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Monday, September 18, 2017
Sept. 20...Teacher Activism
Pairing the words "teacher" and "activist" is not all that common. Upon reading the review of the teacher activism literature (Stemhagen and Sober), what do you think of the question of whether/how activism and teaching relate. Feel free to write about how this might play out in your career as a teacher, counselor or other person interested in education.
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As a future teacher, I will admit I never related the words "teacher" and "activist" to one another until recently. Going into teaching, I was/still am excited for all of the aspects of being a part of the profession - my number one thought has always been being able to be in charge of my own classroom, building relationships with my own students, and essentially, being able to "close that door" and just do what I love - teach. However, with recent events, I think it is important for all teachers, pre-service and current, to reflect on how our career impacts society, as well as how society impacts our careers. There are many reforms, and there will be many more, that will make education seem more business/industry-like. That means they way we teach and the way we are able to teach will change. Public schools, especially the underperforming ones, are facing financial cuts everyday and more and more public school teachers in those school districts are being laid off. However, every other teacher is expected to go about their lives as though none of this is happening. I think that is unfair, especially for teachers who feel like they cannot do anything or else it could risk them their career.
ReplyDeleteAs the review said, teachers are trained to be individuals within their profession, however, that is a disadvantage when it comes time to come together and collaborate in order to have their ideas and thoughts heard. It is definitely a reason why teachers are not seen with as much respect as they deserve. However, as I am typing all of this out, I am in this position where I want nothing more than for all teachers and students in this country to receive and experience the education they deserve, without the intervention of so many government policies and cuts...however, I also feel obliged to "stick to the status quo" of what it is to be a teacher in order to keep this profession and in order to one day be hired by a school district.
- Lyly Lieu
Personally , I believe the question of "whether" teaching and activism relate is implies false choices for answers. The questions leads to one of two outcomes; either they are related or they not. Though the concept of activism implies a conscious effort strategy to meet a set goal, a teacher actively chooses what messages and lessons (socially, morally, politically) they relate to their students everyday by by simply be present. By this, I mean a teacher may have progressive social justices motivations behind their choices of classroom management methods, selected tasks and readings, or context chosen to present their content. This teacher is consciously and activity promoting specific ideas within their students through the "hidden curriculum".By contrast a teacher that does hold the same beliefs may use their own classroom autonomy to maintain the status quo through inaction on common events (discrimination, bullying, or uses of language like "faggot" or "spic"). A teachers non-activism, nonetheless, actively (at least for their students) promotes and maintains the hegemony of the dominant or elite culture. Overall, I see the role model aspect of teacher to be in the least a mild form of activism, given that every teacher must choose what social, moral, or political values are important in their classroom.
ReplyDeleteIN my own career, I hope to be an active role model in promoting equity in education and society for the LGBT community. Currently, there is a vast kaleidoscope of social justice issues that I find relevant and important both in and out of our school systems. However, i feel taking broad aim at all of these issue might lessen my ability to a meaningful impact during my own tenure. Also, it seems to me, that (in Virginia) current leaders of change tend to shy away from these still uncomfortable issues (LGBT specific) or address them as footnotes. By being working to bring these issue into conversation with effective consistency I might help to ease people comfort with the issues by arming them with familiarity and awareness. This means taking an active role in supporting my schools LGBT organizations, promoting teacher professional development around the topics and issues, and even encouraging LGBT student groups to learn how to organize and take their own concerns to their own student governments and school board policy makers. I understand that I may never see the fruition of these works immediately. But, by teaching and empowering my own students to be activists for their own rights, I hope to have an exponential effect on the size of the future population who are willing, able, and prepared to work for continued changes in all the communities they might themselves. I guess my teacher activism can be model like an infection, hopefully with a long transmission cycle.
