Dear Governor Reynolds

Dear Governor Reynolds,

Merry Christmas. What would a Friday before a big holiday in Iowa be without your office putting out news releases that you hope Iowans will ignore? This year you decided to share the news that Iowa would not be applying for a federal program that would bring in $29 million to feed approximately 240,000 children this summer. Some would call you cowardly for releasing this information late on a Friday before a holiday, but it’s kind of courageous right? You’re letting those kids and their families know before Christmas that it isn’t worth Iowa’s time to apply for resources to feed them. In your announcement you seem to imply the federal program didn’t do enough to fight childhood obesity. I find your premise that you prefer hungry young people to obese young people intriguing. Of course it’s on brand for you. 

I spent a good part of 2023 trying to articulate my thoughts on what you’re doing to public education in Iowa and I struggled. The amount of bad education legislation that you have signed is notable. It was particularly noteworthy as I sat through teacher inservice this fall and watched really smart people to try to make heads or tails out of the badly written laws that you and your legislative allies enacted. The legislation included vague language and no guidance from the Department of Education. None of Senate File 496 makes Iowa’s schools better. I actually feel guilty that I wasn’t more outspoken when you signed this legislation. At some level I was just tired. Tired of watching uninformed people call teachers “groomers”. Tired of the idea that teachers have a “sinister agenda”. But, as tired as we teachers are, the young people of Iowa deserve to know that teachers have their backs. Iowans deserve to know that teachers want to work with parents to support their children. The narrative that teachers want anything other than what is best for kids is insidious. I would trust Iowa’s young people with my colleagues any day over you and your legislative allies.

All of this is happening as you plan to “reassess” the work that Iowa’s Area Education Agencies do. While you are trying to tell Iowans that you simply want to study AEAs, you’ll forgive me if I don’t trust you. Your record of assaulting public education suggests that any chance you get to steer resources away from students who need it the most is more than enough to make all Iowans leery of your intentions. Iowa’s AEAs do important work for young people who need it the most. Much of their work happens in small rural districts where parents struggle to have access to the resources necessary to support their children. Iowa’s schools could not survive without the work of the AEAs. 

The crisis coming to Iowa’s public schools is very real. The shortage of teachers is real. Even large “destination” districts can’t fill their teaching positions. As you continue to write badly thought out legislation that does real damage to Iowa’s schools (OK, I get that the legislation is written by lobbyists from out of state, but you get what I mean), more and more teachers are leaving the profession. As a veteran educator (and by veteran, I mean old), it is difficult to watch smart young people leaving teaching. My parents moved to Iowa in 1972 because of Iowa’s commitment to public education. I am certain that they would not make that decision today. I’ve said this before, but as you make teaching in Iowa less attractive and actively attack my profession, where is the army of better qualified people willing to do this work? If you can point us to where there are people better equipped to teach in Iowa, please do it quickly. There’s work to be done and you’re spending your days attacking those of us willing to do it. 

On a brighter note, I see that many of your staff got massive raises this year year. Your office says these raises were an “important investment” in Iowa. Could I suggest that feeding hungry kids might be an important investment? Might I suggest that making sure our young people with special needs have access to critical services is an important investment. Would it be bold to suggest that making sure Iowa can attract smart young people into the teaching profession would be an important investment. It is said that how we spend our money reflects our priorities. What do you think it says that the staff in the governor’s office is getting massive salary increases while you refuse to accept money to feed hungry kids? 

Iowans spoke loudly this November when voters all over the state rejected candidates who align with your views on education. Iowans made it clear that they don’t want more of your agenda to permeate our public schools. Please listen to them. 

Sincerely,

Patrick J. Kearney

Dear Governor Reynolds

Dear Governor Reynolds,

I was interested to see the above Tweet a couple of days ago. There’s a lot to unpack there in that short little Tweet. I’m actually a little surprised that you didn’t throw in “woke,” “indoctrination,” or “CRT” into your message. That would have really gotten Ron and Don’s attention (which I assume is your primary objective).

Let’s start with your decision to call out “Teachers Unions.” First, let’s be clear, when you say “Teachers Unions” you mean teachers. Because that’s what “Teachers Unions” are, but for some reason it’s easier to attack those nasty unions. I’m not sure how you’re defining “Educational Freedom,” but I assure you that teachers are for freedom. We are for our student’s freedom to express themselves as they are. We are for the freedom to teach honestly and accurately. We are for the freedom for ALL students to have a place in our schools. We are for our student’s freedom to have access to a wide variety of resources. We are also for the freedom for students to feel safe in their classrooms.

