Over the years, we have seen the plethora of displays put on by various and sundry teachers’ unions across the nation.

We know, they are overworked and underpaid for the crappy work conditions they are forced to endure. They are forced to “risk their lives” by walking into a classroom full of little germ gremlins. They are working in sub-par facilities. Now, apparently, they are being forced to take a test for basic skills and this is wrong.

According to this, one of New Jersey’s main teachers unions, NJEA, wants to call an end to the Praxis Core Academic Skills for Educators: Reading, Writing and Math. Why? It’s an “unnecessary barrier” hindering the alleviation of teacher shortages, so the story goes.

So, let’s lower the standards until the shortages are met? If you know anyone from Jersey, you know those who hail from The Garden State have no shortage of words for this foolery:

Next: Eliminate the flight testing that creates a barrier to becoming a certified airline pilot. Welcome to 🤡🌎

— Nathan (@TylerDurden94) November 13, 2023

Yes, a clown world it is. There’s also a shortage of medical staff in the United States. Why would nurses need to medically-trained? Hell, if this is the case, let’s pull some heroin addicts and criminals off our city streets and stick ’em in the classrooms. I had better be quiet. I live in Washington and Jay Inslee may think this is a good idea. Especially if Gavin Newsom does it first. What does Newsom care? His kids go to private school.

Teachers should be able to pass a basic skills test before they’re tasked with educating children in those core subjects.”-Nicki Neily, founder and president of Parents Defending Education

NJEA has been at this for a while, now. Last year, the union advocated for the end to another certification test, the educative Teacher Performance Assessment (edTPA).

EdTPA is a costly, discriminatory and unnecessary obstacle to teacher certification at a time when New Jersey schools are in dire need of qualified teachers. Eliminating it is a victory for all future educators who will not be saddled with a requirement that enriches Pearson but does nothing to benefit New Jersey’s public school students.”-NJEA

If people who presumably graduated from the public school system aren’t capable of passing a basic skills test to become public school teachers, what does that say about the system?

— Beanie (@Beanie0597) November 12, 2023

Doesn’t matter. The low test scores, the poor classroom behaviors and young people that are seemingly unable to write their last name on documentation, interact socially and/or determine what gender they belong to are our next generation of brilliant stars.

It’s cool, though. NJEA and New Jersey Governor, Phil Murphy are in each other’s pockets.

And as we venture into not requiring basic skills for teachers, we travel west to Portland, Oregon, where their teachers’ union is still on strike. No school until after Thanksgiving.

Yay for an extended vacation.

Without conferring with the Portland Association of Teachers bargaining team, and in the middle of an otherwise productive bargaining day, PPS district managers made the unilateral decision to keep schools closed through November 27th.”– spokeswoman Samantha Winslow

You need a hard drive examination

— Down & Out (@TinCanChalice) November 12, 2023

They need more than a hard drive examination. The argument the unions always throw out there is that “it’s for our kids”. The Three-week absence of “skilled teachers” in Portlandia is “for the kids”. Keeping kids out of school for over a year in the 2020-21 school year was “for the kids”. Doing away with certain standards that require a basic level of competency from those who are challenging and growing our young, precious minds is “for our kids”. Giving teachers more money is “for the kids”. School districts using funds to hire more administration and six-figure salaries is “for the kids”, don’t you know? All of this self-sacrificing behavior is “for our kids”. They care so much about them.

And, here we are. It is “unfair” to expect teachers to have basic competencies in reading, writing and math in the classrooms. Besides, time taken to take the Praxis is less time school district officials can spend on professional development days teaching about DEI and hanging Pride/Progress flags in their classrooms.

Hey, private schools-get ready to build another wing.

Featured image via Wokandapix on Pixabay, cropped and modified, Pixabay license