Can teachers be trusted with a revolution?
I saw passing mention of this letter the other day, and went to seek it out. It’s an apology from a Detroit teacher to parents on the conditions of their schools. I want to focus on this one paragraph, which I quote below:
You’re going to hear in the news, and in the papers, about how I don’t care about the students. You’re going to hear that taking days for sick-outs is selfish of teachers. I agree I have been selfish but it was my inaction that was selfish. It was me sitting in my position of authority in your children’s life and doing nothing to protect them. I am sorry I let this get so far. I promise that although I want a living wage that is not what brings me to action today. What makes me fighting mad is that your child, who I call “one of my kids”, is learning in an environment that is in total chaos.
The conditions observed in Detroit schools did not happen overnight. And it is absolutely certain that, as is the case in Flint, complaints may have been ignored. But the author of this letter above is courageously admitting a very important truth: that teachers on the whole speak up and out very little, even when problems are obvious.
There are numerous accounts online, mainly on personal blogs, of award-winning teachers overflowing with activism, idealism, and optimism. Fans fawn over those individual teachers with glowing comments and, for those most deserving, their own hashtags. Yes, by all means, pump that optimism and maybe more Can teachers be trusted with a revolution? – @ THE CHALKFACE: