Want to know why the Badass Association of Teachers were created.
It is because of stories like this one.
Amanda wanted to be a teacher for as long as she can remember. She loved teaching. She was laid off. Thousands of other teachers could tell the same story.
Does anyone care?
Teachers care. They know that they could be next. That’s why the BAT gathered more than 20,000 members in only two weeks.
There is poison in the air. It is toxic to teachers and to children. It is time to say no. It is time to join the resistance.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
There is poison in the air.
Perhaps the lesson to be learned is: “An eviscerated curriculum is an easily testable curriculum.” As Dr. Ravitch noted over a decade ago:
“Suppose most of our nation’s schools, through some unknown mechanism, decided to stop teaching history and literature. Suppose our educators went along with this practice because it was so widely accepted, and so far advanced, that no one person could stop it. Individual teachers might still be allowed to make their idiosyncratic decisions about what to teach. Social studies teachers with a keen interest in history could still teach it, and language arts teachers would be left undisturbed if they decided to teach The Scarlet Letter, Moby Dick, Gilgamesh, or whatever literary remnants of a bygone culture they personally valued. Such teachers could be safely ignored, because everyone else would understand that such people were renegades who in time would retire and disappear.
“We are not at that point of cultural amnesia yet. But our schools are moving perceptibly in that direction – and no one seems to know how to reverse the trend.”
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All that glisters is sometimes the poison of Plutocratonium.
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Dr. Naison has started something special! https://www.facebook.com/groups/BadAssTeachers/
As for the name and logo? Some people have complained…- I like it, and I know some are worried that it reflects a “leftist” political edge… 2 points… 1 – Far left politics ended slavery, let women vote, craeted the 40 hour, 8 hr a day work week, gave us child labor laws, gave birth to unions, created the 1st middle class on earth, launched the civil rights movement… and built the public schools… 2 – This is not a game, lives are at stake… The corporate profiteering that is destroying our public schools is also destroying the lives of children… Respectfully, … perhaps this movement is not for the shy, image aware, or faint of heart…
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Far left politics…
Really? ‘Cause the Library of Congress tells a different story:
Battle Hymn of the Republic (published by the Supervisory Committee for Recruiting Colored Regiments): As he died to make men holy let us die to make men free, While God is marching on.
Or how about Ye Olde Deluder Satan and (later) Horace Mann? Today’s leftists barely pay Mann lip service.
Maybe a PSA is needed: “Teachers don’t let teachers turn BAT into DAT.”
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Sorry Eric, just trying to make a point…
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Actually the republicans ended slavery….the democrats fought Lincoln tooth and nail over his Republican stance on ending slavery!
The first black senator…Hiram Revels (1870-1876) was a Republican.
18 southern DEMOCRATS filibustered the Civil Rights Act in 1964 (the substitute bill that actually passed was a bi-partisan bill).
In the 2008 campaign…the majority of the donations made by banks and Wall Street Investment firms along with about 100 of the top corporations went to DEMOCRATS.
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The Republicans were left or liberal during Lincoln’s time. The Democrats were the entrenched conservative party. Both parties flipped their political philosophies beginning in the 1930’s during the New Deal era. Southern Democrats fought tooth and nail to remain Democrats until the Republican party began to be more conservative in the 1960’s. Heck they even formed splinter Democratic parties trying to stay in.
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These are very difficult times for teachers, mainly because of the effects of the Great Recession and the hustlers who have discovered public education as a new pot of gold. I believe times will change but until they do, people like Amanda will have to make adjustments. If I were in her shoes, this is what I would do:
Prepare for jobs that are there right now, such as speech therapist.
If you have access to a house, start a daycare center and preschool.
Find out if there are any places in the United States or abroad that need teachers. Consider applying there.
If you are a member of a religion that has schools all over the world, consider working in a mission school.
Ask about related jobs and prepare for one. For example, the man next door to me lost his teaching job with the county. He found out that a company needed an experienced teacher to organize and conduct training sessions for employees. He’s had the job for over a year now and enjoys it.
Good luck to Amanda and all the other teachers out there!
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You know, I love Dr. Mark Naison’s writing, and his rapping. He’s been an excellent leader in the anti-corporate reform movement. But I cannot help but wonder why “Badass Teachers” was the name chosen.
Imagine this thing really taking off – getting into the press. I have a hard time imagining households listening to that name on the news and thinking a group of intelligent, passionate, righteous people are behind it. I’m afraid the name will immediately discredit the group in many people’s minds. And it will be pretty easy for opponents to take shots at it.
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From the perspective of a parent who supports the teachers, I agree with you. When I think of what I want for my children, and the many excellent teachers they have had, the kind of teacher I want them to have in the future, the last word that comes to mind is “badass”. It just conjures the wrong image.
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Badass may have different meanings for different people. It may depend on your culture or ethnic background. One of my uncles lived in the Bronx for decades. He said back in days a “badass” was “respected” in the neighborhood. He was a rebel who didn’t take any s#$t from anyone. I’m not disagreeing with you, but just giving you another of looking at the term.
