NJ teacher volunteers to let Gov. Christie punch him in the face
Earlier this week, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie slammed teacher’s unions, saying that they ought to be “punched in the face.” Now, Russ Walsh, a New Jersey teacher, has offered up his face for the pummeling, volunteering to take a punch from the gov.
Earlier this week, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie slammed teacher's unions, saying that they ought to be "punched in the face."
Now, Russ Walsh, a New Jersey teacher, has offered up his face for the pummeling, volunteering to take a punch from the gov.
A 45-year teaching veteran and coordinator of college reading at Rider University, Walsh recently took Christie to task for his statement, writing in a blog that "I regret that I have only one face to give for my profession."
Really, though, there's really not someone more qualified for the job than Walsh, who may well "deserve that punch in the face":
I am well qualified for the job. I have been a public school teacher and administrator for 45 years. I have been the president and the chief negotiator of my local teachers union. I have been sharply critical of Christie's education policies on my blog. I deserve that punch in the face. I have earned it.
And, besides, he lives pretty close to Gov. Christie, so it shouldn't be all that difficult to get that haymaker out of the way:
Not only that, I live just a stone's throw from the State House in Trenton, so I could meet the governor there at any time, if he ever happens to get back to New Jersey.
Though, it's hardly like Walsh actually deserves a punch. In fact, it looks a bit like Christie ought to be swinging at himself:
How have his repeated attacks on teacher unions improved education for the children of New Jersey?
The answer is, of course, not at all. The children of New Jersey are worse off educationally than they were when Christie took office. And yet, those teachers he loves to hate keep soldiering on, doing their best in the face of intolerable and deteriorating conditions to provide a good education for New Jersey's children.
"Take your best shot," Walsh concludes. "I won't hit back. I will just pick myself up, dust myself off, and go back to being the best teacher I can be."
Christie, for his part, has not yet issued an apology for his statement despite demands from the American Federation of Teachers and New Jersey Education Association.