So what!?!

I've drafted posts commenting on the debate on education reform and merit pay for teachers, trying to find a balance of raw emotion and rationality that lends one's point of view credibility. I haven't been happy with the ways I have articulated these issues, but have continued to form my arguments and had intended to add to these drafts and post them when I felt they were ready.

Well, all of that went out the window today when I was listening to the Diane Rhem Show. The topic of today's show was the protests in Wisconsin over collective bargaining rights and how they are bankrupting our States and Country. She featured Gov. Daniels at the beginning of the show and from there my blood pressure continued to rise. After listening for most of the hour, I finally shouted, "So what!?!"

All politicians talk about is how teachers are overpaid, benefit hoarding free loaders who have cushy jobs that allow them to do the bare minimum without retribution which means a crappy education for our kids. We are then required to repudiate these statements and prove that we are underpaid employees whose benefits are not cost controlled by our Districts; employees who spend our own money to furnish our classrooms with engaging materials and take work home nightly with no extra benefit; who work tirelessly for our students, learning new ways of reaching struggling learners and enhancing education for all students.

This causes me to ask, "So what?!?" I don't want to have to prove politicians wrong anymore. Even though their assessment of teacher compensation is completely bogus, I'll go along with it for the sake of making my point, "So what?!?"

So what if we get great benefits and job security? So what if our salaries reflect the work of an entire year when we are only in school for 9 months? So what if we are able to collectively stand up for our profession and negotiate terms of our contract to protect ourselves from unfair labor practices? So what!?!

Teachers should have these benefits and much more. If, as a Country, we really value the education of our children, we should value the position of a teacher enough to put things in place that attract the best of the best to teach our students. Teachers should have great benefits and high salaries considering the future of our Country rests on their shoulders. Instead, teachers are forced to apologize for the compensation we get for doing an incredibly hard job, in which, daily, we are accused of being selfish and free-loading off tax payers.

As a highly educated, articulate professional I am unable to move up in my profession. Once a teacher has a few years of experience and/or an advanced degree, we are priced out of the job market. There are few opportunities within my District to move up and going to another District is out of the question. No one has the money to pay me. Experience and higher education make teachers undesirable. In any other profession, you can barely get your foot in the door without an advanced degree and at least 5 years experience. In education you are stuck.

All I can say is, "So what!?!" Well, I have an answer to that question. The quality of those in the education profession will continue to decline. Who wants to be a punching bag when things go wrong and ignored when things are going well? Being blamed for the poor choices of others is a position no one wants to be in. Maybe, eventually, our society will realize that a strong economy and civilization lies within those who teach. Until then...

Mitch, if you want to fuck me you better buy me dinner.

Pogue's Run Grocer

Three things have come together to make me want to drive 25 minutes in city traffic to the east side of Indy to do my grocery shopping: 1. supporting local farmers and artisans, 2. making healthy foods available to low-income neighborhoods, and 3. decreasing childhood obesity. Pogue's Run Grocer is at 10th Street and Rural, which isn't where one would normally expect to find an organic, local grocer. In fact, aside from the Marathon station down the street, there really isn't any kind of grocer in the community.

I first heard of Pogue's as a dream some local foodies had for Indianapolis through the Indy Backyard Growers Network on Facebook. They talked about opining a coop grocery store in a low income area to provide healthy food options along with a community center for healthy living. Fortunately, they were able to bring together volunteers and enough loans to open a small grocery. The store is about 1000 square feet, with local and/or organic produce and groceries. Pogue's has a limited selection compared to other grocers, but you can tell that they have made a commitment to stock their shelves with local foods, and fill in the gaps with commercial brands. Last weekend I was looking to buy some local honey and met the beekeeper whose honey I was purchasing. Pretty cool, huh?

They also have a lunch counter where they serve sandwiches, soups, salads, and drinks. Their sandwiches are big and fresh and their soups and salads are made from scratch daily. Their food is reasonably priced, if not cheap. $5.00 for a sandwich. Add soup and drink for $1.00 more. They are sensitive to vegetarian and vegan eaters, which puts the cherry on top!

In addition to the lunch counter, they are holding classes for the community around healthy living. Next week they are offering a class on how to nurture plants from seeds and they plan to do some canning classes once fruits and vegetables are in season. What a great way to give the community the tools to eat more healthfully.

Since it is a coop, you can pay for a membership that allows you to be a decision making voice for the store. I haven't decided to become a member, so I can't elaborate on the details a membership to this coop would allow you. Most coops have meetings where issues are discussed and voted on, along with the opportunity to volunteer your time for discounts on groceries. You don't have to become a member, though. Anyone can shop their store, eat at the lunch counter and take classes.

Their prices for groceries are 'at cost', so they aren't making a profit on their groceries and the classes are all free. They are working to get not-for-profit status, but the IRS is giving them a hard time. As far as I know, they are still working on changing their tax status. This is one reason why they have had to take out loans, rather than getting grants. Once their status changes, they expect funding to come more easily.

It light of the recent conversations around the updated USDA Nutritional Guidelines, the Healthy, Hunger-free Kids Act, and the increased emphasis on decreasing childhood obesity, it will be important to see how Pogue's changes the east side community around their store. Federal and State funding is being cut to community outreach programs, which will make it harder for groups like Pogue's to be able to fulfill their mission. For low income families, it doesn't matter how many Guidelines are presented, if they don't have access to affordable, whole foods, they aren't going to be able to feed their families healthfully. Grocery stores move out of low income communities because they aren't profitable, and it leaves these families without choices. This is a void that can filled by local food producers and not-for-profit grocers. I'm excited that Indianapolis is working to create more healthful communities by increasing the availability of healthy food to low income neighborhoods, with a commitment to local food producers. I'm even more excited that I get to be a part of it :)