When I was growing up, the word "Summer" was tossed about casually with no regard how it may have hurt some teachers' feelings. We even thought, and often overheard our teachers saying, that Summer was as much a welcome relief to the teachers as it was to the students.
Now, the word "Summer" is as forbidden to be used around school teachers as "merit pay."
Take for instance my friend Matt Weiss, Vice President of the New Berlin School Board. Matt is coiner of the phrase, "Nobody ever thanks you for cutting spending." Matt attracted a little attention when he wrote, "...Not to mention they have summers off, too".
The horror, the horror. One might have thought that Matt had painted a hammer & sickle on the side of WEAC union office building. Matt attracted not one, but two letters from teachers whose feelings were hurt.
How dare he mention the word, "Summer?" Who does he think he is? Randy Kusch went so far as to write,
Former Gov. (Tommy) Thompson took public education into the dark ages by putting it into the middle of the political process, but, Mr. Weiss, your insensitive statements took public education and placed it back into the age of the cave dwellers.My friend Matt's words were "insensitive."
I won't lie and claim Matt is a fragile soul with a vocabulary that wouldn't disturb a butterfly. Matt's a little blunt, like a brick through a window sometimes.
But, c'mon people, how frail are these egos that deal with the children of New Berlin's taxpayers? They cannot handle the suggestion that their annual compensation is more than adequate? That there might be some benefit to being a highly paid professional annually, and that having a free S----er might be an additional benefit?
Heaven forbid lest anyone criticize the results of the New Berlin teachers' labors, or even suggest there might be need for improvement. The teachers will positively send themselves into a tizzy.
