Just Let Me Teach!
A teacher group in Indiana has gained some attention in education circles for little black wristbands they have created. (LINK) On the wristbands is a simple request, “Just let me teach!” The wristbands are the brainchild of 35 year old Indiana teacher Justin Oakley. He is 10 year veteran of teaching and also the president of his local teacher’s association. He created the wristbands because he had grown tired of so-called school reformers telling teachers how to do their jobs. The “Just Let Me Teach” wristbands have become a hot item, leading to a Facebook page with 1,240 likes and sales of over 4,000 wristbands to teachers across the country. (LINK) So what has led so many teachers to snatch up these wristbands? The answer is a loss of professional autonomy.
When I started my teaching career 17 years ago, it was a much different world. Teachers were seen as professionals who were allowed to use their creativity to produce countless numbers of approaches to provide learning opportunities that fit the diversity of the children they served. I taught the same subject, Civics, but every