TO THE EDITOR:
The national conversations about education in 2011 were difficult. As 2012 kicked off, North Carolina’s Republicans were quick to keep the anti-teacher bandwagon rolling. Their attack on the North Carolina Association of Educators was a bitter icing on an already sour cake for public education in this country.
Thank goodness for teachers in Pennsylvania who are working for free. Thank goodness for educators in Wisconsin who fight to defend their careers. Thank goodness for people who are fighting tuition hikes at UNC. And, finally thank you Steven Worsham and Jennifer Job for pointing out where UNC is falling short in its commitment to teaching and support of teachers in your recent DTH letters.
An education worth having should foster critical thinking and a sense of inquiry. I wish everyone would ask themselves what kind of sense the world makes when a mayor appoints a former magazine executive to run the city’s schools and then says, if he could have things his way, he would double class sizes and cut the number of teachers in half? The same man boasted that “I have my own army in the NYPD, which is the seventh biggest army in the world.” This man is New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, UNC’s invited 2012 Commencement speaker.
Thank you Commencement speaker selection committee for showing us what you value.
Ginnie Hench
Post-doctoral Student
Biology
