Interesting Conversation with Public School Teacher

As the saying goes, never discuss religion, politics, or money. I, like most people, have my own beliefs about how I think the world should work but I do not always want to share it with others. One reason is that I do not want to have a heated debate with a friend or family member that ends in fighting, anger, or resentment. Secondly, I do not think I need to defend my stances to anyone except myself. I feel one way and that is that. While I think some causes are worth the casual conversation, I like to be careful who I say certain things around. This past weekend, a friend of mine who happens to teach in Kansas City's public school system, brought up school choice. Through my experiences, most public school teachers either do not like choice or the unions have brainwashed them...either way, I was a little leery of the conversation about to take part.
To my surprise, as a mother and a teacher, she thought not having choice was one of the worst ideas she had known. As a mother, she could not fathom the idea of having to send her child to the public school she would be sent to. So, she has decided to send her daughter to the private school nearby. It is expensive...$15,000/year and that's only for Kindergarten...the price goes up after that. Now, they are faced with less money for anything else...yet worth it. But what happens when they have their second child? As a teacher, she knows most of her fellow colleges do not feel the same way. When I asked why that is, she said they don't want to face the competition and actually have to work harder and be accountable for the children's failures. That was shocking to me...I felt like I was sneaking around in some sort of secret club, gaining access to the real reasoning behind the anti-choice movement. Her boss had mentioned various reasons why choice is bad, and naturally, only referred to it as vouchers. According to Missouri's constitution, actual vouchers are illegal. The more I hear against choice, the more I realize the opponents have no idea what they are talking about.
At least I can sleep better at night knowing the all powerful teachers unions have not taken over the minds of all teachers. Now if only we could unite teacher for choice...