You also suggest that teachers want to retain “power” from parents. Explain to me what “power” teachers want to take away from parents? Do you know what teachers want? Teachers want to collaborate with parents. Teachers want to engage with parents. Please Ms. Reynolds, tell me what “power” it is that you think teachers are trying to grab? It’s much like when you tell Iowans that Iowa’s schools are “failing,” but you don’t give any examples of “failing” schools. I suppose you’re suggesting that teachers shouldn’t be allowed to bargain for better working conditions, but you already took care of that by gutting our right to bargain with our school boards in 2017 (https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/politics/2017/02/16/amid-marathon-debate-iowa-legislature-barrels-towards-passage-collective-bargaining-bill/97984338/).

Why is it that you’ve turned education into an “Us vs. Them” proposition? Why is it important that you make teachers an enemy? I’ve been a teacher for 30 years, and it’s only in the last few years that people feel comfortable calling teachers “groomers” and telling us that we are “indoctrinating” students. I’m a 55 year old Middle School band director who writes a little blog about education and I get sent messages from strangers about being a pedophile and having a “sinister agenda.” Those messages don’t happen in a vacuum. People feel comfortable sending those messages because people like you have told them that teachers are the enemy.

Teachers in Iowa (and around the country) are fed up with being treated this way Ms. Reynolds. Many teachers are simply leaving the profession. Many of us are simply getting tired of being used as punching bags by politicians looking to score cheap political points. It is one thing to pass cookie-cutter legislation that is written by out of state lobbyists. It is one thing to send millions of tax payer dollars to private schools that aren’t held up to the same accountability as public schools. But, why is it that you have to make teachers the enemy in your fight to push public dollars to private schools?

Iowa is going to very soon face a teacher shortage crisis. Ask superintendents what it is like to fill open positions these days. It is getting harder and harder to fill teacher jobs (many jobs actually went unfilled throughout the state this year). Do you think that vilifying teachers makes Iowa a more attractive destination for young teachers? The looming crisis has been created by you and by those you enable.

You’re playing a dangerous game through your rhetoric Ms. Reynolds. Let’s plan on revisiting your “education reform” legislation in a couple of years. Let’s see how your rhetoric around “Teachers Unions” plays out. You’ve decided to make education in Iowa about competition. Competition between teachers and parents. Competition between public schools and private schools. You’re right about one thing, education is about students. Teachers will continue to show up for students day after day, even while their governor attacks them.

Do better Ms. Reynolds.

Sincerely,

Patrick J. Kearney

Teacher

Dear Sean (1968-2023)

Dear Sean,

It’s been a couple of weeks since we lost you and, if I’m being honest, I haven’t really taken the time to grieve. It’s a busy time of the year and I just haven’t had a chance to sit down and process what it means to lose my only brother.

You’d understand me when I tell you that it’s complicated. At our last lunch you were telling me, without telling me, that you knew things weren’t OK. I knew what you were telling me and we sort of danced around it. I suspect we both could have been more brave during that conversation. But, now you’re gone. The last person left who knew what it was like to grow up in those houses in Elm Creek, Goodland, Adair, Waupaca, Chicago, and Ames. Because we moved around so much when we were young, there were times when we just had each other. We didn’t have a secret language like some siblings seem to have, but we did have a deep understanding of each other. We knew how to push each other’s buttons, but we also knew when to give the other one some space, when to go out and throw a ball around, and when to make the other one laugh. We were lucky to have each other. You shaped my childhood by sharing so many experiences together.

I’ve been comforted by looking at posts and pictures on Facebook over the last couple of weeks. Seeing pictures of you, John, and Tami traveling in recent years makes me smile. We surely got our love for travel in our younger years. It wasn’t until later in life that I realized that not everyone flew on private jets to stay in luxury hotels for their vacations. We learned how to travel first class and we enjoyed it. I have memories of you and me dressing us as an old man and woman for a costume contest on a cruise ship. I remember sneaking out of our hotel room in New York City to go sit in the lobby and listen to the piano player. I remember Dad taking us to areas of Washington D.C. and Chicago that were facing the types of economic challenges that we didn’t see in Ames, Iowa. We saw a lot of the world together.

I’ve also been blessed by people sending me pictures of you at various stages in your life. I have to say that “high school Sean” was probably peak Sean. During high school you and I traveled in the same circle, but at a little distance. You were willing to be a little quirky, you were passionate about a lot of things, and you brought out the best in a lot of people. Meeting our high school drama teacher Wayne “Hank” Hansen surely changed your life. Hank showed us how magical theater could be and you were hooked. Every time I attended a show that you designed or directed I could see pieces of Hank in the work you did. You had a gift when it came to seeing a blank stage and turning it into a unique playground for the characters in your shows.

As we got older we found the bond that really connected us in our later years, and that was teaching. You were a great teacher and I loved talking teaching with you. You were always looking for ways to get your students to dig a little deeper than they wanted to. To a lot of young people, you were their “Hank”.

