Mary, your article is balanced with quotes from both sides of the argument and contains precious little in the way of opinion. You are perilously close to committing journalism, an unacceptable standard at the Decatur Daily. If you are not careful, you could earn public trust and, dare I say it, respect. Panic in the editorial boardroom! How did this slip into print?!!!

Poor small minded Otis. He cant make it as a writer so he sets in his underwear early mornings and bitches about other peoples.

Bubba says Little O is special

"Bubba," of all of your qualities, it is your depth I most admire.

Teachers love the AEA....they look at it like the N. Koreans view their great leader. It suppose to protect them for harm, but at the same time it is in total control of their careers. They do what is expected of them through the AEA and the AES will protect them. I can see both sides of this. It is like having a bodyguard, but that bodyguard gets to dicatate all of your career moves. The AEA has grown into a lobby giant and dicatates way too much. It is also sometimes crawls into bed with gov't while at the same time preachers the evils of it. There are great educators out there that would be able to teach and mold little minds if given more freedom to do so. Teachers are caught between a rock and a hard place. They would like to "individually" teach, but cannot because of restrictions like material that HAS to be covered and time. Testing scores for the states benefit, have become a black looming cloud that hangs over their heads. How could you enjoy your work and put your 100% in when that hangs over your heard? Also, when our teachers have to deal with .... no child left behind and they have been given children that have a hard time (whether it is a language barrier or just a I.Q. issue) Then how can you produce high enough test scores to suit the states views? The entire system needs to take no child left behind and throw it out the window and start giving teachers more say so. Who knows better than how things should be handled and what needs to be taught than a teacher?

That is why parents seek other means of educating their children. They want the gov't and unions like AEA not to dictate every aspect of their childs education. Freedom is at the core of this bill. I am sure the legislature has piled more into it

than we all realize, but freedom is what attracts people to support this bill.

A thoughtful comment, thank you for sharing, RONALD R.

Freedom is not why representatives supported this bill. Most of them have students in private schools, so this is a way of getting tax deductions for themselves. I have voted Republican since I was old enough to vote, but this is an embarrasment to all of us for them to promote the bill as of way to "help children" in public school. Maybe they should put their kids back into public schools and work within that school to improve conditions. Test scores would probably go up and the schools would not be on "failing lists."

Test scores would rise, it is learning that would suffer. Republican? Yes, of course you are.

And what does Obama and the union leader of AEA have in common Rhonda? They are democrats and their kids went to private schools.

Name the republicans who voted for the Education Bill to get a tax break.

The AEA is a UNION. Enough said. They care about protecting their pocketbooks and power first of all. Then they protect teachers, good and BAD. (And they only protect the teachers because the teachers provide the money. Sort of "protection payments.") The students don't even show up on the list. The AEA uses the same techniques as all unions--intimidation and control.

AEA is an association of the teachers. Teachers know what is best for our children. Unions are made by working people. Rich nopublicnns hate working people. Nopublicans are killing poor people and giving your tax dollars to rich private schools.

Otis you are correct about my depth. Not to deep that you will drown but wide and long to include all peoples with love and understanding. So, jump in and feel the love.

Bubba says if you voted for the nopublicans be happy

So Bubba says AEA is not a union and they goes on a rant defending unions. Interesting.

72% of Morgan County disagrees with you.