I received an email on September 26 from my friend Doris Boitnott* at VEA. Doris, who used to be a Uniserv Director here in Roanoke and a high school teacher in Roanoke County before that, has taken some flack over that email.
The email was in regard to an OBAMA BLUE DAY which was scheduled for September 30.
When I read this email, I chose not to pass it along to anyone in our organization. Very simply put, I do not believe that the RCEA should have a direct hand in organizing for or against any one political candidate. That is not to say that I believe teachers should surrender their political rights just because they are teachers either.
There has been local, statewide, and national attention given to the contents of the email, which I think is unfortunate. It's obvious to me that there are people and organizations with specific agendas who are trying to twist the meaning of the email content and capitalize on it for their personal gain. I find that deplorable.
Isn't it a bit ironic that with our educational system under stress in an election year, practically the first thing we hear about regarding education is this inflated story? I find that deplorable as well.
To each faithful member of our organization, I encourage you to exercise your right as a citizen of our country to wear whatever color shirt you desire.
The email was in regard to an OBAMA BLUE DAY which was scheduled for September 30.
When I read this email, I chose not to pass it along to anyone in our organization. Very simply put, I do not believe that the RCEA should have a direct hand in organizing for or against any one political candidate. That is not to say that I believe teachers should surrender their political rights just because they are teachers either.
There has been local, statewide, and national attention given to the contents of the email, which I think is unfortunate. It's obvious to me that there are people and organizations with specific agendas who are trying to twist the meaning of the email content and capitalize on it for their personal gain. I find that deplorable.
Isn't it a bit ironic that with our educational system under stress in an election year, practically the first thing we hear about regarding education is this inflated story? I find that deplorable as well.
To each faithful member of our organization, I encourage you to exercise your right as a citizen of our country to wear whatever color shirt you desire.
Thom Ryder
RCEA President
RCEA President
* In an earlier version of their story, The Washington Times erroneously called Doris, "Debbie". In the current version, they misspell her name. "Dorris Boitnott, a VEA member and author of the e-mail, said that in hindsight she should not have paired the idea of supporting Mr. Obama with that of registering young voters. Mrs. Boitnott, who said she is not related to Kitty Boitnott, also said she had no intention of encouraging teachers to recruit students into a political campaign."
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