REGAN: May be wrong

Brent Regan’s opinion piece of Dec. 2, closes out, as all his pieces do with “It’s just common sense,” what it shows is his incredulity. He is either unable or unwilling to consider other evidence, options or variables that might sway his opinion. There is always more to the story. I don’t know if his argument against the teachers union is limited by the allotted space for his article or it is his agenda. In any event there is no consideration for any other option for why he feels schools are failing other than the union. He is either unwilling or unable to consider any of the other factors that influence our country’s public education system.

If I said, don’t drop that glass, it might break. Even then I qualify it. It might not break. That’s simple, but the more complex an organization or institution, the more careful we need to be when discussing all those things that effect said organization or institution.

One of the greatest things that any country can do for its citizens is offer free public education. A democracy demands it. Teachers in our public schools must stand ready to educate 100% of our children. Are all schools perfect or equal? No. Are all teachers great? No. Is the teacher’s union perfect? No. But do good teachers need a union to have their backs with all of the other variables that can influence the classroom, like: socio-economic issues, school boards, politicians who scapegoat teachers, parents, (who really should have the greatest influence on a student’s success), budgets, drugs, social media, etc., etc.? Yes they need a union. Their union is just one cog in the machine that is the public educational system in our country.

I think a better way for Brent to close out his articles is to quote Charles Barkley’s book, “I May Be Wrong, but I Doubt It.”

TERRY MONTANYE

Coeur d’Alene