The Whisper Of Truth - Thomas Iannitti

Sunday, April 04, 2021

Thomas Iannitti - Guest MINDSETTER™

“What are you doing?” My Father asked on an early morning phone call.

“Just doing some work here at the house, why?” I was curious about his tone.

“Go down and buy the paper and then call me back.”  He hung up.

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Before I even made it past the register at the little mom-and-pop store the guy looked at me with arms out by his side and said, “Tommy, what happened?”

There it was.  Full headline.  Above the fold.  UNION VOTES NO CONFIDENCE.

 

I was devastated.  I wasn’t angry. Why did I deserve this from the people I was trying to help? WE were trying to make education better. I was called a genius by the local media for some of my innovations. I cashed a check from the union just 4 years prior.  WHY?

My failure wasn’t voting against the budget as outlined in the article. After all, I voted against the budget in part because I was sick of seeing teachers get pink slips every year. I was tired of the dog and pony show where we hold music and sports hostage so we can pass a budget. I was sick of the disgusting game that propped up a failing system. My failure was that I didn’t communicate. My failure was that I didn’t collaborate.  

I won the election but it took time to earn the trust of the teachers. It took me being more communicative and more collaborative. Finally, after working WITH my colleagues in education, I was able to gain support for the ideas we knew could change the system. I couldn’t talk TO teachers.  I had to talk WITH them.

Why tell you this?  Why share something that was buried in a 20-year-old newspaper that could only hurt me in my run for Governor? I’m sharing this because it lets you know that what I am about to tell you is deeply rooted in the truth and the fact that I am delivering this message comes from a purely genuine place.

The Providence Teachers Union's recent vote of no confidence in RIDE Commissioner Angelica Infante-Green is not a tactic or part of a political game. The vote is an amplification of a collective voice that needs to be part of the solution. That voice is part and parcel with the voices in the community. Disregarding the vote as a tactic is a mistake and will lead to further division between at least two important stakeholders in the rebirth of education in Providence.  

The truly alarming reality that has been revealed by this discord is that some people at RIDE have subscribed to the tired notion that the union is the root of the failure of public education. The idea that any one of the major stakeholders would turn out to be a witting saboteur of the most essential pillar of our civilization is absurd. Parents, students, teachers, and administrators are victims of a system that was designed poorly and for all the wrong reasons. I think the bright eager student and passionate smart teacher have been as effective as possible in spite of structural deficiencies in our system. Blaming one means we all fail.

I met Angélica Infante-Green at the last Johns Hopkins forum during the summer of her arrival and shared a quiet word of advice with her. I leaned in close as we shook hands and told her that she was needed.  There was a hint of emotion in my voice because I believed she could help and I love education.  I went on to tell her that she shouldn’t be distracted by the wrong people and it would take a woman of courage to navigate our landscape.  I still believe in her and I think the union wants to as well.  Angelica, I whisper to you again, don’t exclude any of the important voices. 

Thomas Iannitti is a former elected member of the West Warwick School Committee and a R.I. Senate Policy Analyst.  

Related Articles

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• Infante-Green Says She Can “Break Contracts” in Providence Schools Takeover, More Districts Possible
• What RI’s New Education Commissioner Infante-Green Needs to Do to Turn RI’s Schools Around
• VIDEO: Commissioner Infante-Green Moves to Block Student & Parent Involvement in Providence Takeover
• Flanked By Lawyers, Infante-Green Shoots Down Parents and Students’ Effort to Have Stake in Takeover
• Providence Teachers Union Boss Accuses Commissioner Infante-Green of “Lies and Manipulation”
• As Rumors Swirl, Infante-Green Tweets She Is Not Leaving RI
• “Parents and Students” in Charge of Providence Schools Says Infante-Green—Just Like in 2012
• Rickman’s Big View - A Look at Infante-Green’s Providence Schools Takeover Strategy
• VIDEO: “Let’s Negotiate in Public,” Says Infante-Green of Talks With Providence Teachers Union

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