Have you noticed that national commissions and panels of “experts” often have no working teachers? Consequently, there is a lot of grumbling about the lack of “teacher voice” in decisions affecting the classroom. Now a group of teachers has decided to do something about it instead of just grumbling.
They created a new organization called CAPE (Coalition Advocating for Public Education). They attend board meetings and represent the teacher voice. Silent no more! What if teachers did this in every school district? This is an example of the power of organized voices. They don’t need to sign up every teacher in Nashville. They just need a few teachers who are dedicated, articulated, and fearless. And they need to follow through. They will make a difference.
Here is their inaugural press release from last week:
Nine teachers will be using their teacher voices to speak before the Metro Nashville Public Schools board of education on Tuesday, Nov. 10. Their topic will be the impact of high-stakes testing on their classrooms.
The teachers are a part of a campaign recently launched by the Middle Tennessee Coalition Advocating for Public Education (CAPE).
“When you tell teachers to ‘use their teacher voice’, it means to speak loudly and clearly, with the kind of authority that brings immediate order to a chaotic classroom,” said Amanda Kail, an English as a second language teacher at Margaret Allen Middle Prep and one of the founders of CAPE. “As teachers, we deal with the consequences of chaos brought into our profession by the so-called reform movement. Many people are talking about the best way to fix schools, but our policy-makers need to remember that we are the experts in education, and it is time to voice that expertise for our profession, our students, and our communities.”
The coalition was started by a handful of public school teachers and regional organizations who advocate for public schools, teachers, and students. CAPE is planning to recruit more teachers to speak at the school board meetings every month. They are also planning other events, such as a panel exploring the impact of “Zero Tolerance Discipline” on November 17.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
After the TN teachers’ union was basically shut down leaving the organization powerless, I am glad to see the teachers of TN rising up on their own.
Believe me, I share your frustration with the loss of bargaining rights, but I have to say that the Tennessee Education Association has been very supportive in our efforts with CAPE. I think they realize that the model of being a professional organization requires teachers to speak as professionals, and so they have given us a lot of support in terms of resources, training and logistical support and encouraged us to lead. I think they have come to realize that any testimony is most powerful when it comes from actual teachers, not necessarily from union staff. Also TEA and our local affiliate MNEA are members of CAPE. I encourage teachers to get involved in their local and state education association and work towards making it what you need and want. After all, WE are the union.
Thank you for highlighting our efforts in Nashville! Along with others, I spoke at our recent school board meeting, and the feedback from other teachers has been overwhelmingly positive. More teachers have been inspired and are thinking of speaking up in future meetings. Our coalition is made up of parents, teachers, and community groups. We’re hoping to spark a real movement of teachers and parents here…. We sure do need it here!!
Great!
Quiet No More!
Please capitalize on RETIRED Teachers.
They cannot be written up, harrassed on the job, flogged in the town square, their heads shaved and paraded through town, isolated or fired.
RETIRED but not invisible!
Best of luck!
Isn’t that what the leaderships of the major teacher unions should be doing?
Yes, but they often are not listening to us teachers either, so it is up to us to step forward to get our voices heard.
Yes, but I also think it is more powerful when actual teachers do the speaking. The unions are controversial for a number of reasons, but teachers’ stories from the classroom have a lot of moral authority.
I was being sarcastic. The union leaders have aided and abetted the “reformers” in my opinion.
Teachers in Miami-Dade have taken to speaking at monthly school board meetings as well. You can read some of their speeches here https://kafkateach.wordpress.com/2015/10/15/school-board-gets-schooled-by-floridas-real-best-and-brightest/
Go, teachers, go!
Reblogged this on 21st Century Theater.
How about retired teachers? Do these warriors who are willing to stand up to corruption and speak out have to still be teaching?
I would LOVE to see retired teachers doing this! If you are in Nashville, find us at https://www.facebook.com/MTCAPE/?fref=ts
Sorry. California SF Bay Area
Thank you, Tennessee teachers, for modeling good practice for all of us. And thank you, Diane Ravitch, for continually arming us with the knowledge and inspiration we need, and of which we would otherwise be ignorant.
How do I join CAPE?
Are you in Nashville? You can find us on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/MTCAPE/?fref=ts. We are a coalition of organizers, so the best thing is to come to one of our events. You can also give us your contact info at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1lb053E7bRfui0HJ6S3w4hD5F4LfR7Bklg6JRihwCi48/viewform
I hope it’s not too late.
Like.
Do these people also plan on coming to Memphis for, say, Shelby County School Board meetings?
We are Nashville teachers so it seems best that we stick to our own district. But we are definitely talking to Memphis Shelby County teachers about how we can coordinate efforts. Are you connected to any teacher organizers in that district?