Shutting Teachers Up
Many years ago, before the internet, while there was still such a thing as local print journalism comprised of actual reporters writing stories about what was going on around town, a friendly newspaper editor asked me to write a monthly column about education. There had been a local education column in this paper prior to this, but the teacher who wrote it got into some hot water for writing about the misbehavior of students. He referred to his students using a few teachers-lounge terms--out of control, bouncing off the walls--and poof! He was history, yanked back by his district after irate parents complained.
The editor gave me a quick primer in editorial writing--600 to 800 words, short paragraphs, don't mention locals by name unless it's laudatory--and said the purpose of these guest editorial columns was opening conversations on broader education issues. They wanted to get letters to the editor. They wanted pieces about how education was changing, and whether teachers thought those changes were useful or disastrous. One topic she suggested--and this tells you how long ago this was--was the efficacy of corporal punishment.
We'll throw a disclaimer on the end of your column, she said, explaining that you don't speak for your school district, only yourself. She didn't have to tell me not to write about thinly disguised individual students or my evil principal. I knew better. Important to know: I was not compensatedShutting Teachers Up - Teacher in a Strange Land - Education Week Teacher:
