New Jersey Governor Visits Harvard School of Education: Sparks Don’t Fly

According to yesterday’s New York Times Chris Christie went to “the heart of liberal darkness” yesterday – and kept his cool.  The occasion was a lecture at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and Christie was on his best behavior as he praised his audience for being “among the leaders of our educational future.”

He also admitted to having “struggled a lot” with the issue of the combative and abrasive language he often uses in talking about education. Apparently, not for long. According to reporter Richard Perez-Pena, Christie “said he would not change his tone until the teachers’ union, the New Jersey Education Association, agreed that schools are in crisis and showed more willingness to make major changes.” Said Christie:

I have to convince the public that the house is on fire.

And he got an ovation from the crowd, according to the report, when he said, “The reason I’m engaging in this battle with the teachers’ union is because it’s the only fight worth having.”  That should make the transportation department, parks and recreation, corrections, banking and industry, and the other  state agencies very happy.

-Peter Meyer

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