Jose Vilson: On the State of Teacher Voice 2011
With all due respect to the head researchers, think tanks, sponsors, politicians, and anyone with any opinion on education, the change we seek in education takes root in the voices of our K-12 educators and practitioners. Those of us with a big enough voice and a fair amount of writing talent get the opportunity to speak to large crowds over the Internet, something most educators still haven't gravitated towards, and that's fine. Jobs implicitly negate any voices of dissent in their Internet policies, droves of paperwork drowning out any leftover energy for this type of work, and intimidation tactics unfit for places meant to foster child growth.
The reactions to the book Teaching 2030, a book I co-authored with Barnett Berry and 12 other dedicated teacher leaders drive my thoughts here. As we talk about the book across the country (and around the world), we're seeing tons of feedback about what the teacher voices should sound like if the model we've proposed actually follows through. Most of the voices worry about the Bill Gates/Eli Broads of the world who prefer that
The reactions to the book Teaching 2030, a book I co-authored with Barnett Berry and 12 other dedicated teacher leaders drive my thoughts here. As we talk about the book across the country (and around the world), we're seeing tons of feedback about what the teacher voices should sound like if the model we've proposed actually follows through. Most of the voices worry about the Bill Gates/Eli Broads of the world who prefer that