I believe it's imperative that we teachers are involved with some sort of educational activism. Why shouldn't we be? It's absolutely our business to be included in the matter of education and it's policies. As we have discussed in class, teaching is one of the only professions where we teachers don't have much say in the regulation of policy making. Our policies are made by people who have had little to no experience in education, which is baffling to me. In the article, a teacher explains, "...You’re going to win and lose countless times…. If you wake up in the morning and believe that the world can a better place, then you’re an organizer. And you are going to figure out an improved strategy to win. Otherwise, you’re just going to have to lay down and watch everything crumble. Is that what you want?" I think this excerpt exemplifies just how we need to think about activism. It's not going to do a whole lot just sitting around talking about it, we need to educate ourselves in the process of activism and take action with it.
ReplyDeleteI hope to advocate for ELL students in teaching career. I plan on getting my ELL endorsement and using that to get closer to those families who are affected by certain ELL policies and restrictions. I think all children deserve the same type of education, no matter what language they are the most familiar with. Too much of the time, English Language Learners fall behind in school because not enough time is spent making sure they understand what the heck we are talking about in class. They very well might understand the concept, but just not in English. I will educate myself to learn better how to advocate for those children, and in turn, educate the families and students who are affected by these types of obstacles.
-Callie
Prior to this class, I never thought to put “teacher” and “activist” together. One of my main goals in teaching was/is to make a difference in the lives of students, specifically by incorporating diversity and bringing to light and promoting acceptance for those who are different, and supporting those who need it the most. I never thought about how I could make a difference by doing anything outside of the classroom. My initial thought on the topic would be ‘what can I, as one person, do?’ This is, I believe, a common concern that teachers have, but the article states that although teachers typically are ‘isolated’, we should not attempt to act alone, but instead to gather collectively and try to make a difference. One quote that stood out to me was by Picower, “…I couldn’t just teach and expect the world to get better, I had to be involved in changing the way that education works in society”. This is so important and I think it really helps to drive home my desire to make a difference. Yes, I can sit in my classroom and be a positive influence in the lives of my students who are living in dangerous neighborhoods or who constantly come to school tired and hungry; but is me helping that student gain self-esteem and improve their grades going to change the world in some way or make a difference in the students that come into my classroom ten years from now? No. If I want to make a change, I have to actually do something. I have to find a group of people (teachers) who have the same passion and drive to make a change for whatever cause it may be for and be active. Not just sit around on the weekends and talk about the problems we see every day.
ReplyDeleteArica Fowler
At one point during my time as an Elementary Education major here at VCU, I was also double majoring in African-American Studies, affectionately known as AFAM, (with a primary focus on education and education reform). Even though I didn’t complete the degree, much of what I learned during my time as an AFAM major still frames a lot of my thinking about the intersection of social justice and my role as an educator. One of the most critical projects of the course was developing a full-blown study that examined something that was important to us – mine was about education. I analyzed the Virginia Standards of Learning to determine what was/wasn’t being taught about Africans/African Americans and their experience in America, as well as the potential effects of these lessons on the development of students of African descent. It was an incredibly moving project and I learned a lot about the problem, but found very few solutions to it, before my time in the program came to an end. My professors and I pretty much hit a wall when it came time to put a plan in motion.
ReplyDeleteThe statement that probably struck me the most in the reading was “…educators are often indirectly socialized, both in the academy and on the job, to operate within a set of norms that encourages and rewards an acceptance of existing condition” (Stemhagen & Sober, p. 4). I found that even in my AFAM program, which was not only encouraging activism, but literally told us to find problems and solutions, I was told by multiple professors and advisors to tread carefully and not stir up too much trouble in my future career field. WOW! Even though activism is not really something that is readily associated with teaching, I look forward to that shifting over time. One teacher-activist, Valencia Gray, is really amazing with the way in which she advocates for her students in and out of the classroom and is really open about the ways that she works around (and sometimes bulldozes through) the system to effect change for her students. Individuals like her are starting to become more public with their activism, which definitely opens up the doors for other educators who want to effect change, as well.