That’s what is tough for me right now, Sean. I don’t think you knew how many people truly loved you. You had a soft heart. You didn’t necessarily go looking for people to help, but people who needed help seemed to find you. You became a caregiver when I’m not sure that’s really what you had envisioned for yourself. But, I think it filled a hole in your heart. People really did love you Sean, I wish I could have convinced you of that.

I told Cathy the other day that it’s hard to believe that I’m the only one left from our happy little four person family. I’m the only one left to remember Mom and Dad giving us champagne to drink at family dinners (along with fudge pops) when we were 8 or 9 years old. I’m the only one who will remember Mom cursing at Iowa State players missing free throws at the end of a critical Big 8 game at Hilton. There are lots of memories like those.

I miss you Sean. I talk to lots of friends about their adult relationships with their siblings and everyone is so different. Regrets, I have a few, but then again, too few to mention. We would go weeks and weeks without hearing from each other, but then would fall immediately into our relationship like a comfortable slipper. So much we didn’t have to say, but probably should have. I miss you Sean. I wish I had been a little more brave at the end. You never had to be anything other than my kid brother with a warm heart and a kind smile. I love you Boog.

Sincerely,

Pat

Governor Reynolds, Do You Remember Dave Twombley?

Dear Governor Reynolds,

I’ve been thinking about my friend Dave Twombley a lot lately. I’m pretty sure you knew Dave as the middle school band director at Clarke Middle School in your hometown of Osceola for many years. He was one of those old school master band directors who could play every instrument like a pro and knew every trick in the book to teach them. He inspired his students and his colleagues. He was the definition of a gentleman.

When he retired from teaching Dave devoted himself to his passions. He still made music (playing in a variety of bands and singing in the Des Moines Gay Men’s Chorus), he loved cars (Cadillacs specifically), he was a pilot, and he loved running. Dave became a little famous when he and his partner, Larry Hoch, were one of the plaintiff couples in Varnum v. Brien, the Iowa Supreme Court case that brought same-sex marriage to the state. Dave was a hero who passed away in 2019.

I don’t remember when I met Dave, but I’m sure it was through our good friend Brad. As the years went by I enjoyed the chances Dave and I had to get together and have lunch and talk about the issues of the day and gossip about the world of Iowa band directors. Mostly though I remember Dave as a personal cheerleader. When I started blogging, I was lucky if 20 or 30 people read what I wrote. Dave was one of those 20 or 30, and he’s always leave a comment encouraging me to continue to use my voice. It meant a lot to me as I wasn’t sure any cared about what I was saying.

Over the last few weeks I’ve thought of Dave a lot. He was passionate about public education. He knew that public education was the great equalizer. Young people at Clarke Middle School who worked with Mr. Twombley were lifted by his enthusiasm, comforted by his care for them, challenged by his desire for excellence, and made better by his decency and kindness. I’ve also thought of Dave as I’ve watched Iowa’s legislature push through a series of legislation targeting our LGBTQ+ community here in Iowa. Dave was a courageous trailblazer for equality in Iowa and I’m confident that he would be horrified by what is going on in Iowa right now.

I have a question for you Ms. Reynolds, would you be able to look in Dave’s eyes as you sign this legislation? Would you be comfortable with people calling Dave a groomer? Would you be comfortable with people accusing Dave of having a “sinister agenda”? As you copy and paste legislation that is written by dark money conservative operations from anywhere but Iowa, would you be able to look him in the eyes and tell him it was good for everyone in our state?

I remember my joy in 2009 when Iowa became the third state in the country to allow gay marriage. I remember my joy when my friend Dave was able to get married. I remember my joy when I would write something and Dave would tell me to “keep speaking truth to power.” Dave Twombley was a man that brought a lot of joy into the world. That can’t be said about everyone can it Ms. Reynolds? Dave didn’t spend his life tearing things down, he spent his lifetime building things. He built up young people, he built band programs, he made music, and he courageously helped to make it possible for people who love each other to be able to be married. Iowa was better with Dave in it.

Dave’s only been gone for a couple of years, but Iowa has changed a lot in that time. You and your colleagues at the statehouse are making the job that Dave did so well for so many years harder. You’re also making Iowa less welcoming for the people that Dave fought for. All Dave wanted was to be treated fairly and equally. In 2009 Iowa became leader in creating a welcoming home for everyone thanks to Dave’s courage. Today, there seems to be no bottom as to how we will treat the same people that Dave fought so bravely for.

Today I’m going to give myself permission to believe that, if he were still around, Dave would leave a little note for me saying, “Thanks, Pat: I could not agree more with your analysis of the mess that is currently our legislature and our governor. I would love to see any of these people in a classroom for about 15 minutes, I wonder how they would handle things. Keep up the good work.” That’s a note he sent me eight years ago and I’d love to believe that he’d sent it again if he could.

