If you have been reading BrianHornback.Com for more than a week in our almost 10 year life. If you have read Jack McElroy over at the Big Metal Shed on the Hill, WBIR, WATE, WVLT when they refer to me they use Conservative Blogger just before Brian Hornback. So, with that a basis for this post it should come as no surprise that I read a lot of TEA Party, Constitutional and Evangelical Conservative material, online and print.
Back on August 30, 2013 one of my resources, MinuteMenNews.Com had this post. The post details an organization of teachers that have joined in campaign to oppose the “unprecedented “Common Core” nationalization of K-12 education under the Obama administration.” The organization is named BAT for Badass Teacher Association, their website is located here. The website breaks down each state that has an active chapter. When you click on Tennessee, you are directed to a Facebook group that is a closed group. However, when clicking on Members there are in excess of 820 members. Across the state there are 7 Admins to the group. At least 3 of the admins are from East TN with one being from Knoxville.
Interesting is the description of the closed group. It says that all are to be active teachers. I noticed at least one student, several Knoxville news gatherers / reporters. Because of the requirements for being a member, I declined to ask to join the group.
I am not opposed to a grassroots or an organized effort. As a former School Board Member, I fought for teachers and for non certified employees. That is in part why I was a one term member. However, I believe in full and transparent disclosure. If this is a concerted organized effort, GREAT. I do take some offense in the name of the organization. Being in the South and the buckle of the Bible Belt, to be a member of an organization with this name is disrespectful. How would the teachers feel if out of a class of 25 students, 5 or 10 of the students began to organize against the structure of the classroom and named themselves Badass Students? I suspect when discovered the students would be expelled by some School Board Policy.
