Time to play offense
Yesterday, I posted my concerns regarding the nice mess we find ourselves in. It cause quite a stir and as my Twitter feed lit up I began to realize that it’s time to get the offense on the field. So let’s play offense!
Legendary football coach Vince Lombardi said, “The measure of who we are is what we do with what we have.” So let’s do what we do best. Teach!
It’s time to take control of the national conversation on education. For too long we have endured the negative comments, the sly remarks, the feigned concerns about education, the unwarranted accusations, and the false data that has turned us into our nation’s scapegoats. Well it’s time to use what we have and get that offensive team on the field.
So how do we play offense?
I will not pretend to know all that we can or should do. I welcome your ideas and comments. We need to begin developing a new paradigm for educators. One that will never play defense again, one that will never negotiate our expertise, rights, and beliefs away.
So let me start with a few plays of my own.
- Make it your mission to teach all those naysayers.
- Never sit by quietly when our profession is marginalized in personal and public conversations.
- Challenge those that present negative generalizations using inaccurate data.
- Publicize your accomplishments in your classrooms and private lives.
- Those with tenure, start acting like you have tenure.
- Most contracts have academic freedom clauses, use it.
- Expose fraudulent practices.
- Challenge your administrators to provide resources you really need.
- View ‘ new research’ with skepticism because real research can endure it.
- Hold your elected representatives accountable, challenge their statements, call, and hound them.
- Zealously defend your profession
- Support your union while at the same time demand they never negotiate our confidentiality away.
- Challenge textbook publishers
- Demand respect, responsibility, and rights
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