By Tom
Recently I was asked to join a panel discussion in San Francisco hosted by The College Board, as part of their annual AP conference. The topic was Teacher Advocacy. There were four of us on the panel and they were kind enough to give us some general questions ahead of time so that we could be prepared.
Since this event happened during our blog’s annual month-long hiatus, and since the topic is particularly germane to we’re all about on this site, it gave me a great excuse to review my own beliefs about teacher advocacy. Besides that, being on a panel usually means that you don’t get to answer all the questions, even the ones you really want to answer. So here they are, the questions I was prepared to answer, and the answers I was prepared to give:
What exactly is Teacher Advocacy?
Teacher advocacy is simply speaking up in support of teaching and learning and promoting those policies that improve the teaching and learning conditions in our country.
Why do teachers need to be advocates?
Of all the stakeholders in our education system, teachers are uniquely positioned to know which policies work and which ones don’t. While teachers may not have all the answers, they do get to see what all the answers look like as they play out in classrooms. When teachers see what works and what doesn’t work in schools, they owe it to their students to speak up.
How has Teacher Advocacy changed over the years?
Until fairly recently, the principle means by which teachers could advocate for their profession was through their union. And while that channel still exists, and is still unmatched in terms of political leverage and resources, it does have a serious limitation. Unions, by their very nature, are democratic organizations. Policy direction is decided by a floor vote during annual assemblies. The consequence of this process is that those members who disagree with the final vote essentially have no voice. I have witnessed, for example, a two hour debate at an NEA convention on whether the Association should support charter schools. The answer was no, but it was far from unanimous, and the thousands of teachers who voted to support charter schools were basically ignored.
Things have changed. With the rise of social media, anyone can broadcast their opinion. It just as easy to open up this website as it is to go to nea.org. On the other hand, information consumers have also become diversified. We don’t all read the same newspapers and watch the same newscasts like we used to. People tend to seek information that confirms what they already believe.
What are the barriers to Teacher Advocacy?
Time, poise and training. Teaching well takes a tremendous amount of time. So does advocacy. Trying to do both comes at a cost, and if you aren’t extremely good at time management, something important is bound to be compromised.
Advocacy takes poise. You have to believe in what you have to say and have the confidence to speak up at the right time. Not every teacher can do that. I hear a lot of very informed, passionate talk in the staff room, most of which never goes anywhere.
Advocacy also takes training. The skill set teachers use in their classrooms is not the same skill set needed to speak up for the profession. A lot of passionate teachers simply don’t know how to articulate their passion clearly and concisely. All it takes, though, is a little training.
What are the most important principles of effective Teacher Advocacy?
Understanding, respect and articulation. Advocacy starts with understanding the issues, and understanding them from both sides. Usually (but not always!) that leads to a softer, more nuanced position. When you’re ready to state your position, it needs to be done respectfully. No one likes a shrill, harsh voice. Finally, effective articulation is extremely important. Teachers who don’t speak or write clearly and competently not only make themselves look foolish, but they bring shame on the whole profession.
With that in mind, then, welcome to year four of Stories from School! We are a community of Teacher Advocates. We’re passionate about education and try to present our views clearly and respectfully, from a place of understanding. (We also love reading and responding to comments!)
Tom, I love this bit: “People tend to seek information that confirms what they already believe.”
The key to advocating for students, instead of advocating for our selves, our salary, our department, our school, our retirement fund, or whatever, is going to be acknowledging that there’s truth even in perspectives we disagree with, fear, and want to silence.
I don’t like that there are people who’ve never taught in (gone to, or sent their children to) public schools but are trying to dictate what should happen in those schools, and I don’t like that people like Bill Gates uses his power and influence to say something asinine and damaging like that class size doesn’t matter.
But at the same time there are people who should have all the credibility in the world – teachers / students / public school parents – who invest their energy in protecting their own territory rather than being willing to make sacrifices for the greater good.
If I’m truly going to advocate for teachers and students, then it means I’m advocating for the autoshop teacher, and willing to take a few more students so that we can bump him up to full time rather than part time because kids love his class.
Advocating for teachers means I’m willing to drop my National Boards bonus so that maybe newer teachers don’t have to take a pay cut, and it means that as a securely tenured teacher I’m willing to face evaluations with a strong consequence so that excellent new teachers can stay in the classroom.