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*back in the days…
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My uncle said he was a badass back in the 60s and early 70s because he and his cronies went against ” the establishment” to make things better for their neighborhood. BAT wants to do the same. Go against this so-called education reform movement to make things better for children and teachers.
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What is the Badass Teacher Association? A diverse group of families and education professionals who wish to reclaim America’s public education system.
Founders: Priscilla Sanstead, Dr. Mark Naison, Marla Kilfoye
Our mission: Badass Teachers Association was created to give voice to every teacher who refuses to be blamed for the failure of our society to erase poverty and inequality through education. BAT members refuse to accept assessments, tests and evaluations created and imposed by corporate driven entities that have contempt for authentic teaching and learning.
Our goals: BATs aim to reduce or eliminate the use of high stakes testing, increase teacher autonomy in the classroom and work to include teacher and family voices in legislative decision-making processes that affect students.
Group guidelines: We are a rich and diverse group of education professionals and concerned citizens/families who strive to engage in discourse that improves our profession. We encourage dialogue about many hot-button issues but page administrators reserve the right to delete comments, threads, and (if necessary) individuals from the group that do not engage in respectful civil discourse. Decisions to remove comments, threads or individuals are not taken lightly. All potential removals are subject to review by group founders. Examples of offensive remarks/comments fall under but are not limited to: homophobic or racist comments, personal agendas (i.e.- seeking to profit off of published books or merchandise), bullying, excessive or inappropriate use of vulgarity, or comments that conflict with the established mission or goals of BAT.
Actions: BAT will engage in organized group actions such as phone calls, emails, or letter writing. These actions will be announced as timely as possible so it will allow all members an opportunity to be a part of the action.
A note on the name: There have been many discussions about the name of the group. There are some who feel it is offensive or unprofessional to use the word “badass” and are uncomfortable with its use. We disagree. As Dr. Naison says: “We’ve had enough. We are not your doormats. We are not your punching bags. We are some of the hardest working, most idealistic people in this country and we are not going to take it anymore. We are going to stand up for ourselves, and stand up for our students even if no organization really supports us. We are Badass. We are legion. And we will force the nation to hear our voice!”
We hope that conversations about changing the name no longer continue. To that end, page administrators have been asked to end or delete any comments and/or threads where this becomes the topic. Our intention is to promote the goals of the group and move forward with our efforts.
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There are enough “professional” teacher organizations out there and many have sold teachers and education out by agreeing to unproven and detrimental practices such as agreeing to teacher appraisal systems that include student test measures and supporting the rushed implementation of Common Core, the brainchild of the brutish David Coleman. Say, both NEA and AFT?
Then Texas Education Commissioner Robert Scott rejected the Common Core as those that met with him could produce no documentation, only empty promises. Another reason that he rejected the Common Core is that Texas was in the middle of implementing its own untested mess, STAAR. Before resigning a little over a year ago, he correctly stated that testing was out-of-hand and was corrupting education. He now speaks with various groups as a anti-Jeb of sorts. He’s a badass.
By my reckoning, it was about 18 months from Scott’s speech to the evisceration of STAAR as teachers, parents, students and businesses organized and lobbied elected officials at all levels from local school boards to the Governor and change happened. My sincere hope is that by this time next year, Arne will be gone and Common Core will be a bad memory and we can get back to teaching the kids in front of us using our education, experience and empathy in making our decisions.
When teaching, sometimes we come across extreme language in literature and primary source documents in high school history or humanities classes. On occasion, a parent would object. My response was and is that the human experience varies greatly and that in the most painful and extreme circumstances, human expression can reflect those conditions. Education reform is creating such a situation for those of us that love education and have devoted our lives to kids and the classroom.
I won’t go gently in that night. I am a teacher. My wife is a teacher. My daughters are in public middle and high schools here in Houston, Texas whose Board is littered with reformers and whose Superintendent is in league with reformers. One Board trustee regularly blogs reform tripe that slams teachers and supports initiatives that are damaging to education. Check it here: http://paper.li/harvinmoore/1295711527
When your leadership regularly attacks you, you get mad. When you can’t do the job you love and trained for, you get angry. When you get mad, you get your ass in gear.
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This makes one proud to be a BAT.
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“When your leadership regularly attacks you, you get mad. When you can’t do the job you love and trained for, you get angry. When you get mad, you get your ass in gear.”
Perfect!!!
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mirtorgov.ru http://mirtorgov.ru/?p=34383
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I am a public school teacher working in a minority district that is led by a very well organized movement that is determined to dumb-down our students. My teacher’s union, Labor Relations office, building PTA president and a few of my principal’s “foot-soldiers” are complicit, leaving concerned teachers and parents with limited options. I have not received any replies from the State Whistleblower line and our politicians are just typical self-serving representatives. Can anyone advice on how to expose this crime. Also since our union sold us out, how can we be protected from continued systematic abuses?
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