Jamiee Freeman
Like a few of my classmates have already mentioned, it wasn’t until recently that I began to associate the explicit idea of activism with teaching. Because I have always wanted to be a teacher, I have always had a strong passion for children and their wellbeing. It has always been a goal and desire of mine to make my students feel valued, respected, and to offer them the best educational opportunity possible (including the social aspect of school). I guess part of what I have always dreamt of providing my students is a type of activism in a sense; I just didn’t think to associate it with the actual term ‘activism.’ My favorite quote from the reading was “It became clear to me that I couldn’t just teach and expect the world to get better, I had to be involved in changing the way that education works in society.” This idea really struck me because, like Arica mentioned, I have always struggled internally with the thought of ‘How can I really make a difference as just one person?’ But after reading the quote I shared, I realized more fully where my thinking is flawed. I can’t change a whole lot solely by teaching. I can provide a beneficial academic experience, foster social/emotional growth, be a positive role model, and so on; however, I cannot take part in significant social or political change in the realm of education if I don’t step out of my comfort zone and get involved. Unfortunately, I don’t know much about how to practically go out and become a teacher activist. Right now, I’m still not sure what that looks like for me. But I want to learn! I want to always equate teaching and activism so that I never stop fighting for the social, political, and academic climate that my students and fellow teachers deserve.
ReplyDeleteStephanie Liggitt
Along with my peers, I never categorized teachers as activists. However after reading this article, I can understand why teachers engage in activism. I always had the perception of activists campaigning and protesting to the government, but that’s not necessarily the idea. Activists fight to bring about political or social change. So in a way, I do believe that good teachers are activists because they work for social change within their classrooms. One quote from the article that really sticks with me is, “We are educators who believe that education is an integral part of social change and that we must work both inside and outside the classroom because the struggle for justice does not end when the school bell rings”. Those teachers who continuously strive to make a change for their school and students are the types of teachers we should all be. The world is corrupted in so many ways. Students must learn in a safe and equal atmosphere so that they properly know how to treat others outside of the classroom. Teacher activism is revealed through the commitments and practices of other teacher activists- this can help support other teachers who are interested in working toward justice and equality in their schools as well as the streets.
ReplyDelete-Jin Kim
To be honest, I never related “teacher” to “activist”, or “teacher activism” and “teaching” before. According to Stemhagen and Sober, teaching activists are those “who fight for social justice in their school systems and society by organizing and mobilizing teachers, developing curriculum, and working collaboratively with community, parent, and student organizations” (p.1-2). These actions and activities can be called “teaching activism”. After reading, I think “teachers” could be categorized into two— “activists” and “ordinary teachers (whom we can meet every day)”. Specifically, “teaching activists” focus on the external factors/environment of teaching itself, such as social justice in the recruitment of new teachers, education equality in the design of curricula, and so on. However, “ordinary teachers” pay much more attention to teaching/educating itself, such as how to make students understand new knowledge, how to improve students’ grades, or other things like these. In my opinion, as a teacher, focusing on students is priority. After handling each student and doing everything an ordinary teacher should do, he or she can pay attention to other factors or phenomena related to teaching. Therefore, becoming an ordinary teacher is prerequisite for teaching career. And teaching activism is a kind of increase towards teaching.
