Let’s thank #RedForEd teachers, not punish them

We can only hope that Arizona’s #RedForEd movement continues to improve the lot of the state’s educators, and that our teachers continue to improve the lot of Arizona’s students, so that some of those students will grow up to become members of the Arizona State Board of Education.

Because some of those currently serving on that board have completely failed the lesson they should have learned from the #RedForEd walkouts.

Instead of looking into whether they can punish teachers who took a stand against poor pay and abysmal classroom conditions, the board should be thanking them. Loudly.

The teachers who took to the streets in Arizona did exactly what we want our young people to do as grownups.

They didn’t just express support for the righteous of education, they took action.

They didn’t just talk the talk. They walked the walk. Literally. They organized huge public demonstrations. They marched. They filled the legislative chambers of the state Capitol. They exercised their rights and their responsibilities as citizens.

And some members of the board want to punish them for it?

Gov. Doug Ducey controls the board by way of making appointments to all but a few members. I’m hoping he’s one of those who actually did learn a lesson.

Others, not so much. For example, state Superintendent of Public Instruction Diane Douglas.

She said of looking into punishing #RedForEd teachers, “If we have any formal complaints filed, we will investigate them. That’s what we’re required to do, whether it has to do with the teacher strike, or any type of unprofessional behavior on the part of the teacher.”

Earlier, Douglas said of punishing teachers, “I think I will wrangle with my conscience on whether they will get a letter of censure or not, but they’re walking out on our children, our most precious resource.”

Teacher’s didn’t walk out on children.

They walked away from a governor and a Legislature that had cut education budgets to the bone and had shown nothing but disdain for our schoolchildren and disrespect to Arizona’s educators for decades. They refused to be ignored, again, by the elected representatives who had been ignoring them for years. They made the topic of educating our children a priority, something the governor and lawmakers had been promising to do but never really did.

Teachers don’t deserve punishment for that.

They deserve thanks.