Teachers as Activists Part One: Little “p” politics
Recently, I attend a meeting of the Austin Social Justice Teachers Inquiry Group, during which we talked about… politics. A scary word in a school. Big “P” Politics referred to ways teachers can be involved politically beyond the walls of their classroom; little “p” politics meant bringing current events and social justice into lessons and activities.
One concern that always comes up when talking to other teachers about bringing social justice to their classrooms is, “I don’t want to lose my job.” I’ve invited fellow teachers to rallies, meetings, and protests; I’ve shared resources discussing issues ranging from immigration to racial profiling to standardized testing. Too often I get rebuffed with the question, “Am I allowed to that?” In this post, I want to give on example of how I’ve incorporated little “p” politics in my classroom, as well as the experiences of another fellow teacher.
Right now, my 8th graders are working on persuasive writing. I found about 15 texts for them to use as anchor texts, discussing different political issues (i.e. immigration reform and the school-to-prison pipeline). I also included articles about standardized testing, homework, school uniforms, and school lunches — issues less social justice focused but more salient in my students’ lives. We analyzed the essays and decided which
One concern that always comes up when talking to other teachers about bringing social justice to their classrooms is, “I don’t want to lose my job.” I’ve invited fellow teachers to rallies, meetings, and protests; I’ve shared resources discussing issues ranging from immigration to racial profiling to standardized testing. Too often I get rebuffed with the question, “Am I allowed to that?” In this post, I want to give on example of how I’ve incorporated little “p” politics in my classroom, as well as the experiences of another fellow teacher.
Right now, my 8th graders are working on persuasive writing. I found about 15 texts for them to use as anchor texts, discussing different political issues (i.e. immigration reform and the school-to-prison pipeline). I also included articles about standardized testing, homework, school uniforms, and school lunches — issues less social justice focused but more salient in my students’ lives. We analyzed the essays and decided which