A reader responds to another post:
I agree we need to do all of what you say, god knows I do, but I’m worried that we may exchange the support we give to each other and ourselves for a quiet waiting, a further hunkering down. Make no mistake, teaching is a gender issue for all of us as well as anything else. We are in a classic abusive relationship with ed deform. Most of us are women, and we are being treated in a traditionally determined way because of it. We are being treated like children: told what to do, how to think, our professional lives run from the top, told to “shut up and teach.”
This year, the state I teach in underwent the most devastating pension theft in the country. There were groups that escaped unscathed:judges, correctional officers, and state police. The word was that the legislature couldn’t pass the “reforms” if they angered these male dominated groups. So, of course, who bore the brunt of the theft? Teachers and state worker were the target–women and low wage workers.
This is a fight. This is a time for being a “bad ass,” not in the classroom like some militaristic charters, but outside the classroom, where the battles are taking place. We as a predominately female profession, we cannot continue to make nice with our enemies. We can’t be the nurturer outside our classroom walls. It’s way too late for collaboration, sucking up, keeping our heads down, and getting along.
What should we do and how should we do it? I don’t know. What I do know is that what we are doing now isn’t working. The enemy is at the gate, and we are still trying to figure out what to do. They are attacking and we are talking.
I agree, and what a great testimony that in your state the more powerful male-dominated government positions did not have their pensions attacked. Last spring I was talking with one of our system’s Broad Fellows about my concerns with the Broad philosophy and approach. The Broad Fellow is a young African-American man who seemed well-intentioned. He had a background in business and many women in his family history who were educators he clearly respected. He seemed surprised when I used the word paternalistic in my criticisms of Broad and the other members of the Billionaire Boys’ Club. I explained that in a traditionally female-dominated profession, it seemed awfully arrogant to come in and decide for “us” what we needed…and I pointed out that it also seemed like the men in charge were interested in trading in the “old” teachers for the newbies…kind of like some men trade in their first wives for a younger model. Did our conversation make a difference? Not sure, but it made him think.
And yet, in my school district, some of the most oppressive and misguided key educational decision-makers are women.
I’ve seen my share of the ones you describe, readingexchange. Are they competing for recognition? Are they a bit insecure, so they act out in the ways that are often displayed and used by men? Are they trying to prove themselves? If they are, to whom. It’s not my idea of what women can and are capable to do as leaders.
Too many administrators are acting as middle managers, overwhelmed by unwieldy and sometimes conflicting mandates. Too often, educators are asking “how” policies should be implemented rather than “why” or whether they have value.
It’s hard to even enter the dialogue when the forces against us are so incredibly well funded as, most recently, this article reveals: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/02/back-to-school-education-cuts_n_1730792.html?utm_hp_ref=education.
Privatization and standardization will suck the support and the life out of our democracy if we allow it. We must not. We must fight. We owe it to the next generation.
This did not happen to education over night. It took right wing economist Hanushek about 40 years to find the audience who would buy into his VAM and confirmation biased research and run with his agenda. We don’t have that kind of time. We need to find the people who are willing to hear the truth today. I spend a lot of time looking for and contacting those people, because it’s going to take their support for us to be heard. So it’s a matter of who we are talking to, such as open-minded parents, media, politicians and famous people, and explaining the issues to them, because many folks just don’t understand what’s been happening and who the key players are in the dilemma.
High profile people with a true allegiance to progressive thinking, as well those sensitive to the issues of women and working people need to be contacted. How about reaching out to folks like Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Steven Spielberg, Michael Moore, Bill Moyers, Rachel Maddow and Frontline? How about talking to people whose parents have been teachers, like Ben Affleck, Matt Damon and Jennifer Lopez? I’ve contacted some of these folks, but I think they need to hear from a lot of others. We might need the support of just a few high profile people, to help others hear what’s been going on across the country, and to get the ball rolling in forming a national alliance in support of children, public education and teachers.
I think more people need to know that poverty is the real issue here and that, rather than addressing it, such as by requiring major corporations to pay a livable wage to the working poor, our government has just handed poverty over to teachers to fix for decades, while allowing the 1% to exploit workers and giving them tax credits for outsourcing jobs to other countries.
If more folks knew and that there is an anti-progressive Gates/Walton left-right alliance which has thrown out a lot of red herrings in order trash teachers and scape-goat them for not erradicating poverty, while attempting to turn public education into a for-profit enterprise, I think many would be looking for alternatives. Make a list of people who might care and go for it. Thank goodness for Diane, but she needs help and can’t do it all herself! We need to take action…
I was am so with you on informing the public. Teachers cannot do this alone unless we all agree to go on strike nationally or opt their students out of test taking. Many people don’t know the difference between charter schools and public schools but continue to support charter schools because they are not fully informed from both sides. They simply are not fully informed when it comes to education reform and how their tax dollars are being spent. NCLB would have been scraped sooner if the public understood it from its conception.
My young, adult children raised the gender bias in Wisconsin as soon as Walker had the words out of his mouth!
What an inspiring post, thank you. Trouble is the truth isn’t palatable, people identify with image. Our society has confused the powerful with the good, and until we can see materialism for what it is, all the stars in the sky can only twinkle.
But, what if Prof. W were to supervise the editing of a teacher’s publication for HR offices, therapists and other social support providers, and create a space that could serve to empower teacher to organize charters or other ‘products’ if we must think this way for now. Yes, yes, bring the stars, but let’s bring them to a bit more than our little solitary voices.
Unemployed teachers who try to organize might just be onto something. Are you listening Bill? (Moyers, not the other guy)
Great ideas, Grace!! I would be open to doing that. (If only I had the capability of going back and editing my own typos right here!)
I would absolutely love to conduct a research project that encompasses all of the United States, but I would need an awful lot of assistance. I would love to know what percentage of teachers (in all 50 states) are women. In 2009 , 71 % of the teachers in New York State were women. What is the percentage of women teachers in 2012 accross the U. S. It would be great if everyone investigated this information in their home state. If women in each state are the largest percentage of teachers, we should ALL consider filing Discrimination charges. What a statement that would make about this ridiculous school reform. Think about it!! We do have a VOICE!! We do VOTE!!! What a powerful force we could be !!!!
Cowgirl
Last year I did bring suit for discrimination based on age and sex discrimination, only to learn that the governor of New Mexico had targeted nonunion teachers and no human rights division protections from the state, or from the EEOC would be extended to me because, I was told, I was a government employee. After bringing the case twice. I don’t have the resources and even if I did, the lawyers aren’t helping the teachers.
http://www.ncei.com/POT05PRESSREL3.htm-This is a copy of a summary report from 2005 profiling teachers. I’m surfing…
http://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=28
Still surfing.