Off-topic: the Idahoan and the anti-teacher bully

I wanted to pass along this post in honor of a fine lawyer I once hired, a Declo High School grad who truly knew his Constitution. Here is Tara Rowe, another Idahoan, who as a high school student took a public stand against a local blowhard and public-schools-basher - "The Cowboy, Cassia County, & The Constitution" :

The motivation behind Mr. Bell's question is pretty simple--he despises teachers. Having lived in Cassia County for a good chunk of my life, Zeb Bell's radio show was nothing new to me. I had listened several times over the years as he ripped apart teachers for what they were teaching in the classroom and for what they were not. I had listened for years to a man dead set on running the reputation of public education into the ground and frankly, I had had enough...

It reminds me of the boastful small-mindedness that keeps rural Idaho under-educated and under-prosperous, and of the handful of local freedom fighters who kick against that attitude. Kudos to Ms. Rowe for staying on and fighting back.

As for myself and my family, we bailed out at exactly this time last year. My son was in a fine Catholic school back in the Magic Valley. Now here in the South Sound he's in an amazing top-of-the-tests public school, a bit crowded to be sure, but crowded with kids whose families are fully invested in educational success. I'm glad that my boy will never have cause to write a letter to the editor like Ms. Rowe's.