ReplyDelete-Feifei Xu
Before reading this article, I always felt that teacher activism was described as a group of teachers protesting outside of the department of education for better pay and less standardized testing with signs and megaphones. This is not an all too common occurrence, because unfortunately, being open and having a voice about the injustices within this profession may cause you to lose your job. Not many teachers can afford to voice their opinions for this very reason. So, how can we allow teachers to stand up for themselves, the students, and the profession itself without losing their jobs? Well, after reading this article, I have learned that teacher activism can be more simple than that. Teachers need to step away from working individually to working collectively in groups to bring ideas together. Also, teacher activism can be as easy as teaching students to think critically, be aware of what is happening in their communities, and not always accept the norm. Profound change does not happen when a teacher excels in their classroom in isolation, but when a community of teachers gathers together to stand up for social, economic, and political injustices. A group that supported like minded teachers in Richmond is the RVATSJ. The movement originally came from teachers, which supports the statement about saying all teachers need to work collectively in groups to bring ideas together. Their idea was that there is insufficient funding being provided for Richmond City Public Schools. Teachers who had never been engaged and involved outside of their classroom instruction, were now becoming activists and fighting for a change in their public school system. Their passion eventually inspired students from the schools to become involved. This event makes me feel more comfortable for being an activist in my classroom. Something I feel very strongly about is the discrimination of students that are ELL. I have overheard teachers complaining about having students whose names they couldn’t pronounce and felt like they had to work hard to teach them. Deeming this unfair, they wanted to send those students off with a different teacher and had the chance to pick and choose who was in their class. I think that teachers need much more education themselves on practices that effectively help ELL students succeed in the classroom. Also, teachers need to learn about cultures other than their own to become aware of how other people live. The lack of books in a different language, posters representing students of different color, and conversations about other beliefs and cultures in the classroom is really doing a disservice to ELL students. Being an activist in this profession is not as difficult and “scary” as I originally thought, and I hope to make a difference in my classroom.
ReplyDelete-Katie McGrath
After reading the teacher activism article, it put into perspective of how important it is for teachers to be activists and recognize their capabilities. Prior to reading this article, I wouldn't have necessarily categorized teachers as activists. When I thought of an activist, I pictured someone engaging in strikes or protests. However, the article mentions that teachers can be considered activists by simply teaching their students how to think critically and encouraging them to participate in the world and their communities. Another example of a teacher engaging as an activist was through the recognition of poverty and injustice's impact on the students. The article mentioned how a middle school teacher started a school and community garden so students could have access to healthy and natural food options. I think it's comforting to know that there are various ways to engage as activists as teachers and how it doesn't mean that teachers always have to take action outside of the classroom (some teachers may fear repercussions). In my counseling program, we haven't talked much about being activists but there has been a strong emphasis on being advocates for students as well as for ourselves (school counselors). School counselors still fight for their roles and the need to be in schools. While being an activist differs from being an advocate, I do feel as though there are similarities between both. They both speak on behalf of others, but activists take that extra step to make that intentional action to bring about social/political change. My role as a school counselor is to promote equity and access to educational experiences for all students.
ReplyDelete-Hannah
I am a returning student, I came to VCU specifically because I want to be a teacher. I want to become a teacher so that I could become a more active "citizen" and feel like I am a part of attempting to improve society. Teaching, in my opinion, has always had a certain layer of activism behind it. Simply by teaching, and offering free education through public schools we are creating a narrative of equality. We haven't really been living up to that ideal of equality, and certainly there are forces trying to undermine it, but it's still there.
ReplyDeleteAs a potential teacher though, I am a little intimidated by the more vocal and active components of activism. My loose-plan for being an activist teacher was to simply be a model citizen to my students. Over my courses at VCU I’ve felt that this might be a little inadequate so I’ve been wondering how I might become a bit more active and then I get intimidated about all that I might potentially have to do by myself! This article highlighted that isolation and finally piqued my interest about teacher coalition/groups/movements and made me feel like these were ways for me to get finally start to get involved.
-Peter LaBarr
In my own personal definition of what it means to be a teacher, I find there to be a strong correlation between "teacher" and "activism". My primary reason to go into teaching wasn't just because I love being around the little people, but more so stems from my desire to change a system that desperately needs it. To say being a teacher is my end goal wouldn't be truthful. I'm attempting to pursue educational policy making in the future. I see myself being a teacher and getting the experience/ hands on approach to activism and change to be the first step. Teachers are the ones who see the effects of a system that holds injustice and therefore they can be the ones to create immediate change. Unfortunately, there is a sense of complacency among educators rather than a sense of urgency. Why simply work for the system while you can change the system? The idea of "acceptance of a preexisting condition" resonated with me. It is far easier to accept the way things are rather than the way things aught to be. I would love to see a deeper look at African American experience and studies in the classroom and a closer look at queer authors, scientists, etc. There is a lack of cultural relevancy within current pedagogy that makes me question "what's the point?". So many minority subgroups feel this sense of isolation in the classroom and there's no sense of urgency to change it. Teachers are at the forefront of activism and if I've learned anything from my classes and practicums, we get stuff done! I think teaching and activism walk hand and hand.