Iowa needs to be a place where people like Dave Twombley feel safe, comfortable, and are able to thrive as they work to create a better Iowa.

Sincerely,

Patrick J. Kearney

Iowan

More About Dave Twombley: https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/2018/12/06/david-twombley-dead-same-sex-marriage-iowa-gay-marriage-iowa-supreme-court-varnum-v-brien/2233581002/

Dear Iowa

Dear Iowa,

It was 1971 when my parents decided to move to Iowa. They were from Minnesota and Nebraska respectively, they met in Colorado, and they were living in Kansas at the time. They wanted to raise a family in a state that valued education and so they chose Iowa. It wasn’t really a difficult decision. Education wasn’t a partisan issue in Iowa at that time. Republican governor Robert Ray revamped and expanded funding for public schools during his tenure and even demanded that Iowa’s public employees (including teachers) be treated better through legislation known as Chapter 20. My parents, a successful banker and a first grade teacher, would never make that same move today.

Iowa would now be unrecognizable to my parents. Education is, without a doubt, the most partisan issue in the state. Iowans clearly have no interest in being a leader in public education. We are at the front end of a teacher shortage that will be devastating to our schools. Don’t believe me? Ask an actual teacher what current and coming turnover in their buildings looks like. Go ahead, ask them.

Actually, that’s a pretty good idea Iowa. Talk to a teacher. Instead of reading Facebook pages where you read lies about litter boxes, teachers reading pornography to 2nd graders, the fear of the letters CRT (which most couldn’t define if you spot them the C and the R), that teachers are “grooming” young people, or that the real problem in education is “woke” teachers. Instead of reading made up stories on social media, talk to actual teachers. Teachers will tell you that the work is hard right now. Class sizes are growing, students are coming into our rooms with more diverse needs than ever before, and resources are scarce. Add to those concerns, a large segment of our state seems to believe that teachers are dangerous psychopaths who hate America and want to brainwash children. Talk to a teacher. I want my students to come to my room calmly, listen when I give instructions, and play better in tune. I want them to get better a little bit each day. There’s more to it than that, but I’d take that as a start.

Talk to a teacher. Education in Iowa is in trouble and nothing that the governor or our current legislature is doing is going to make it better. I’ll make you all a deal. Bookmark this blog. Check back in two, three, or four years. If the governor’s current plan for millions of dollars in vouchers to private schools with no accountability, legislation that is hateful to our LGBTQ kids, legislation that forbids conversations around “divisive topics”, and banning books that the “Parents for a Rooty-Tooty America” find offensive pays off and Iowa’s schools are better off, I’ll apologize for everything negative I’ve said about our governor. Heck, I’ll write a check to her campaign for whatever she’s running for at that point.

The reality is that teachers in Iowa are doing all that they can to keep their chins up. But, it’s getting harder. Iowa’s legislators are actively making it harder to do the work necessary to help ALL young people. A local legislator posted a tweet recently where he said he had just met with teachers and that they were “encouraged” by Republican legislation. Fittingly he was standing alone in an empty parking lot. I’d love to see him name a public educator who is “encouraged” by what is happening at the statehouse. Teachers aren’t “encouraged” right now. Lying about it isn’t going to make it come true.

I’m begging Iowans to talk to teachers right now. Honestly, it might be too late. I keep assuming that conservatives have a plan for what will happen when no one wants to do this work anymore in our state. I keep thinking that maybe there’s an army of conservatives who want to actually do the work of public education instead of just beating up on it. But, as I look around, I don’t see that happening.

So, here we are Iowa. You haven’t listened to teachers in a long time. This may be your last chance to hear our voices and partner with us as we try to return to a time when Iowa could be proud of our public schools. We want to return to a time when Iowans from the entire political spectrum realized that strong public schools are good for everyone.

Sincerely,

Patrick J. Kearney

Teacher

Dear Governor Reynolds

Dear Governor Reynolds,

Congratulations on the start of your new term as governor of Iowa. It was quite a campaign wasn’t it? My favorite part was when you brought in Marjorie Taylor Greene, the Pillow Guy, and Mr. Trump to talk about stolen elections, the attack on Paul Pelosi, and probably space lasers (I didn’t pay that much attention). If Iowans needed to be reminded that you are more interested in your national profile than the interests of Iowans, there it was. But hey, you won, so congratulations.

