If Teachers Won’t Teach, Follow Ronald Reagan’s Example and Fire Them
Bob Barr
Posted: Aug 05, 2020 12:01 AM
When 13,000 air traffic controllers walked off the job in August 1981, President Ronald Reagan had this to say: “Tell them when the strike’s over, they don’t have any jobs.†The media, not yet fully familiar with the seriousness with which Reagan intended to govern, scoffed at the president’s threat. But it was not a bluff. Two days later, when more than 11,000 controllers refused to come back, Reagan fired them all. It was a powerful move, and demonstrated to the entire country that essential public employees serve the public, not union bosses. America’s public school teachers should be reminded of this fact.
With thousands of teachers across the country currently protesting a return to the classroom because of COVID fears, Reagan’s example is particularly relevant. Like air traffic controllers, teachers sign employment contracts. While air traffic controllers contract with the federal government and teachers with local school districts, the principle is the same: perform the duties for which you were hired, or be fired.
Teachers who refuse to teach in the setting for which they were hired – the classroom – need to stop acting like scared bunnies and grow up. If they truly are “essential†workers, as they remind us repeatedly, then they need to start behaving like other essential employees and get back to work.
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https://townhall.com/columnists/bobbarr/2020/08/05/if-teachers-wont-teach-follow-ronald-reagans-example-and-fire-them-n2573744
