The classroom and the boardroom are often seen as dissimilar spaces. In classrooms, there are students and teachers; two groups of people that have the most insight on the current debate about what to do with the broken education system, but whom have rarely been invited to engage in the discussion. Students are often framed as empty vessels that have no say on how to improve schools, and teachers are viewed as low-level workers whose sole responsibilities are to ensure that tests are being passed and order is kept.
In boardrooms however, the businessmen in the room are viewed as experts; their opinions are valued, and together they make policy decisions that affect the institution in which they work. These differences set the stage for a battle of sorts between educators and policymakers.
As I watch the Occupy Wall Street protest grow from a few isolated voices into a national movement, from a media side-story into politicians' central talking points, the number of public school teachers that are occupying Wall Street have increased exponentially. The silenced voices within the classrooms are pushing to have their voices heard by those boardroom decision makers.
The search for a voice is one of the powerful themes of the Occupy Wall Street movement, but beyond that, there are 5 specific reasons why such a large number of public school teachers have joined. Understanding these reasons can help us all improve public education in America and support our teachers.
One of the chief goals of teaching is to open students' eyes to the possibilities that there is a more beautiful and equitable future than the present. For urban school teachers who work with students that are socioeconomically deprived, and the victims of many societal ills, teachers tell them every day that working hard in school, getting a good job, and being able to provide for themselves and their families is the natural order of things. Unfortunately, many of these teachers realize that this is far from the truth. As teachers struggle to pay off student loans and live from check to check, they realize that the stories that they were told about hard work and determination do not always pan out. Teachers are well aware that if things remain as they are, they would be lying to students when they tell them to work hard, graduate and they will be successful. These teachers occupy Wall Street to ensure that the messages they bestow on their students can someday become a reality.
In the aftermath of the public forums spurred on by Waiting for Superman, and the many public conversations about how terrible public schools are, teachers have come to realize that marketing and public opinion can shift money and attention from supporting public schools to untested, and oftentimes, ineffective investments. Teachers see that decisions that are being made about schools are focused less on the needs of their students and more on measures that do not produce a substantial outcome. Teachers see investors "getting in on the education market" because they want to make money, and fear that they are doing so, at the expense of the public schools. They recognize this threat to public education, and are fighting against it.
Many urban public school teachers realize certain issues that make teaching and learning challenging happen outside of the school's walls. As they spend hours writing lesson plans, developing innovative ideas, and teaching with passion, they realize that poverty, challenging living circumstances, and an unjust criminal justice system go unaddressed. They occupy Wall Street to bring attention to these issues and to push the wealthiest people in the world to realize that also important factors that affect the ability of students to learn.
Many teachers realize that others are facing the similar struggles and want them to join forces. They see college students as their students in a few years, college graduates without jobs as the outcome of an education that does not have much value, and exploited civil servants in fields other than education as their allies. Teachers who are occupying Wall Street want these people to understand their struggles, and want them to be able to see how their experiences in schools have ushered them into the places they are today.
As American youth deals with the effects of poverty and inequity, they become disenfranchised within society, and start questioning the power of democracy. Teachers feel like it is their responsibility to let the youth know that the democratic process is alive and well. By occupying Wall Street they are teaching students to be civically engaged, showing them how to protest non-violently, how to fight for what they believe in, and they are doing what they have the responsibility to do... TEACH.
Photos courtesy of Sam Seidel.
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http://coopcatalyst.wordpress.com/2011/10/10/occupy-wall-street-the-education-edition-part-1/#comment-10062
Also Join us at Occupy Education
Take a picture of yourself holding a sign that highlights a few ways you are transforming education and/or share the countless, unique ways you challenge the status quo in public education.
If you are a student, tell us what helps you learn best. Tell us what would make learning more meaningful for you.
If you are a parent, tell us what kind of learning environment you want for your children. Tell us what schools should be focusing on.
Below that, write “I occupy education.” or “I occupy my classroom”
If you don’t show your whole face, please show at least part of it.
Please have your note be hand written.
Please do your best to be concise.
Reclaim your voice in education transformation.
http://www.occupyedu.tumblr.com
Military school is very expensive, I have a colleague that is sending her son to such a school, to the tune of $40,000 per year. WHO will bear the burden of sending those "troublemakers" you speak of to those military schools?
I invite all children, parents, educators, community members and learners to join #occupyedu at http://occupyedu.tumblr.com and to find us on Twitter and Facebook. We occupy education and our classrooms because our schools separate our kids from another - and our society suffers for it. We can do better.