ReplyDeleteI never really thought about teachers being activist, but I think subconsciously I have known it all along. Last semester I was at Dumbarten Elementary School in Henrico, and it was definitely a title 1 school. Last year was the first time they have been accredited in a long time, and they were never given the materials they needed. They children came from different backgrounds, and often most kids came to school hungry, and with the same clothes on. When I would see my kids, I would automatically think about how I wish there was something I could do for them. Thats what teacher activist do. They try and make a difference for children in schools. I think there is a fine line when it comes to being a teacher activist though. Some people might not like the fact that you are so involved with something of that nature, so I think it is important to be cautious when going out and doing things of this sort. I can truthfully say I have learned a lot about teacher advocates, and I plan to look into more opportunities to be an advocate for my future students.
ReplyDeleteIt's funny, up until this class, well I guess the current poltical climate as well, I never thought of teachers as activists. I never thought that teachers could really change all that much. I am from North Carolina, one of the worst in the US in teacher pay, my teachers there were some of the best I have ever had but I guess because we did not see them be "activists" the thought never dawned on me. I guess with the rest of my teaching career in front of me, the question is where do you start. I feel like there are so many things that need to change in the public school system in order to make things work and achieve equality that I am not even sure where to begin. Do we start at better teacher pay, do we start at better funding for schools that don't get the parental funding, do throw out the tests and make it so that way the students are measured on growth not achievement? There are so many decisions to be made that I guess the big question that I am struggling with is which one do we fight for first.
ReplyDelete-Farrell Bishop
DeleteAs a person who came from a wealthy and overall well-regarded school district, (Fairfax County) I originally saw the profession of teaching from a different perspective than the one I possess now. While there are undoubtedly problems and a need for teacher activism in places like Fairfax County, my world view and view of teaching was broadened when I came to VCU. Earlier in my undergraduate career I majored in International Relations with a concentration in Social Justice. One the first day of one of my Social Justice classes the professor asked us to all share what activist work we have done or are currently doing. I remember feeling inadequate and clearly behind in the activist realm, as I thought, did volunteering for civics count as activism? While this class and discussion are beside the point of ‘teacher activism’ and the article, it sparked something that shaped my thinking from there forward. While I obviously changed my major from Social Justice to teaching the information and classes I took I still regard deeply. I believe that they have allowed me to view and think of teaching in a different light than I would have previously. With this said, I feel that teaching and activism go hand-and-hand. This article was a great eye opener to me, because while I firmly am a proponent of teacher activism, I have yet to get involved. At times the thought of partaking in teacher activism seems daunting and tiresome, is it worth it? will it even make a difference? But classes like this, and information the article provided give me hope. For me, I think it really comes down to the question we have already touched upon: do you want to be a transformer of society or a transmitter? While there are many societal values I believe in, there are others I don’t that perpetuate inequalities, such as the inequality in lower SES schools, and so on and so forth. So, when I phrase it to myself like that, I can’t help but want to get involved and do what I can to inflict positive change both in and out of the classroom. As the article pointed out, activism is a collective effort, and I want to find the best and most appropriate ways to participate.
