We Hold These Truths to Be Self-Evident

That all children are, while of equal moral and legal importance, not all the same;

That they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights;

That among these are, or at least ought to be, life; liberty; the pursuit of happiness; the right not to be treated like cogs in a machine, numbers on a spreadsheet, or pluses and minuses on a teacher's "value-added" rating; the right to learn in a clean, safe, pleasant school building; and the right to be taught by a teacher who is free (FREEDOM Y'ALL) to use his or her professional judgment and store of knowledge to make an enriching, rigorous, and memorable learning experience for all without fear of being judged by an arbitrary checklist or a single number at the end of the year;

And for the support of this Declaration, since we apparently cannot count on anyone else to do it, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes (small though they be) and our sacred honor.

Happy Independence Day, teachers and everyone.

Signed, in electronic Congress on this day, 4 July 2012,

Miss Eyre