(Blue Jersey is fortunate to have two teachers who are excellent Education writers. Here's the latest from Marie Corfield... - promoted by deciminyan)
Dear New Jersey Teachers, No doubt over the next few days you will engage your students in discussions and activities surrounding the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. If not for your efforts, the only thing some children today would know about him is that they get a day off for his birthday. Thank you. And thank you for everything you do to enrich the lives of your students. You work hard both inside and outside the classroom to bring the world—past, present and future—to your charges. Sometimes you have to move mountains, sometimes you ride waves, sometimes you're doing both simultaneously, but you do it all because it's your passion, your calling. You can't think of anything else you'd rather be doing than teaching 24 wide-eyed first graders about the developmental stages of a butterfly. Or helping one terminally stuck 9th grader slog through algebra (that was me). And your dedication shows. New Jersey has one of the best public education systems in the country. But, as you all know, that is changing. I won't go on about corporate education 'reform' because I'd be preaching to the choir. But if somehow you missed what's been happening in New Jersey education policy over the past two years, I suggest you sit down and read every post ever written by Jersey Jazzman. Then read columnist and author, Chris Hedges, beautifully poignant piece about why the United States is destroying its education system. Read it. Share it. |
Now ask yourselves, What can I do? If your answer is Nothing, then you need to read teacher-turned-newspaper-reporter Kelly Flynn's piece about why weare complicit in the systemic destruction of public education across this state and the nation.
Yes, teachers are partly to blame. Why? Because we don't speak out enough; we don't want to make waves; we're not political; we don't want to offend anyone. But, my friends, we are in the political fight of our lives. Our profession was, is and always will be political so long as politicians have a say in how we do our job. It's time to pull our collective heads out of the sand and make our voices heard outside the lunchroom and Facebook feed. To paraphrase JFK, we cannot continually ask what our association is doing for us; we have to ask what we can do not only for our association, but for public education and our students. If we don't, not only will many of us be out of a job, but our students will suffer as the racially and economically lopsided education 'reform' freight train rolls over us. Granted, not everyone can stand up at a town hall meeting and confront the governor or run for office, but everyone can talk to parents, question their board of education, write letters to the newspaper, write to your legislators—or better yet—call them. Demand accountability and proof that what is being forced on us will work. Ask hard questions, share your stories. Let the average person who knows nothing of how education works, but only sees their property tax bill increasing know how the education 'reform' agenda will hurt their local schools, their property values and their wallets. Speak out about how your hands are tied to constant test prep and how that prevents you from bringing innovative and exciting lessons into the classroom. Wringing our hands in despair will not get us out of this hole. Dr. King did not put his dreams into action alone. He mobilized millions of people. He demanded that each one search their soul and take action to help themselves and each other. He empowered people to believe in themselves, to demand to be treated fairly and justly. If we do not demand that for ourselves, our students, and our system of education, we will be complicit in the destruction of all that we as teachers have accomplished in this great state. And our districts that struggle with the effects of high poverty will slip further away from their dream of helping every child succeed. Corporate reforms and a lack of push back from teachers got us to where we are today in education. Ten years of incessant reliance on standardized testing has put a stranglehold on our ability to bring creative teaching and learning into the classroom, and has further marginalized at-risk students in high poverty districts. These are the very things that education 'reformers' say are wrong with education, yet they are the ones who perpetrated it. Their message is backed by billions of dollars. But to paraphrase Diane Ravitch, they have money; we have voices. When is enough enough? When will you make your voice heard? |
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