ReplyDeleteDuring my undergraduate years, I was part of a community engagement-focused living learning program, ASPiRE, where we go out to the community and experience the real Richmond within the boundaries of VCU. I was able to learn the history of Richmond and also be engaged with our community partners. I learned to "turn my awareness into action" through civic engagement and by just simply being an advocate of the issues I was passionate about. As a future educator, I feel that I can use my background experience to spread awareness and take action about the issues the schools are facing. I believe that engaging in action that aims to create social change will not only benefit the students and their families, but also the teachers, educators, and school staff.A small impact can turn into a big one. We learn best by doing, so if we act together, changes will occur.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading the article on teacher activism, I think we do a disservice to pre-service teachers by not teaching about the history of education. We need to know how previous generations organized and fought for their rights if we want to do the same thing. Learning about how to organize is the first step for a lot of teachers and I think it’s what holds a lot of us back, simply because we don’t know how to be activists. Being in isolation as teachers doesn’t necessarily help us learn how to be activists. As stated in the article, it’s just us in the classroom, which doesn’t always invited the collaborative, collectivist ideals we need to become activists. The narrative that an individual person makes a huge amount of change (Rosa Parks) furthers us from becoming a collective group of activists. If we think we can make all the changes ourselves, then why should we bother coming together to make a change?
ReplyDeleteIn my own classroom, I’d like to incorporate curriculum to help my students become critical thinkers and activists in their own right. I want them to be able to think about injustices and inequalities that affect their lives and brainstorm ways they can attempt to change them. In order to do this, I think I need to model this behavior with outside school activism. If I show students that I can make a change or that I’m working towards change, then students can feel more empowered to do so as well.
Michaela Richmond
If you were to ask me if I thought teachers should be activists at the beginning of the this program, I probably would have thought, “no.” However, in the recent climate especially, I feel it’s becoming more and more imperative to include “activist’ on the list of roles a teacher should play. Much of what happens in the world effects what happens in our classrooms. Picower found that many teachers become activists because of this, stating, “Many teachers who choose to take action outside their classroom do so because they see connections between what happens inside their classroom and the injustices and inequities outside their classroom and therefore they engage in ongoing and collective action to fight the ways that schools reproduce and maintain existing inequalities.” With that being said, I feel that there’s always been a fear about getting too involved with the activist role as a teacher. Potentially our careers could be at stake, however, strength is in numbers. I think the more of us decide to stand up, the more change will be brought, and the less of a stigma there will be regarding teacher activists. Changes will only occur if we fight for them.
ReplyDeleteI feel like all teachers should be an activist or an advocate in some sense. In class, in my group, we talked a lot about how even if you’re necessarily an “activist” outside of your classroom, you’re still (hopefully) advocating for your students in your classroom. Maybe it’s as simple as making sure they have soap in the bathroom, or paper towels to dry their hands, but you’re the person that it stepping up for them! On a larger scale, my group discussed how being an activist in the outside community and standing up for certain causes can potentially create problems for you/your job security. We felt as though, geographically, it can be a big issue. Typically in more rural areas, people tend to be more conservative and they might have a huge issue if you’re our marching for liberal stances. I think it also depends a lot on your school’s particular administration. You don’t want to come in and piss everyone off, but you also don’t want to just lie down and not speak up/do anything about injustices you see. I think our group discussions and this article really put into perspective how important it is to be an active member in the community, I think for me it will just differ in how that might look.
ReplyDeleteAshleigh Ingram
During our group conversation, we were drawing a (fine) line between advocates and activists. We saw advocates as speaking for the students, being the voice for those that don't really have one. I think a teacher is and should be an advocate for their students. Being an activist felt different to mean, but just as important. Hearing about teachers getting in trouble for wanting social change is scary and is off putting for others to pursue it. But teachers are activists in their classrooms daily by how they respond and act in the classroom to all types of situations. Those responses influence the students and how they think. Being open to all students, respecting the different cultures – those show teachers being activists towards an open and welcoming society. Wanting more change would involve more effort from the teacher which isn’t bad. We should always strive for a better future and encourage our students to do the same. Taking our stands outside of the classroom can be dangerous, but worth it. There are risks to be accounted for when someone takes a stand on a subject because there will also be someone who disagrees or takes it too far. Personally, I don’t think I’ll be taking part in many marches or protests. I do hope to create a safe and welcoming environment that the students will reflect towards the people around them. Bring attention to situations for the students to be aware of could get them thinking and interested.
ReplyDeleteJennifer Coronado