As I do every year, I watched your State of the State speech to hear what we are in for during this legislative session. I expected to hear all about your plan to send public dollars to private schools, which you certainly did, but you did more. Early in the speech you decided to try to tell Iowans that public employee relations have improved since you and your colleagues gutted collective bargaining in 2017. It’s a lie of course, and I challenge you to produce a single public employee who will tell you that they are better off since you stripped away our ability to bargain for things that make our lives better and make our workplaces better. Produce a single public employee who thinks the legislation you passed in the middle of the night in 2017 has improved working conditions. Iowa is on the verge of a teacher shortage unlike anything we have ever seen, and you stand up there and try to sell that the gutting of Chapter 20 has made conditions better. The looming teacher shortage and the crisis that will come along with it are on you.

But of course you were saving the best for last. You proposed that Iowa students who go to private schools will get to hand that school a big publicly funded voucher. That voucher will come with no strings. Those public tax dollars will go to religious education. The schools receiving those funds won’t be subject to the same guidelines and oversight as public schools. The private schools receiving public funding can turn away students for any reason. There will be no accountability for how private schools spend those public dollars.

Of course you know this Ms. Reynolds, but Iowans don’t want vouchers. Poll after poll has shown that.

2021 Poll

2022 Poll

So, who does want vouchers? I thought this picture of a curiously well-funded Betsy DeVos sycophant in a tuxedo tells more than a thousand words.

Since some of your previous education advisors have been running around in leotards at school board meetings and having some legal trouble, it seems that the guy in the tuxedo has had a lot of influence on your education proposals. Can you tell me if any of the following statement is false? Polls show that Iowans don’t want vouchers, but Betsy DeVos and her tuxedo wearing lackeys do want vouchers. That about covers it right?

Here is the kicker though Ms. Reynolds. What is all of this going to cost Iowans? At a time when you’re going to cut taxes for the wealthiest Iowans even more (replicating the failed Kansas Experiment, the Betsy DeVos voucher plan is going to cost Iowans over $340,000,000 a year. Interestingly, proponents of vouchers don’t seem to want Iowans to know the cost, as they are asking that these bills not go through normal channels.

Why wouldn’t you want Iowans to know the financial impact of your voucher plan governor? Don’t we have the right to know?

At the end of the day, it is clear that you’re willing to sell out Iowans (particularly rural Iowans who have no access to private schools but will be funding wealthy suburban families to attend private schools) in order to do the bidding of people from out of state who show up in Iowa wearing tuxedos in order to get their snouts in the trough that you’re setting up for them.

I suppose this shouldn’t be shocking in an era where there are Iowa legislators promoting the idea that schools have litter boxes laid out for students. We live in an era where conservative leaders call teachers “groomers”. Iowans are being told to be worried about CRT in our K-12 classrooms by people who couldn’t define CRT if you spotted them the C and the R. Ms. Reynolds, you yourself regularly talk about “failing schools” and yet you never define what a failing school would be or name a school that you believe is failing. You and your party have allowed public schools to come under attack through unrelenting misinformation and done it while under funding them.

I suppose it’s now just a matter of when you will enact this legislation and we can all sit back and wait and see the result. If I were a gambling man I’d make a few bets with you. I would bet you that this legislation leads to numerous rural schools being closed. I’d bet you that very few of the students you say need to get out of their public schools will be able to afford the extra expenses charged in order to be able to go to a private school (even if they have access to one). I’ll bet you that we will be reading about stories of private schools mismanaging this public money within a year of this legislation being enacted. I’ll also bet you that Iowa will see the exact same results as every other state which has enacted similar legislation, which is to say no notable gains in student learning.

No one will believe me when I say this, but I hope you turn out to be right. I hope that this plan leads to better options for every student in Iowa. I became a teacher because I want to see students succeed. The problem is that, as a teacher, I study history, I can read research, and I can anticipate outcomes based on what I see happening all around me. But, let’s at least agree that guys from out of state who like to wear tuxedos are going to do pretty well when this is all over!

Sincerely,

Patrick Kearney, Iowa Teacher

Dear Marjorie Taylor Greene

Dear Ms. Taylor-Greene,

I wasn’t familiar with you until you showed up in Iowa recently. You were invited by Governor Reynolds and Senator Grassley to rally for them before the election. It seemed strange that Ms. Reynolds and Mr. Grassley had invited a Georgia congressperson to speak at their rally, but I assumed that you must be a prominent leader in the Republican party. A quick Google search led to headlines of “space lasers” and so I assumed that you must be a notable scientist or something along those lines. Further investigation made it clear that you weren’t a scientist. It became clear that you’re, well, you’re a lot.

The space laser thing is kind of funny, but not really. It’s anti-Semitic and frankly whack-a-doodle crazy. After reading about your belief in Jewish space lasers I decided to dig a little deeper. Again, I was curious why Governor Reynolds and Senator Grassley decided to invite you to Iowa to make a case for their campaigns. Clearly they believe that you represent an important voice in the Republican party.

