over the state as budget changes are forcing districts to cut music, art, after-school transportation, and youth-centered clubs.
But let’s put money aside for a moment. What do I want? What do ‘we people’ want? We want to be allowed to teach.
Do you know that the past two months has been spent of our time preparing and completing paperwork for the Student Growth Objectives? Assessments were created and administered to our students on material that we have not even taught yet. Can you imagine how that made us feel? The students felt like they were worthless for not having any clue how to complete the assessments. The teachers felt like horrible monsters for having to make the students endure this. How is that helping the development of a child? How will that help them see the value in their own self-worth?
This futile exercise took time away from planning and preparing meaningful lessons as well as the time spent in class actually completing the assessments. The evaluations have no statistical worth and has even been recognized as such by the NJ Department of Education. I am all for evaluation of a teacher.
I recognize that I should be held accountable for my job. This does not worry me, as long as I am evaluated on my methods of teaching. I can not be held wholly accountable for the learning growth of a student when I am not accountable for all of the factors that influence this growth. Are you aware that poverty is the biggest determination of a child’s educational success. If not, I suggest you read Diane Ravitch’s new book Reign of Error. Take a moment and become enlightened.
Getting back to the issue of money. I am fully aware of our educational budget. Where is all of this money? To me it seems like it is being siphoned right off into the hands of private companies as they reap the benefits of the charter schools and voucher programs that you have put into place. It certainly hasn’t gone to improve school conditions in urban areas such as Jersey City. The conditions that these students and teachers are forced to be in are horrifying. Yet you are not allowing the funds needed to improve these conditions. Are you hoping that these schools get closed down and more students are forced to go to private charter schools while the districts are being forced to pay their tuition? I know for a fact that this is what has happened in Camden and Newark.
Yet these charter schools are not held to the same accountability as our public schools. Why is that? Because deep down you know that you are not really dealing with the issues that influence a child’s education. You are simply putting a temporary band-aid into place.
Unfortunately [for you] that temporary fix is already starting to be exposed as Charter Schools are showing that they actually are not able to do better than public schools. You are setting up teachers to take the blame for all of this. You have portrayed us as greedy, lazy money-draining public servants that do nothing. I invite you to come do my job for one week Governor Christie. I invite you to come see my students, see how little they really have during the school day as they are being forced to keep learning for a single snapshot of their educational worth.
For that one end-all, be-all test, the NJASK. The one that the future of my job and my life is now based upon. Why do you portray schools as failure factories? What benefit do you reap from this? Have you acquired financial promises for your future campaigns as you eye the presidential nomination? Has there been back-room meetings as you agree to divert public funds to private companies that are seeking to take over our public educational system? This is my theory. To accomplish all of this, you are setting up the teachers to take the blame. Unfortunately, you are not the only governor in our country that has this agenda.
What do “we people’ want, Governor Christie? We want our schools back. We want to teach. We want to be allowed to help these children to grow, educationally, socially, and emotionally. We want to be respected as we do this, not bullied.
BadAss Teacher, Melissa Tomlinson
http://withabrooklynaccent.blogspot.com/2013/11/letter-to-governor-christie-from-new.html
Thank you, Melissa. You nailed it.
BEAUTIFUL!!!!
Well said!!!!
Thanks for speaking up. We need MORE of this.
Melissa did an outstanding job articulating and speaking up for what so many teachers feel and want.
———
The Washington Post’s Answer Sheet also covered this story.
( in the comment section their is a link to a You Tube video of Melissa Tomlinson reading her letter.)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2013/11/03/gov-chris-christie-yells-at-a-teacher-again/
Here is the video of Melissa Tomlinson reading her letter:
Very Powerful!
Kudos to my colleague Melissa Tomlinson for taking on the bully. And thank you Diane for your recent book which is an excellent defense of our public schools. Thank you for breaking down these myths which are lies repeated over and over again. So much that many unsuspecting Americans have bought into them. Thanks. Rich Lawrence.
Who publishes your “standardized” tests in New Jersey? I bet that’s where the money is going!
In every state…the money goes to standardized testing..
I am from NY. State and we have the exact same problem. I teach in an area of extreme poverty. Sometimes, our children don’t even get dinner at night. Last year I had a little girl who began asking for extra cereal every morning and wanted more at lunch time. We (my assistant and I) asked what she had for supper last night and she said we didn’t have supper because we don’t have any food left. We sent the child home with anything we could so she would have something to eat that night. About 4 days later, she told us we have food now. My mom got her check and went shopping so we have everything.
Are standardized test scores as important as taking care of the daily needs of a child, whether they be physical, emotional or any other human need? I personally don’t think so.
I think the higher ups need to spend more time in a classroom of reality.
Oh yes as an aside, we haven’t had a contract in 9 years.
SGO’s what a joke. Now we have to waste time documenting that students don’t know something before we teach it to them, duh!
Bravo, Melissa! Good luck!
This says it all – perfectly. Thank you, Melissa!
If Christie is such a jerk(I will be nice here!) why is he so popular in New Jersey? I wouldn’t vote that arrogant piece of crap dog walker
He is popular because he hates teachers.
Think about that for a moment.
I admire Melissa’s courage and am grateful that she gave voice to what so many of us are feeling. She epitomized grace under fire! Thank you for publishing her letter, Diane.
What else can be said. This was so well written and to the point. Great job and so many agree with you!!!!
Dr. Ravitch here is Melissa reading her letter in a video http://youtu.be/TLbzP18w-QE
LOL blocked on my school’s server for being “R rated”!
There should be a full page NY Times ad take out and it should have a photo of Christie with the caption, “What do you people want?” Another photo of this teacher with a paper held up high followed by a “Thank you for FINALLY asking what ‘we people’ want” after so many years of going full steam ahead without asking teachers! And a lengthy reply should follow!
Excellent comment.
Thank you Melissa for your courage and for standing up for children. I am sorry the Governor has such disrespect for teachers. But I am very pleased many more in the public are now able to see the truth and can take this information with them when they vote.
“What do ‘we people’ want, Governor Christie?”
I can’t answer that question but I can tell you what Christie wants!
Privatization !
“There’s gold in them there schools!”
http://teachersdontsuck.blogspot.com/
http://wsautter.com/
Maybe just maybe, if the over paid administrators and staff within Public Schools would stop being greedy, if the unions had the students in mind rather than their salaries, more money would be available for education. Yes I have family and friends who are teachers and do know that some of the problems go to policies placed on them and the system. But really the high salaries are the route of the problem and some of the worst districts have some of the highest salaries. How do you fix it? Hold them accountable with standards of education based salaries. Do you $150,000.00 plus administrators giving up part of their salaries to help the local school district budgets? I bet your answer is no. Sadly someone needs to make it hurt in order to fix it. Governor Christie, stand your ground and hold them accountable, teachers look at your local administrators who are making all the money and as a result, taking it away from your students and you! Just my opinion.
If teaching is such a great job and so lucrative then I say to all the critics – as Bob Barker used to “Come on down !” http://teachersdontsuck.blogspot.com/ http://wsautter.com/
Gee Thomas, I think you need a good teacher. I believe that you mean that money is the “ROOT” of all the problems and not the “Route”, that is something you follow in a car. Also, after 29 years and not having gotten a raise in 9 years.
“Just my opinion.”
Those of us who are teachers and learners knew that. You didn’t have to say it.