A Healthy Alternative for Teachers

On the matter of teachers having a voice and some
job protection, particularly those who teach in charter
schools, there is an alternative to joining a union to
achieve these things.

Instead of having to shell out $1,000 or more annually
to have union membership, and have their unions' officials
support things that the teachers may not themselves be willing
to, there is a nonunion national organization which they can
join: the Association of American Educators. This organization
supports charter school teachers without the need for
cumbersome contracts and high dues. AAE has members
in all 50 states and is endorsed by several state-based
charter school associations. They provide liability insurance,
legal counsel, and other benefits to their members at a fraction
of the cost that the teachers' unions do. With AAE, teachers
avoid the chafing contracts, red tape, and left-wing politics
that are all part and parcel of union membership. And parents
benefit by having their children's educations be flexible,
innovative, and free of radicalization masquerading as
education. Taxpayers benefit because they won't have to
pay for the aforementioned awfulness prevalent in the
regular public schools. Charter schools are, by the way,
publicly funded schools established by parents, teachers,
and/or community groups under the terms of a charter
with a local or national authority.

This option would be a winner for parents and their
children, teachers, and taxpayers, and therefore an
idea certainly worth exploring.


MEM