I think we all need to be a little more willing to give ground.
Kate – I really don’t care WHO speaks for me, as long as what they say is forthright, honest, kind, and accurate! I try (although it isn’t always easy) to listen to what people have to say on the merits of logic and support.
If this had been a speech that made points I disagreed with, I hope that rather than simply being angry, I would consider the evidence that the speaker provided and weigh it against information from other sources.
Finally, Matt’s main speech wasn’t all that much about policy or current educational trends. Mostly it was encouragement and inspiration. And you don’t have to be an expert to offer words of support. 🙂
Clix, I agree. Kittens are key! 🙂 Thanks also for the reminder about local advocacy. I get so impatient with the big picture that sometimes I forget to be mindful of the picture right in front of me.
Tom, Matt Damon articulated ideas that matched mine. So I guess you could say that he amplified my views. But if everything about this scenario was exactly the same except that he took the opposite view, my reaction would have been very negative. I get irritated when non-educators are held up as ‘experts’ because they went to school and/or they know someone who is a teacher. Right now it feels so good to hear this positive message. But what I am trying to square in my mind is this: If I say that it is OK for this celebrity to speak for me, how can I argue the credibility of other ‘expert’ voices? Why is this celebrity voice inherently more credible than the next?
You raise a great question, Kate. Ironically, our personal experience, which should give credibility to our voice, can actually work against us. If I speak out, for example, for smaller class sizes, a critic might misinterpret my message as “I want less work for the same pay.”
Having someone like Matt Damon, who is articulate, objective and famous helps amplify the message so many of us have been voicing for so many years.
How do we elevate and amplify the voices of those who are closest to the work so that they speak for themselves?
According to youtube, I think you need kittens… >;)
More seriously, though, I think we need to start speaking out among those who WILL listen to us: our family, our friends, our neighbors. What powerful people in business and government are pushing for is NOT what’s best for children. And we need to be specific about what it is we want – more money for what? We need to give people a vision of what good schooling looks like.
I am impressed with Matt Damon’s comments and am glad that he stepped forward to articulate his views. But at the same time I am troubled. The organizers of the Save Our Schools march worked for the better part of a year to bring attention to their cause. They engaged many educators, stakeholders, researchers and writers to discuss the issues at hand and the impact on schools across the country. (Some of those stakeholders are well-known nationally, such as Diane Ravitch, Linda Darling-Hammond, and Jonathan Kozol.)
But what really generated attention on the day of the event? Not the views of the thousands of educators who work in our schools everyday. Not the ideas of the parents and community members who tirelessly support their kids’ education. Not the thoughts of the researchers and writers who have spent their lives studying and documenting the conditions in schools. Rather, the comments of the celebrity movie star were recorded, rerun, reposted and retweeted.
I am thankful for Matt Damon’s willingness to bring attention to the rally. I really am. But I am left with lingering questions about teacher advocacy. How do we elevate and amplify the voices of those who are closest to the work so that they speak for themselves? Or should we use our limited time and energy to reach out to allies like Mr. Damon who can carry the message farther than we can? Or does a combination of both strategies make the most sense?
It was nice to hear Matt Damon speak with knowledge and conviction. I am also saddened that he was the only prominent figure outside education circles to lent his voice to the dialogue.
Although I didn’t attend the march I am sure articulate teachers spoke to the issues but their speeches haven’t gone viral.
And, it might also help to call it “student” advocacy.
My favorite teacher advocate du jour is Matt Damon. The speech he gave at the Save Our Schools rally in D.C.last week was filled with common sense and passion.
Borrowing a phrase from the Quakers, what teacher advocacy will mean in the near future is speaking truth to power. I agree our voices should not be shrill or harsh, but they may have to get loud…
Tom: We need to take your answer to the final question and use it as the basic requirement for all discourse in America today. The recent debt debacle is a prime example… we need more conversation and less shrill shouting at one another from opposite sides.
Also, the example you give about the NEA vote illuminates another point we all ought to realize as we engage in discourse: the worst thing we can do is label, lump, and assume. I’ve seen spirited and respectful disagreement here on this blog (about charter schools among other topics) and one thing that I’ve appreciated reading here…and not always been personally successful at… is that people here are willing to recognize nuance and not simply dismiss arguments counter to their own position.