Who Really Puts "Students First"?

Please read this Washington Post article entitled "Sandy Hook massacre: Teachers sought to soothe children in moments of terror," then read the post by South Bronx Teacher about Michelle Rhee's statement about the horrific events at Sandy Hook Elementary and ask yourself, Who really puts students first?

These education reformers and corporate education reform politicians and media people have made teachers out to be George Costanzas - greedy, incompetent, self-centered, selfish and untrustworthy people.

But when horror showed up at Sandy Hook Elementary, the teachers didn't act like George Costanza in the Seinfeld episode with the fire at the birthday party and throw children and old people out of the way to save themselves.

They did everything they could to try and save their students from death and horror.

The same happened two weeks ago when a mortally wounded college professor tried to save his students from his crazed son, armed with a bow and arrow, and looking for blood. 

The professor, James Krumm, fought with his son even as he was wounded with an arrow to the head so that his students could escape the room. 

He died from his wounds, but not one of his students was hurt.

Teacher Dave Sanders took similar actions at Columbine when two students began shooting people in the library.

Surveillance camera video from the school shows him running toward the library as Eric Harris, 18, and Dylan Klebold, 17, shot everybody in sight.

Sanders was one of 13 people killed that day.

God forbid any teacher, any person, should have to confront circumstances like this, but it is telling that the teachers who have had to confront these horrifying circumstances have conducted themselves with courage, honor, selflessness, grace, and dignity.

I asked earlier, I will ask again, Would the hedge fund managers/education reformers conduct themselves with the same courage, honor, selflessness, grace, and dignity?

Perhaps.

It's hard to know how anybody would react in such horrifying circumstances until you are, god forbid, faced with them yourself.

But we do know that these teachers at Sandy Hook, the professor in Wyoming, and the teacher at Columbine did act with courage, honor, selflessness, grace, and dignity when faced with horror and death.

Maybe the education reformers/hedge fund managers and the other corporate reformers will pause the next time they think to use the "Teachers As Lazy, Greedy Incompetents In Need Of Accountability" meme.

Maybe they will think about these teachers who showed such courage, honor, selflessness, grace, and dignity.

But probably not  - instead they'll instinctively do what they always and try and profit from the circumstances, no matter how horrifying.

Just as Michelle Rhee has done with Sandy Hook Elementary.