Teachers' Letters to Obama

The Sleeping Giant Stirs

By Anthony Cody

In November, I accidentally launched a groundswell. I posted an open letter to President Barack Obama online and invited other teachers to join me in speaking out. I was amazed by the response. Other teacher bloggers joined in, and more than 600 signed up for a Facebook group called Teachers' Letters to Obama . Over 100 eloquent letters have been posted thus far, and more come in every day.

The overwhelming message is that, although we supported President Obama as a candidate and continue to have hope today, we do not feel heard by this administration, and have grave concerns about many of the actions of U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan.

These are not the whines of the ineffective. Many contributors hold National Board for Professional Teaching Standards certification and are leaders in their schools. If you want an in-depth window on what committed teachers are...