Thursday, January 24, 2008

Is it only me, or is anyone else fed up with Ambrose Bennett's backhanded efforts to proclaim authority to speak for all teachers? Will his ranting never end?

Least anyone forget: Ambrose Bennett was seated as the Teacher Representative at the time the Board adopted the arbitrary threshold number that signaled passage of the Praxis test. When he failed to provide the Board with concrete facts establishing the arbitrariness of the number, the current pass rates were adopted. It was Mr. Bennett’s insensitivity, inaction, and downright inattentiveness that led teachers to organize without him and attempt to undo what he allowed to happen. Notwithstanding the efforts of James Yangtemai to present the Board with data confirming the problems the Board's wholesale adoption of unsubstantiated pass rates from other jurisdictions, the Board was unwilling to reconsider the issue. So, least anyone forget: the salary decreases and Praxis pass rates were adopted during Ambrose Bennett's watch. His “last ditch effort” to bypass procedures for the election of a teacher representative and to blame ACT for failing to “get the Board to reconsider the salary decreases should be seen for what they are: a sadly untypical effort to avoid responsibility and instead point the proverbial finger at someone else to take the blame.

The newspapers don’t elect teacher representatives. Courts don’t elect teacher representatives, either. Only teachers elect teacher representatives, and the last time I looked, no exclusive bargaining representative of all teachers elected Ambrose Bennett to sit at the table for or on behalf of any group of teachers.

2 comments:

Angelo Villagomez said...

It's common sense! I've been saying it for years!

Betty said...

My common sense says if Ambrose wants the position so badly, why didn't he just run in the election when we tried to organize one? I'm still game...if any teachers out there (ACT member or not)are willing to organize an election, let Mr. Bennett run against me and put this matter to rest once and for all!