My Letter to the Editor

The following is a letter I wrote to the editor of the UFT's newspaper, New York Teacher. The editor's email address is: nytletters@uft.org in the event that you'd like write your own letter. The submission has to be a maximum of 250 words and have a name, address and telephone number attached to be considered for submission in their paper. I've deleted mine from this post for obvious reasons.

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

-----Original Message-----
From: gandersonflete@gmail.com
Date: Thu, 6 May 2010 18:14:37
To: <nytletters@uft.org>
Subject: UFT radio commercial

Dear Editor:

I am dismayed by tactics that the UFT has employed, as of late, in terms of the slander campaign aimed at public charter schools. A radio commercial aired on an urban music radio station this morning was, unfortunately, the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back and encouraged me to send this letter. This commercial hooked me by playing on my general interest in children and specific concern for NY's ailing school system. It began by speaking of overcrowded classrooms, cuts in funding and teacher layoffs. The commercial then took a left turn and began to rail against public charters insisting that they were to blame for the ills of the city's educational system.

I am the parent of two Harlem Success Charter scholars and am outraged that the UFT continues to pit traditional public schools against public charter schools. I have no fight with traditional public schools or parents who send their children to them. My decision to go charter came about as a result of my children's unfortunate zip code which tethers them to a failing zone school.

I wish that all traditional public schools were able to provide an environment where all children are afforded the opportunity to receive an excellent, free education; however, that is not the case at this time. I respectfully ask that you pull the radio commercial and stop playing political games with the lives of the youngest and most vulnerable members of our citizenry. Stop making excuses and placing blame. NY traditional public schools have failed a large number of our children for generations. Do our grade schoolers have even one more year to wait for a real change? I say NO... parent choice now!

Gloria Anderson-Flete

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry