Opinion
Equity & Diversity Opinion

It’s Time for Teachers to Make Some Waves

March 02, 2017 3 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

By Monica Washington

No one ever said being a teacher would be easy. I do remember being told that when the waters got rough, I should not speak up or speak out. Instead, I should hang on (in the background), stay out of school business, and just worry about the students in my classroom. “Keep a low profile,” they said. “You can’t change it anyway.”

This is the culture of our schools. Teachers: learn not to make waves; get used to limited resources and constant change. Brace yourselves for reading a school narrative written by people who haven’t visited a classroom since they were students themselves. Get used to it and be silent.

In years past, it has been easier for teachers to fade into the background, to withhold opinions, to keep still. Over the past 19 years, close colleagues told me they held on by only worrying about that day, that lesson, and those students in their charge. While I understand this survival instinct, our profession is at a turning point. We can no longer afford the luxury of caring only about what happens in our classroom.

This school year is different. Teacher leaders must advocate now more than ever. We have to think outside of our walls.

All over the country legislation is being proposed that will adversely affect educators and students. In Texas, for instance, schools will soon be rated with the A-F grading system. This will cause the most qualified teachers to avoid “F” schools, continuing the cycle of filling the most disadvantaged schools with educators who are still learning their craft. Educators find themselves in states where payroll deductions for membership in professional organizations has been banned. Legislation has been proposed in the U.S. House of Representatives that would divert much needed public education funds to private schools through vouchers. States are shifting standards and districts are adding new initiatives before the ink dries on yesterday’s new initiatives. To put it bluntly, this school year, despite our best efforts, has left teacher leaders weary.

And yet, despite the mounting setbacks, some encouraging signs have appeared. Educators who were once silent have begun to speak. They write. They call legislators. They are reading and becoming more informed. These reluctant leaders are taking action in small but meaningful ways. Colleagues ask me about journals or websites to help them simplify big issues.

The fact that educators, who have worked for years under the culture of silence, have recently become engaged has given me renewed hope. Teachers recognize that their training and expertise grants them not only the authority--but the responsibility--to speak out on behalf of their students and the profession.

Teacher leadership begins with learning. Those of us who are ready to learn to break the code of silence must begin by becoming more informed. Read up on House Bill #610, innocuously named the “Choices in Education Act.”

To those not new to leadership, those who stopped following the culture of silence long ago, please know that although we may grow weary in this work at times, our reluctant leaders are watching to see how true leadership is done. Let’s take a deep breath and show them the power of their voices. Invite them to join professional organizations. Let them know what newsletters and blogs you find useful. Remind them to vote for legislators who make public education a priority.

To those who stepped into the world of educational advocacy for the first time this school year, please don’t go back to your seat on the comfortable side of the boat. Some of us have to steer. Some of us have to paddle against the current. When necessary, some of us have to stand together and rock the whole boat. To get anywhere this year and in the coming years, we’re going to have to make a few waves.

Monica Washington is the 2014 Texas Teacher of the Year. She teaches English in Texarkana Texas.

Source: Image by Pixabay under license from Creative Commons.

Related Tags:

The opinions expressed in Teacher-Leader Voices are strictly those of the author(s) and do not reflect the opinions or endorsement of Editorial Projects in Education, or any of its publications.

Events

Jobs Virtual Career Fair for Teachers and K-12 Staff
Find teaching jobs and K-12 education jubs at the EdWeek Top School Jobs virtual career fair.
Student Well-Being K-12 Essentials Forum Social-Emotional Learning 2025: Examining Priorities and Practices
Join this free virtual event to learn about SEL strategies, skills, and to hear from experts on the use and expansion of SEL programs.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Professional Development Webinar
Inside PLCs: Proven Strategies from K-12 Leaders
Join an expert panel to explore strategies for building collaborative PLCs, overcoming common challenges, and using data effectively.
Content provided by Otus

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Equity & Diversity Q&A Keeping DEI Work Alive in a Hostile Political Climate
Diversity, equity, and inclusion remains a target for criticism and elimination. A DEI director is navigating his way through it.
5 min read
Ty Harris, Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for Virginia Beach City Public Schools, pictured at Bayside High School in Virginia Beach, Va., on Dec. 18, 2024.
Ty Harris, the director of diversity, equity and inclusion for the Virginia Beach school district, visits Bayside High School in Virginia Beach, Va., on Dec. 18, 2024.
Parker Michels-Boyce for Education Week
Equity & Diversity Leader To Learn From Meet the DEI Leader Using Data—and Heart—to Foster Student Belonging
A district's DEI director uses data and an approachable style to do his work despite a challenging political environment.
9 min read
Ty Harris, Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for Virginia Beach City Public Schools, delivers closing remarks and applauds students for their work during the Power of We event at the Virginia Beach Higher Education Center at Old Dominion University in Virginia Beach, Va., on Dec. 18, 2024.
Ty Harris, director of diversity, equity and inclusion for Virginia Beach City Public Schools, applauds students at an event at the Virginia Beach Higher Education Center at Old Dominion University in Virginia Beach, Va., on Dec. 18, 2024.
Parker Michels-Boyce for Education Week
Equity & Diversity What the Latest Civil Rights Data Show About Racial Disparities in Schools
The U.S. Department of Education released new data from 2021-22 covering students' access to STEM courses, school discipline, and more.
7 min read
Photograph of three student engineers working on a new mechanical model. Multi-ethnic group of young people in a STEM class.
Alvarez/E+
Equity & Diversity Opinion No, Culturally Responsive Education Is Not a Synonym for CRT
If you're confused about what culturally responsive teaching means, here is guidance from educators on how to avoid common misconceptions.
10 min read
Conceptual illustration of classroom conversations and fragmented education elements coming together to form a cohesive picture of a book of classroom knowledge.
Sonia Pulido for Education Week