I’m a teacher, so I was curious about your views on education. And again your views are, well, your views are special. My research immediately discovered that you’re one of those nutjobs who likes to talk about schools having litter boxes. Much like the space laser thing, it’s easy to laugh at this stuff, but it’s actually dangerous. It’s dangerous because it’s obvious that you frequent the cesspools that are the Facebook pages of groups like “Parents for a Rooty Tooty Yesterday” who traffic this nonsense. It’s dangerous because this misinformation is being used to scare uninformed people about what is happening in our schools. When a congressperson gets up and spews this gibberish, people take it seriously. It’s also a lie that is built around hatred for vulnerable young people.

Further investigation of your views on education were found when I saw this observation you made, “kids in college are being brainwashed to become teachers to train kids that they can change their gender.” There’s so much wrong with that statement that it’s hard to know where to begin, but it’s obviously said by someone who has not spent any time in school of education or around any teachers. I have lots of thoughts about how universities train teachers, but there isn’t any “brainwashing” going on. We need to celebrate young men and women who choose to go into education right now. They are too smart, too dedicated, and too strong to be “brainwashed”.

I don’t have enough space on this page or time to go through all of the lies that you spread about schools, teachers, and young people. Here’s the thing, it should be easy to ignore you, but supposedly serious people like Kim Reynolds and Chuck Grassley choose to stand side by side with people like you and the Pillow Guy (who was also at the Iowa rally) and so they give you credibility. You are clearly an important voice in the Republican party. That being said, you’re crazy-go-bananas. In a world where we need to have important conversations about public schools, Ms. Reynolds and Mr. Grassley chose to bring you to Iowa. The current legislative session in Iowa is going to be all about the future of Iowa’s public schools and we need serious people to have those conversations, instead the governor chose to bring you. In many ways that says all we need to know about how serious she is about public schools and the important conversations we should be having.

I’d love to ask you to spend some time with public school teachers and especially with the young people who are going into education, but I am sure that would be useless. I spend a lot of time with teachers and they’re smart, caring, dedicated, and tough as nails. But, I also get to spend a fair amount of time with those kids you think are being “brainwashed”. Let me tell you, those young people are amazing. In a world where people with bad intentions are vilifying teachers and public schools, they are choosing to make a difference. In a world where crazy people are talking about litter boxes, these young people are talking about pedagogy, they are talking about differentiation, they are talking about inclusion, and they are talking about setting high standards for ALL students. I’d ask you to spend time with us, but I know it won’t matter. If you’re able to spread lies about space lasers and litter boxes, I suspect conversations about real pedagogical issues is a little out of your reach.

Iowans need to have a serious conversation about education. That conversation should be held with educators, parents, community leaders, and especially with students. Those conversations should start in our communities and then move to the statehouse. The conversations should center on how to make sure schools are welcoming and meaningful to ALL students. We don’t need Georgia Qongresspeople or guys from Washington D.C. named Corey setting the agenda.

Iowans are perfectly capable of having these conversations without you Ms. Taylor-Greene, so with all due respect, take your space lasers, your litter boxes, and focus on the good people of Georgia. We here in Iowa could do without your lies and conspiracies.

Sincerely,

Patrick J. Kearney

Dear Governor Reynolds

Dear Governor Reynolds,

I see that you had a rally in Sioux City last week. It looks like there was a pretty decent sized crowd. There were some interesting speakers at the rally as well. I assume you were excited to share the stage with Marjorie Taylor Greene. There’s nothing like having mainstream Republican leaders coming to Iowa to support your campaign.

Also in attendance at the rally (apparently speaking to people on a stage at the rally site) was a guy named Mike Lindell. Do you know him well? I looked up Mike Lindell on the interwebs and found out that he’s spent a lot of time and money claiming that the 2020 election was a sham. Interestingly he has been saying some other things lately.

Mr. Lindell says that he has cameras and people in “every county” and that he has “cyber guys” who are able to look inside voting machines. It made me curious, since he seemed to be a welcomed presence at your rally, if you are concerned that a pillow salesman has access to Iowa’s voting machines. Or, maybe he’s a liar. I guess my question to you is this, would you be willing to tell Iowans that the guy who you rallied with this week is a liar? I mean, he’s either a liar, or his “cyber guys” actually have access to Iowa’s voting machines. Seems like a big deal if he’s able to look our voting machines right?

For some reason there’s a quote my grandma used to say that has come to mind recently. She used to say that if you lie down with dogs you wake up with fleas. I’m not sure why that has been running through my head as I watched clips of your Sioux City rally. Oh well, just curious if you had any thoughts on the pillow guy. Anywho, I hope you gave Ms. Taylor-Greene a nice Iowa welqome. Lastly, be sure to say hello to the Q-Amoms, I hear they’re going through some stuff.

