Well.
I went and did it.
I put this sign was put in my yard this morning. Let's see how long it lasts, shall we?
It's nothing but the truth: by cutting education funding to the bone and through his well publicized clash with the teacher's union, Scott Walker has transformed Wisconsin from a teacher's friend to a teacher's nightmare. When my wife and I graduated as teachers in 2008, we entered into a cyclone of uncertainty and dread caused by Wall Street's high-stakes gambling. I found whatever work I could as a substitute, and it was then I learned that, to save money in times of recession, one of the schools I subbed at was having English, Math and Science teachers each teach a section of Social Studies as well. This effectively removed any need for Social Studies educators, and I was left wondering what I just spent four years studying History for.
Then, it got worse.
Wisconsin, in its fear and confusion, put the majority of their votes behind a charlatan named Scott Walker, who immediately set about trying to divide and conquer the middle and lower classes, leaving us to fight for scraps while the rich binge on tax cuts and sweetheart deals. In a twist that is only surprising to those living in a cave, giving yet more money and influence to the rich and powerful did not trickle down prosperity to the lower classes, as Wisconsin is now shamefully behind its midwestern neighbors (particularly Minnesota, with a progressive DFL majority) in unemployment, jobs, and overall quality of life.
And yet, still, when I apply to work in an office, or to work at a factory, or to work selling boxes of organic vegetables, I am still asked, invariably, whether or not I will go back to teaching or, most insultingly, why I'm not teaching now.
Why am I not teaching now? Scott Walker stole the money for schools and teaching to enrich himself and his cronies.
Will I ever go back to teaching? That depends: will the teaching jobs ever come back?
Will I ever have the chance to make enough money to risk going back to school for more teaching credentials that may or may not bear fruit in an uncertain future? Probably not, because every time I try for a good paying job I'm told I should be teaching instead.
And it all starts over again. All I ever wanted was to teach History to kids in some small Wisconsin country town. All I ever wanted to do was to take that "boring" subject and make it come alive, make it interesting, and make the kids understand how their life fit in, and how it matters. It's not like I was asking to be a millionare, or run a company, or have a mansion or a BMW or a yacht... I just wanted to be a teacher. I graduated with honors, I passed the state teaching exam in the 85th percentile, I've got references and well-wishers coming out of my ears... where did this all go wrong?
It all went wrong with Scott Walker. He stole my future, and countless others with his aristocratic governance that displays an open contempt for the people he is supposed to represent. There are thousands of us scrambling to put a life back together while the rich get ever richer and more corrupt, and Scott Walker is their ever-eager lapdog, bringing them more than they could ever possibly need.
He stole my future because of pure, ugly greed. Let's not let him steal any more.