Rochester teachers are getting slammed by new evaluations that fail to take account of widespread student poverty. 40% of the teachers across the city have been told they are below par and must prepare remediation plans. The Rochester Teachers Association has filed suit with the New York Supreme Court. In Syracuse, even high school gym […]

Many of us grow discouraged when we see that our voices, even when we use them, go unheard and are left all too isolated. But maybe the pain has to really get intense to motivate more of us to begin to step up. In any case, as challenges increase teachers ARE speaking up — and […]

So here’s the last word from Teachers Speak Up for the crazy year of 2013. I know most of you, or your educator colleagues, have been shy about telling your own story to the public. But how about sharing some info about the real story on the US PISA test rankings. OK, you’ve been so […]

Back on Sept. 28 in Chicago, we heard a group of teachers and others tell education success stories in TEDx videos now. As the organizer of this event, I’m excited to have you see and hear them. Just search TEDxwellsStreetED on Youtube — or visit our website, www.TEDxWellsStreetED.com . Hear Chicago TV journalist Carol Marin […]

While it may have been a quiet holiday for most of us, the Illinois state legislature was busy readying a vote to reduce pensions for teachers and state employees, as a way to address the under-funding of the pension system. Of course, no one seems to talk about the legislature’s habit of skipping required payments […]

Lots of people saying it right now. Here’s blogger Beth Shaum saying it cogently in a post on her site, Use Your Outside Voice.  Happily, she includes a brief portrait of an outstanding classroom for adults. Then there are a string of comments responding to the blog post, “Why Teachers Should Educate the Public About […]

One of the challenges to getting teachers’ voices heard by the public is finding media outlets that will support this. But there are a number of solutions to this — and we hope that learning about some of them will help teachers to begin speaking up and telling the world about our important work. Teachers […]

May 7th is supposed to be Teacher Appreciation Day. If only we were! In any case, this would be an excellent occasion to explain to the community just exactly what we should be appreciated for (and if you’re a Teachers Speak Up follower, you know exactly what I’d like you to do). In an op-ed […]

Here’s a guest blog by our TSU partner Marilyn Hollman: Tell your stories. That’s what Teachers Speak Up is all about. Teachers are optimists or they would never be able to return on Monday. But to spend time writing, whether a letter or a speech, takes energy. A burning purpose or question and an audience […]

Today I’m off to the conference of the Urban Sites of the National Writing Project — where I’ll urge teachers to speak out about their work, and I’ll emphasize that this is about social justice — that is, support for the public education that can make a difference in the lives of poor and minority […]