One thing is clear: far too much of the public doesn’t understand the nature and complexity of what we do. As a result, when problematic “reforms” are imposed and teachers oppose them, we are seen as obstructionist, simply protecting our jobs and pay. But when we don’t tell the story of our teaching widely and frequently to the public then someone else owns the narrative.

That’s where Teachers Speak Up comes in. We want to help teachers do more of the telling. Then, hopefully, some counter-productive policies don’t get enacted in the first place. Or if they do get proposed, the support for them is weakened and more thoughtful improvements get developed, with more teacher input on their design.

An example: I was talking with a special education teacher last night. Many of her students are either highly transient or frequently seriously ill or otherwise out of her classroom. Yet she’s still held accountable for their test score improvements. In one case a student was with her for just 11 days, and yet she had to give and report his pre- and post-test scores. OK, she could file a request for an exception — but now we’re talking about lots more paperwork instead of productive use of her time. But does this kind of thing get explained to the public? Not nearly often enough.

So if you’re a teacher — or a supportive parent — check out one of the strategies on this website and start trying it out NOW.