JOIN TEACHBAD TO MARCH IN DC
MR. TEACHBAD will be there. Will you?
TEACHERS!!!!
Yes, you…weeding your garden.
You…on the beach.
You…playing with your children.
You…drinking Bloody Marys at lunch.
You…trying to find a cheap flight to San Diego.
You…looking for a job.
You…at your dad’s house.
You…working on your curriculum.
You…hiding in the corner.
It’s time for all y’all to get up off your asses. If you are a teacher, you must know that your profession is undergoing a sustained, well-financed, heavy assault. The purpose of this assault is to turn you into a teaching robot, to deprofessionalize what you do, and to take the “public” out of public education.
You are now responsible for correcting that which sub-par parents and neighborhoods have done and left undone. HOWEVER…you must NEVER refer to any of these home or neighborhood factors…EVER. It is up to you to wash away the impediments imposed upon children.
This is my personal take based on the populatiuon and administrators I have dealt with. But there are a great many more problems in public education.
There is a giant national discussion about testing. There is a sub-discussion about what the testing craze has done to teaching.
And in all of these discussions, where the decisions are made, you would be lucky to find one teacher. We are not included.
If any of this interests you, please come to the Save Our Schools March in Washington, DC. I believe this will be a first in American politics and education. If we get a lot of people there, it will help us build our microphone.
The American education system is at a crossroads. The verdict on NCLB is dribbling in….it doesn’t look good. But the implication seems to be that more pressure must be put on teachers in order to make NCLB work. We have to fight this.
If this whole system of education has begun to look like something you didn’t sign up for when you wanted to be a teacher, please see if you can be in DC at the end of July. There are a number of events, speakers, conferences and marches. I will leave it to you to navigate the activities as set forth by the organizers.
But if I could summarize, there will be a two-day conference starting on July 28-29. This conference features two giants who have personally, if unknowingly, steered my career. Jonathon Kozol has written a number of books about public education in America, especially about public education as experienced by low-income and minority populations. He is one of the reasons I started teaching.
There is also my girlfriend, Diane Ravitch. She’s the best. She helped me to see why I hated teaching after that bastard Kozol drew me in. Then there will be a march from somewhere to the Dept of Education I think on the 30th.
Anyway, they will both be there. Check out the link and the dates. Come if you can. Learn something. Show support. Make some friends.
Mr. Teachbad
I wish I could go, but we have a family trip already planned for that weekend that I, unfortunately, cannot get out of. I marched in Austin back in March, but you guys saw how well that turned out.
Rawr! this Philly woman will be there.
I’ll be in the crowd, sweating in the hot sun, cheering, laughing, booing — whatever it takes. I’m trying to think of a snappy t-shirt to wear but I think just being pissed off and showing it will be enough.
I wish I could! I actually teach in DC schools, but am working at a camp up in New England all summer to make ends meet. Shake your fist for me.
Excuses, excuses!
Be there or be square!
Miss Crabtree will be there only in spirit. I find it hard to pass up a good rally. And, I do love a picket line. But, other plans interfere, and creecherteacher is right–I am just making excuses. Count me as square for now. Travel safely.
My husband, my two daughters, two friends and myself will be there for the march. We are spreading the word as much as possible. Cancel your plans! At least show up for the march and then do whatever it is you have to do. Mr. Teachbad, how will we recognize you?
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Any DCPS teachers heading to the conference as well??
I’ll be there and I can’t wait to shake your hand and thank you for brightening so many of my days. Love love love your blog!
The Teaching Whore cannot physically breach the no-fly education-satire zone that simpleton politicians have erected in recent years. However, cyberspatially and psychically, she is always with those marching to stop the bullshit machine creating yet another steaming pile on teachers and students nationwide.
See you there. Bringing the husband and at least one kid of three (one has a sprained ankle and the other will most likely choose to hang with his big brother, grandma and grandpa all day, being stuffed with ice cream and taken all kinds of cool places). WOuld love to shake your hand!
Can’t afford plane fair and can’t walk that far in all this heat…..
I’m leaving at 5 AM to be there–how can I find you to thank you for the joy your words bring teachers everywhere?