Sincerely,

Patrick J. Kearney

Iowan

Dear Voters

If you weren’t aware, I’m a teacher. I’ve been a teacher for over 30 years. I have taught in big schools, small schools, urban schools, rural schools, and suburban schools. I’ve taught thousands of students, won awards, and served in a variety of leadership positions in my profession. What I’m going to say next, I say without any sense of hyperbole; teaching is harder now than it has been at any time in the last 30 years. The last two and half years have presented schools, students, and teachers with unimaginable challenges. With each new challenge everyone has done their best to meet the needs of every student.

As we face an election in less than two weeks I want to share a couple of thoughts with voters. First, this election is important. It is obvious that our country is more divided than at any time in my memory. I was going to start my next sentence to say “for better or for worse, that divide has an impact on our schools.” I looked at that sentence and realized it was wrong. The political divide in our country is bad for our schools. The results of this election will have a long term impact on public schools in our country. Whether it is how legislators deal with vouchers, book banning, teacher licensing, funding, or regulating curriculum, the next two years will play a large role in determining the future of public education.

If you were to get your information about public education from a particular segment of the media (a notably large segment) you would believe the following about public schools.

• There are litter boxes in the restrooms for students identifying as cats
• Schools are indoctrinating students through the teaching of CRT
• Teachers are “grooming” students in massive numbers
• School libraries are filled with pornography

This is just a small sampling of what a sizable number of politicians and people in the “media” want you to believe about public schools. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out what their goal is. There are politicians, legislators, and “media” members who want to scare people about what is happening in our public schools. Rather than focus on things that are actually happening, they are creating outrage by inventing a narrative based on lies. Sadly, it’s working. You know how I know it’s working? No matter how much schools or people with actual knowledge refute this ridiculousness, it is perpetuated. Take the cat litter thing for instance. It’s not happening. There is no evidence it is happening, and yet Republican politicians continue to say it as it is fact months after it started appearing on the Facebook pages of lunatics. (In the last 24 hours, since I posted this letter, CNN has reported that the Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in New Hampshire has told this lie multiple times).

While the cat litter thing seems kind of silly (although the perpetuation of it is rooted in hate), it is just a piece of the attack on public schools and teachers in particular. In my local school district, the president of the Iowa Senate showed up to threaten to throw teacher in jails for teaching school board approved curriculum. While the senator described his desire to jail teachers for doing their jobs, other local politicians stood like cowards and nodded their heads. Not only have Iowa legislators proposed laws that threaten teachers, they have actually passed legislation that forbids teachers from teaching “divisive concepts“.

So, what’s the point? The point is that there are a lot of non-serious people trying to scare voters right now. We live in a world where Iowa’s governor receives advice on education from a woman who shows up to school board meetings and strips down to a leotard in a little skit to make a point about…something. That same “activist” has recently been arrested for filing false reports to the Department of Human Services. So yeah, that’s who is on the governor’s speed dial. These aren’t serious people, but they are serious about destroying public education.

There is a large group of people (none of whom are educators) trying to scare you about what they say is happening in public schools. I would suggest you listen to actual educators about what is happening. First, they would tell you how hard everyone is trying to do what is best for young people. Every day teachers are showing up and making hundreds of decisions about how to meet the needs of their unique students. Teachers are studying data, collaborating with colleagues, and most importantly working directly with students to make the best possible decisions about their learning.

There are things to fear when it comes to public schools. Voters should be afraid that the current trend of attacking and threatening teachers and public schools will lead to massive teacher shortages. Voters should be afraid that continuing to fund schools at a rate that doesn’t keep up with the increased costs they face will lead to programs being cut and more schools being closed. Voters should be afraid that laws to restrict what can be taught in our schools will lead to teachers take the easy route and simply ask students to do less critical thinking, be less creative, and take fewer intellectual risks. Voters should be afraid that large numbers of students will no longer feel safe in one of the places they should feel the most safe.

I’m asking you, as voters, to vote for serious people. I’m begging you to avoid believing silliness. I’m asking you to listen to professionals who are actually doing the work and are telling you what our schools need. Because, unless the governor, the president of the Iowa senate, and the leotard lady have an army of people ready to take over the jobs that me and my colleagues are currently showing up every day to do, we really will have a crisis.

Sincerely,

Patrick J. Kearney

Teacher

Dear Teachers

Dear Teachers,

I hope everyone has had a great summer. If you are like me, last year was difficult. I struggled to pinpoint exactly what made last year so challenging, but by the end of the school year last year, I was so very tired. This summer has been a chance to recharge my batteries a little bit. I’ve taken a couple of great courses in order to build some new skills and I’ve been reading a lot of articles and listening to a lot of podcasts about teaching and learning. I’m coming into this school year ready to give my students the best that I’ve got to give.

