I hope that you are tracking the current dynamic brewing in Montgomery. There is a major fight brewing between the usual suspects of the teachers’ union and the School Board Association versus those who believe that Alabama must come into the 21st century and get our education out of last place.
There used to be a time when people could shrug their shoulders and say “well, thank goodness for Mississippi!” because Mississippi always ranked below us.
Not anymore. Alabama is last in the nation in education. Dead. Last.
It brings to mind the old adage that continuing to do the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result is just the definition of insanity. We have got to move past the point that the teachers’ union just snaps their fingers and asks for more money, the legislature throws them a teacher pay raise, and we hope for the best.
It’s about our kids! Our children! And there has never been a more opportune time than right now when the state is flush with cash, last in the rankings and public sentiment is high. We have to act. This very week there are Republican members of the State legislature who say that they want to fix education who will be confronted with the opportunity to do so. School choice is in the State House in a big way.
But it will take more than just political will. It will take statesmen. It will take leadership. It will take a fight.
So as I was pondering all of this I was reminded of a list of the top quotes of General Patton - stay with me here - what if those same quotes that took us to victory in the arena of warfare could be applied to changing the dynamic of our state’s education system? Here we go:
'If everyone is thinking alike, then somebody isn’t thinking'
Great quotes. Can you imagine if General George Patton was around to take charge of education in Alabama? Well, maybe there’s a few of Patton’s troops in Montgomery. I hope so because they are needed for such a time as this!
Phil Williams is a former State Senator, retired Army Colonel and combat veteran, and a practicing Attorney. He has served with the leadership of the Alabama Policy Institute and currently hosts Rightside Radio M-F 2-5 pm on WVNN. His column appears every Monday in 1819 News. To contact Phil or request him for a speaking engagement go to www.rightsideradio.org. The views and opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the policy or position of 1819 News. To comment, please send an email with your name and contact information to Commentary@1819News.com.
