Last week, Washington Teachers’ Union president Nathan Saunders suspended WTU general vice president Candi Peterson without pay. The reason? Because Peterson “walked out of a meeting with me,” wrote Saunders.
Peterson, speaking to The Washington Examiner, said she left the meeting because Saunders “verbally abused” her. (In the coming days, I hope to follow up my April interview with Peterson to discuss her suspension, the recent teacher firings and much more.)
The irony here is that Saunders, who served as general vice president, was suspended without pay by then-WTU president George Parker (who now works for Michelle Rhee).
Under then-Chancellor Rhee, Peterson and many other teachers found themselves under attack. The media, however, was largely uninterested in hearing their stories. So Peterson decided to take things into her own hands and started a blog. The Washington Teacher quickly gained in popularity and played an important role in getting Peterson and her running mate, Saunders, elected.
In June 2010, Toussaint Tingling-Clemmons and I co-hosted four shows of “More Room On the Outside” on DCTV which focused on education. (Our interview with activist Maria Jones recently won a DCTV Viewers’ Choice Award).
In this program, then-candidate Peterson and fellow teacher James Boutin, who blogs at An Urban Teacher’s Education, discuss the attacks being experienced under Rhee’s reign.
Related Links:
Related Stories:
- Candi Peterson: From Teacher to Blogger to WTU General Vice President, 5/3/2011
- Rhee’s Great Disappearing Act, 8/25/2010 interview with James Boutin
- School Reform in Black and White, 2/3/2011 interview with Maria Jones