A Letter to Oprah...Use Your Network for the REAL Greater Good

Dear Oprah:

It's very disappointing that you have chosen to become a shill for Michelle Rhee and the Billionaire Boys Club movement for education reform in America. Instead of giving Rhee a forum to express her jaded point of view about the state of American education, why don't you talk to real teachers--the true Supermen and women--who are heroes every day in our classrooms?

Instead of determining the state of American education by how well kids fill in bubbles on standardized tests, why don't you investigate the rich fine arts and social studies curriculum that is being squeezed out of our schools by our obsession with testing? Instead of buying into the anti-democratic "reformers" mantra about how our system is failing compared to other countries, why don't you take the time to study those other countries like Finland whose child poverty rate is 5% compared to America's OECD leading 20% with a teaching staff that is 90% unionized and REQUIRED to hold Masters degrees; or India who while churning out engineers in "Two Million Minutes" only manages to get seven percent through high school and doesn't even bother to educate over half of its population; or Singapore who sends delegations to the United States to try to figure out what WE DO to produce students who are creative and critical thinkers as adults as opposed to their test taking automatons who "fade out" after high school?

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Regional Conference Reports

The Midwest Regional had a caucus meeting with about 10 attendees. Several new members were added to our caucus and about $296 was collected. This is far below what has been collected in the past and I contribute that to only selling 2 shirts....we need new ones and I am in the process of having some printed sooner rather than later. CR has a union printer. Tom Wolfe spent the whole regional time at a table and collected most of the money. The caucus meeting did not produce any new thoughts or ideas. Tom is entitled to the $100 assist from pandj.

Midwest Regional by Nancy Porter, chair, NEA Caucus

Thank you to those who attended our social at the Legislative Conference. It is always great to be together with the ones who care. Welcome AnneMarie Kraus and Kris Wingate and Karen Person to our Iowa delegates who care enough to support the Peace and Justice Caucus and direction. Thank you for your membership dues and continued support.

The Midwest Regional Conference was well attended and interesting, but, perhaps, over shadowed with the doom and gloom of the legislature in Iowa being run by a majority of Republicans in the House. They are doing exactly what they said they would do and cut the budget. The budget cuts, however, are a scathing blow to Public Education which is getting attacked from every angle. Thanks to the Des Moines local for focus from the media attacks through movies. They have organized several awareness events. Thanks to our ISEA for organizing great speakers at the hearing for the defeat of the HF 45 bill which, hopefully, the Senate will be able to diffuse. Thanks to those who testified and attended.

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Regional Caucus Reports

The Midwest Regional had a caucus meeting with about 10 attendees. Several new members were added to our caucus and about $296 was collected. This is far below what has been collected in the past and I contribute that to only selling 2 shirts....we need new ones and I am in the process of having some printed sooner rather than later. CR has a union printer. Tom Wolfe spent the whole regional time at a table and collected most of the money. The caucus meeting did not produce any new thoughts or ideas. Tom is entitled to the $100 assist from P&J.

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Iowa Caucus Meeting

The Iowa NEA Peace and Justice Caucus is planning to host a social and hold a short meeting at the ISEA Legislative Conference in Des Moines on Friday, January 7 at the conclusion of the evening session. More details will be announced at the conference.

Please join the Iowa Peace and Justice Facebook page!

Midwest Regional is Approaching

Dear Midwest Peace & Justice Members,

Hello to all of you once again. It's been some time since I've last written you, and I apologize for that. I've had too much going on in my life, and I've tended to procrastinate some things, and this is one of them. I'm now trying to make recompense. I hope things are going well in your lives and that you are able to think a little bit about your membership in our Peace & Justice Caucus. It is my hope that many of you will be attending the NEA Midwest Regional in Kansas City this month from January 14-16. Our Peace & Justice Caucus plans to have a table in the hallway for all to see, and we hope you will visit. We also will hold a caucus meeting on Saturday morning, January 15. If you haven't yet registered to attend it, please consider doing so. You can eat breakfast in our caucus room, so there is no conflict there. At present, Nancy Porter, our national chair, and I plan to be there and preside, but if I can't be there Nancy will handle it all herself. Either way, we will have a presence.