We are working for community-driven schools that include, involve, and inspire all learners through personally meaningful work of lasting worth and joy to themselves and our society. We want federal, state, and local policies that let excellent student work stand in place of arbitrary requirements for assessment, promotion, and graduation. We want schools in which we follow kids' learning, not curriculum guides.
Please submit your stories of change and your challenges to school here:
http://occupyedu.tumblr.com/submit
Sincerely,
Chad Sansing
Here in the U.S., IMHO, it's time to stop comparing student achievement to such countries unless we are willing to give up on our diversity, institute an entirely new system of government, and tackle those social problems in our society that contribute to the lack of educational achievement.
How would that "nice voucher system" you call for be created, implemented and distributed?
Let's hear your plan- the devil is in the details, you know.
"...teachers are proving good lessons BUT extenuating factors like."
The argument that people without children should be able to get some kind of equal, compensatory benefit because they do not directly benefit from public education doesn't really hold water. Education is one of those costs of society/civilization: everyone benefits from having an educated, well-prepared workforce.
Also, vouchers would not pay the entire cost of a private education--parents would still have to make up the difference between the value of their voucher and what the tuition actually costs. Many families would not be able to afford that difference.
1. Teachers in their classrooms whenever it is customary for their students to be there. Unless you think students are going to be kept up to speed on reading, math and science hoofing it next to their teacher on Wall Street, "Occupy Wall Street" is the very last place I would want my child's teacher to be during school time. Their free time is their own, unless they turn up in the classroom tired and unable to teach.
2. Those teachers who are fearful about the futures of their students should start keeping them after class for tutoring sessions.
3. Teachers need to stand against irresponsible spending and the drain on the exchecquer caused by schools with dwindling numbers of students.
4. Teachers need to combat the possibility of poor lifestyle choices by their students by giving them a firm ethical and moral basis for their scientific/ financial educations. Like--if you have a child you can't afford, he will more likely wind up in prison than on MTV or she will wind up a multiple unwed mother rather than a federal court intern.
There is more but the 250 word limit prevents examination of the additional alternatives.
Teachers work 1733 hours per year for an average $44,000. (My friend makes more.) That equates to $25.39 per hour. If these dedicated individuals worked 2080 hours per year (12 months at 40 hours per week) they would have made $52,811--which in our small Southern City will easily support a one income family of two parents and three children. (It costs a whole lot less to live here.)
At least here teachers are far from underpaid. They are also some of the most dedicated individuals on the planet, but at no point are they working for "free."
And "parents" are first and always taxpayers.
Really? Have you seen some of the people on MTV? Most of them don't strike me as being very educated nor from particularly "affluent" families.
Teachers are fearful about their pensions.
Teachers want the world to believe that all we need to have a 1st classs public school system is more money. And more, and more, and more.
Teachers should have NO connection to other social issues, they should be focused on teaching children how to read, write, and do at least basic math. After all, these are the only significant skills K-12 education CAN teach to rebellious, confused adolescents.
i think the teachers were infact saying the opposite that no amtter the money thrown at the schol, or how well they get ready to teach, outside factors like poverty make it impossible.
i can tell your a dinosaur and clearly threatened by the "rebellious, confused adolescents" hahaha what i joke. im 21 are far less confused or muffled by any cold war thinking. your so out of touch with your time its ridiculous. your one track mind doesnt allow you to consider other things possibly influence education. im sure you would like to bring back priests as teachers and reintroduce the cane and beatings. pheww i cant wait till this backwards generation holding the rest of us back from real social development and economic change passes on.
I am in no way threatened by a mob that has no clear message, other than they want the "wealthy" to hand them money.
Maybe you should educate yourself regarding my cold war thinking. Socialist governments murdered over 100 million people in the 20th century. If you don't learn from your mistakes, you are doomed to repeat them.
Your "real social developement" is not new. It has failed everywhere it has been tried. Socialism will only work as tyranny. If you are not compensated for performance, you will not perform, unless someone puts a gun to your head.
I actually have a 2 track mind. Maximum liberty, and minimum government. At least my mind has a track.
It's interesting how they think they can get away with it.
The less government motto is a sham. Students who are abused and neglected have little desire to learn. Teachers are Not asking for more money- they are asking that their Schools be funded!
As opposed to shoving them up the ladder with a passing grade like so many of your ilk already do?
There are advantages and disadvantages to such an approach. Old-time pols had an expression for it--"Live by the sword, die by the sword." You get your job through politics, you lose your job through politics.