By now, most public schools are out of session for the summer. But upstate New York teacher Don Carlisto says you wouldn’t know it to look at the faculty parking lot at his school.“The lot’s still full of teachers’ cars,” Carlisto says. “Folks are organizing and setting up classrooms, sharing lesson ideas…I even know one teacher who’s got project and lesson ideas laid out for all the way until Columbus Day!”
After a long, and in many places very tough, school year, public school students, parents and teachers have earned a well-deserved break from the day-to-day rigors of school life. But while there will be some travel, rest, barbecues and the like for many, anyone who knows a teacher well knows that a teacher’s work year never fully ends. Between professional development and learning responsibilities, classroom preparations, lesson planning, orientations and more (to say nothing of teachers who take on summer school or other work to make ends meet), summer represents the beginning of a different kind of work more so than a full-on break.
Yet despite that reality, the perception that teachers get some kind of free ride over the summer still persists. When teachers’ work remains invisible, it’s easy for people with anti-teacher agendas to take advantage of that lack of public awareness and spread misinformation to fill that void.
Like math teachers so frequently tell students, teachers must also remember to show your work! The public needs to see more of the work that goes into a running a classroom in order to more fully appreciate and support that work.
So this summer, as you’re teaching, tutoring, working with colleagues in professional development courses, planning lessons, setting up your classrooms and more, be sure to take and share photos and videos of what you’re doing! Share your work in real time using the hashtag #HerePastJune on Twitter and Facebook, and/or e-mail them to worktogether@aft.org.
Heads up: If you’re an AFT member attending the upcoming TEACH conference, be on the lookout for training and other opportunities to use social media for your own advocacy and professional development! Email sstevens [at] aft [dot] org if you have any questions or would like more information.
Starting today, each Wednesday we’ll be featuring examples of what’s working in public schools. Our first What Works Wednesday feature, on the power and promise of community schools, was prepared by Philadelphia teachers Wendy Coleman and Hillary Linardopoulos.
By now, most public schools are out of session for the summer. But that doesn’t mean that teachers’ work has ended! Share the truth about teaching by showing your summer work using the tag #HerePastJune.
Over the past few weekends, several community groups, parents, students and teachers unions around the country have come together to continue their work for community-driven education reform, as well as speak out against the privatization movement that is destroying public schools in cities nationwide.