Informative writing from Peter Greene, but we have, have, have to… | @ THE CHALKFACE

Informative writing from Peter Greene, but we have, have, have to… | @ THE CHALKFACE:

Informative writing from Peter Greene, but we have, have, have to…

We have to come up with solutions. Something.

Greene’s post ends thusly:

I’m a high school English teacher. I’m not wise enough to know the solution for an educational social justice solution in this country, and I’m not powerful enough to gather together all the people who could help work it all out. But I know enough to know that A) an increasing gap between rich and poor has exacerbated existing problems of social justice in our country, with those problems being reflected, expressed and sometimes amplified in our schools and that B) the charter choice system currently being foisted on many parts of the country doesn’t fix any of those problems.

To charter choice advocates: Your problem is a real problem, but your solution is not a solution. Whether you’re blinded by devotion to your ideology or your intent to make a buck or just your lack of understanding, your vision is impaired. You need to clean your glasses, take a step back, and look again.

All that I read prior to the above paragraphs I’ve read before. Perhaps not as concisely, but, like many others, I’m in a position that I’ve read and re-read these same arguments. When it comes time to define an alternative vision, we’ve been so exhausted by outrage that the handoff to potential solutions rarely takes place. I don’t think we get to do this anymore.

As my school’s union representative, I have a lot of teachers come to me with questions and concerns. My main roles are listening and empathizing. I can handle that. When teachers tell me about students who’ve physically assaulted them or tore up their rooms, response from administration tends to be, “Let us conduct more observations, establish a paper trail, collect more information.” That’s fine, probably necessary, but what can this teacher do in an hour, a day, a week, right now?

I ask Mr. Greene and others, “what can we do right now? What would your suggested alternatives look like a Informative writing from Peter Greene, but we have, have, have to… | @ THE CHALKFACE: