SOS, I’ve Tripped and Can’t Come Down

Susan Ohanian summed up the SOS march pretty well in her commentary Sex, Lies and SOS. http://susanohanian.org/show_commentary.php?id=958

Low teacher turn out
Weak speeches
Co-optation by NEA and AFT, who have already endorsed Obama, without asking, let alone demanding. a single thing for schools, teachers or children
No attempt to organize or mobilize teachers to attend SOS or to strike
No movement by unions to resist standardized tests


Bottom line: a million or even a billion teachers marching on Washington will have no effect on policy. If we want to end NCLB, increase funding, halt privatization, lower class sizes, decrease workloads and increase wages, we need to strike. We need to do it early and often. Anything short of this, and the quality of public education will continue its downward slide, along with our wages and working conditions.

Modern School
http://modeducation.blogspot.com/2011/08/sos-ive-tripped-and-cant-come-down.html

the American way.

there`s nothing worse than a company union.

The turnout was awesome considering this was a grassroots group that had only a handful of followers in January. These are also tough economic times and not many teachers can afford to travel to DC for a march. It was also incredibly hot.

There were many (I think about 20?) regional events around the country that were very well attended. But they are ignored by the critics.

Susan doesn't call the speeches weak and they weren't. Not in the least. Susan does say no one called out Obama but that isn't true. Several speakers went after him and John Kuhn was brutal.

No, the SOS movement has NOT been co-opted by NEA or AFT. That's almost comical. We had to BEG to get the unions to even put up a mention of SOS on their websites. If you only knew . . . .

No, AFT has NOT endorsed Obama. Please stop claiming it has.

There were also not only many attempts to mobilize teachers to participate, we met on Sunday after the march and decided to continue SOS and build stronger local and state chapters. That's called mobilizing. The Florida group has already planned several events. The MO group is planning an event in October. There are more events planned in other states. I don't have the time or the space to report them all here for you. Perhaps you should research this and encourage your readers to attend and participate instead of criticizing an event you clearly did not attend.

After giving up several hours a week for 6 months to help organize the SOS events and build the movement, I want to be disheartened by this criticism, but it actually proves we hit a nerve.

As for Ohanian, I wondered all along why she wasn't more involved in a leadership role with SOS. Perhaps her piece is more a reflection of sour grapes on her part or an example of why she wasn't invited to help lead the SOS movement. :shrug:

I misspoke on both the AFT and the cooptation. The unions put virtually no effort into organizing or mobilizing for SOS, but did throw down some token logistical support as if to say, "see, we're behind this effort."

Nevertheless, what is needed right now is not a few thousand protesters in DC. We need millions of American workers from all different industries out in the streets on a daily basis, refusing to work, gumming up the system, destroying profits, and forcing the ruling elite to back off their attempts to destroy unions, kill our standard of living, privatize the public sector, and bleed us all to feed the rapacious greed of the wealthy.

The battle against high stakes testing, NCLB, billionairheads dictating curriculum and school structure, and for adequate and equitable funding cannot be won without a militant stance by the unions. Instead, the NEA and AFT responses have ranged from tepid complaints to outright collaborationism.

While I support SOS' enthusiasm and the fact that they are fighting back, even some of the SOS platform is problematic. For example, "equitable school and district funding" will not solve the problems facing our schools and is not even desirable. Virtually all schools need much more funding than they are currently receiving, and low income and low performing schools need much more than their affluent, higher performing counterparts. Similarly, "full funding for family and community support services" is a nice bandaid, but it is kind of like demanding that police stop arresting homeless people. The goal should be an end to homelessness, poverty, hunger, privation. This goal cannot be achieved through government handouts. It can only be achieved through fundamental social change and a redistribution of wealth, things that require social conflict, particularly in the workplace.