That’s the thing, all of us are going to give the students who show up in our classrooms the best we have. This time of year is a great example of giving what we have. School doesn’t officially start for me for another couple of weeks, but I can promise you that the school is abuzz with teachers in their rooms setting up chairs and tables, checking out class rosters, filling their rooms with supplies (many of which they buy themselves), and they are focusing on their incoming students. In talking to my colleagues I can tell you that early August brings a sense of anticipation and excitement for teachers, but also a sense of anxiety and doubt. We’re excited about the prospect of hundreds of new faces showing up in our classrooms, but we also recognize that each year brings challenges that are out of our control. I spend a lot of time trying to fight off my anxiety as I do my best to be ready for things that I control.

In the midst of the energy and excitement of schools getting ready to open, there is a Bizarro World that exists mostly in the world of the right-wing media. In that Bizarro World teachers are bad people trying to indoctrinate our students. It’s unclear exactly what we are trying to indoctrinate them into, but it involves doing CRT to them, putting litter boxes in bathrooms, spending a lot of time trying to get them to change their pronouns, and grooming, oh so much grooming. Sadly, the Bizarro World does sometimes intersect with the real world. The intersection typically occurs in legislatures filled with people who don’t have the first idea of what is actually happening in real classrooms. In Nebraska, super smart legislator Bruce Bostelman went to the floor of the Nebraska statehouse to demand that schools explain why they were providing litter boxes to students who identified as dogs and cats. Super smart legislator guy had done his own research on Facebook and demanded answers from school leaders. School leaders met with the super smart legislator and told him it wasn’t true. None of it. It was completely made up. So, no big deal right? Super smart legislators get things wrong sometimes. Well, a month later, a genius level Iowa legislator named Tim Kraayenbrink told his constituents that “they” were requiring schools to put kitty litter boxes in the bathroom, and that it was happening in Iowa ON A REGULAR BASIS, but no one knows about it because the media doesn’t cover it. Much like the super smart Nebraska legislator, the genius Iowa legislator was just making it all up in order to stir up a room full of uninformed voters who trusted him for some reason.

It’s funny right? Those silly conservatives are just makin’ stuff up to rile up their voters; God love ’em. But here’s the thing…that’s the narrative (along with the lie that CRT is being taught in our classrooms, the idea that teachers are coaching kids to change genders, that schools are regularly hosting drag shows during story hour, the myth that parents can’t get access to classroom materials, and so much more) that leads right wing activists to bring legislators into our districts and threaten to lock up teachers. These insane narratives lead legislators to propose legislation to put cameras in all of our classrooms (I’m on record as being fine with it…the intonation issues my band sometimes encounters would make for good television), it leads to legislation that would restrict student access to materials that these super intelligent legislators deem as too controversial, and maybe most notably these narratives lead to legislators shifting money from public schools (where kids are using litter boxes in Bizarro World) to private for-profit schools where, one would assume, there aren’t litter boxes. Actually, Iowa just announced that they would send $1,000,000 of our tax dollars to a small private school that was failing. This is months after the legislature made it clear that times are tough and public schools were given an increase in funding that did not keep up with the fixed costs that they face (even though Iowa has a surplus of over $1.2 BILLION).

So my teacher friends, what does this mean to all of us? First, we all know that this unprecedented attack on our profession is leading to a shortage of people to fill teaching jobs. To be clear, There isn’t a shortage of teachers, there is a shortage of teachers who are willing to take jobs in this climate. The shortage of people to fill these jobs makes our jobs harder. Bigger class sizes, more coverage from us for classes that would otherwise go uncovered, and resources stretched thinner and thinner. I wish I had answers that would be helpful as we get ready for the year.

But, let me share this. Your best is good enough. If you’re doing what is best for your students when they’re in your room, you’re doing it right. It’s OK for you to go home without a bag full of work sometimes. Don’t base your value on what the teacher next door is or isn’t doing. Young teachers, check in on the veterans in your building to see how we’re doing. Veteran teachers, check in on the young teachers in your building to make sure they’re doing OK. Lastly, to all teachers, don’t be afraid to share the truth about our public schools. The truth is that our public schools aren’t perfect, but I’ll tell you what, the truth of our public schools is that young people show up every day and an army of professionals (teachers, custodians, secretaries, associates, administrators, lunchroom staff, bus drivers and so many more) meet them at the door and we do our best to make them safe, help them build confidence, help them to become critical thinkers, strong communicators, creators, and to be flexible as they face a rapidly changing world. Our willingness to share the real narrative is critical in fighting the Bizarro World narrative that exists in the ever growing right wing media universe.

I hope everyone gets one last chance to take a deep breath before the young people show up in the coming days. I am proud to be a teacher because the people I work with are smart, talented, dedicated, and have big hearts. Thank you for all that you do and keep telling our story!

Sincerely,

Patrick J. Kearney

Your Colleague