Dear Randi Weingarten, Sincerely Hope
A letter from a Bronx student to the president of America's largest teachers' union.
Below is a letter to Randi Weingarten, President of the American Federation of Teachers. Hope Williams, a student from Bronx, NY, longs to escape her dangerous, failing public neighborhood public school. Hope, like thousands of other students in the public school system, want choice over the type of school and education they receive.
The teachers unions make sure that won’t happen.
Below you’ll find Hope’s letter to Randi Weingarten, where she details her experience in the public school system, and remains hopeful she’ll find a way out.
Dear Ms. Weingarten,
I’ve been meaning to write you for a while now. This letter was hard for me to write because I know who you are. I know the excuses you’ll make. I know how and where you will shift the blame. Still, I needed to write this. I need to get out of here.
I was born and raised here in the Bronx. And because of where I live, I am locked in a failing public school with no way out - a victim of my zip code and parents’ socioeconomic status.
Let me tell you about my day.
I walk up the stairs to the entrance of my stone prison every morning. My muscles tense and my senses heighten as I cross the threshold of this building. The sound of play, arguments, and violence rattle these dimly lit halls.
Every. Single. Moment.
I remove my clear backpack and place it on a conveyor with my purse, keys, and cell phone before I step through the metal detector.
This daily ritual reminds me I’m not safe.
My rush to the breakfast cart begins - hoping there are still pop tarts or granola bars left.
We’re only allowed to take one, but some kids take a bunch, so there’s not enough for everyone. If I’m out of luck, I won’t get to eat until my lunch period - 1:00.
The hungry days are the hardest days.
I wouldn’t call most of my classes “classes”. Each room is a holding room. My teachers give out a packet of work for us to do, but don’t teach. The boys walk around the room playing basketball with a paper ball and a trash can. The girls play music and make videos on their phones.
It’s hard to focus.
But I do my best.
I usually sit alone and try to complete the schoolwork and teach myself, and I even have a friend in one of my classes who does the same. We help each other.
We have hope.
I only have one teacher who makes an attempt to teach the class. Her name is Ms. McClaire, and she’s the reason I’m writing to you. She explained to me how some students have school choice, but there aren’t enough choices available for everyone, which explains why I’m stuck in this prison.
Ms. McClaire showed me this School Choice Guide, which taught me how you and the Teachers’ Unions keep me locked in this prison. You make more money if students like me don’t have a way out of our failing public school. That’s why you fight to prevent the creation of charter schools and voucher programs. You know that if students who are locked in a bad school had a way out, they’d take that way out. Then public schools would have to raise their standards and fire the bad teachers to try and retain kids. Your union’s revenue would decline, and your political power would weaken.
I know that’s why you have me locked in this prison.
To you, I’m a chess piece
I watched some of your interviews on YouTube. You continue to tell people that students like me would get a better education if there were more funding. But why would we receive more funding? If students like me can’t leave a failing public school for a better education at a charter school, there’s no incentive for more funding. And there’s also no reason for failing public schools to do better, because they can’t lose kids to other schools (competition), which means teachers’ unions’ get their money.
You have me locked in this prison.
You block my escape.
I will not go silent.
My name is Hope Williams, and I deserve a better education.
I deserve hope.
I look forward to your response,
Hope Williams
Well done, Hope.