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Stossel vs. the unions, part XIV (or: they blinked)

In the ongoing PR slapfest between John Stossel and the AFT, he took the union up on their challenge to spend a week teaching in the Big Apple.  NYC Educator was characteristically furious:

First of all, by allowing him to take responsibility for real kids, it’s implicit that teachers need no qualifications or preparation.

Anyone can do this job. It’s a lark.

Right there she’s demeaning our profession.

Furthermore, if Randi (Weingarten, UFT president) thinks Stossel is doing this for any other motive than to prepare yet another hatchet job, she’s laboring under a terrific misconception. Stossel’s got free reign on ABC to spout whatever nonsense strikes his fancy.

Expect to read his column in the NY Sun describing the week as a walk in the park, vilifying teachers, criticizing public schools as inadequate, and renewing his call for vouchers. Expect well-edited film footage calculated to prove the points he’s already decided upon.

I’ve seen Randi Weingarten speak, and always thought she was very smart. But she’s dealing with someone with a clear and pronounced agenda, tremendous access to mass media, and she ought to know better.

As it turns out, NYC Educator didn’t have to be quite so worried: the deal fell through.  Long story short: talks, negotiations, and the union hand-picking a school for Stossel to teach at went on for weeks, until…

Finally, four days before what was supposed to be my first day of class, they canceled. Officially, "they" were the public school administrators who said it might be "disruptive" and that it might "set a precedent" that would open their doors to other reporters.

Too bad. Letting cameras into schools would be a good thing. Taxpayers might finally get to see how more than $200,000 per classroom of their money was being spent.

I wonder why the union even made the challenge. I suspect the UFT didn’t expect me to say yes. When I turned out not to be easily intimidated, the teachers’ union and the government school monopoly folded. Perhaps there’s a lesson there.

But I wasn’t trying to call a bluff. I wanted to accept an invitation. I’d like 20/20’s cameras to see me struggle to be a good teacher.

I wonder what else our cameras might see.

Look.  We can understand (but don’t necessarily agree with) the sentiments expressed by the blogger above, that trying to take Stossel on publicly would do more harm than good.  But Randi Weingarten should have had all her ducks in a row before flipping Stossel that offer.  Given the way this all just sort of fell apart, it’s kind of obvious she was either bluffing or shooting from the hip.