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 […]

It’s great to see that at least sometimes good schools and teachers are appreciated in the press. Here are two great school stories recognized publicly. First, a whole school district in Hartsville, SC, is working with community partners and a retired corporate CEO to implement a whole-child approach to kids’ learning (developed by child psychologist […]

I spent last weekend at the National Writing Project Urban Sites conference in Birmingham, AL, and what a weekend it was. Along with the usual events at a conference of educators, the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute held its own convention. So we heard about the city’s history of civil rights action from people who participated […]

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 […]

For an NCTE podcast, NLU Professor Harry Ross and I interviewed Joanne Trahanas, a smart retired principal who encourages teacher voice. Joanne’s words will help teachers understand that if they speak up thoughtfully, administrators will appreciate and support them, rather than come down on them. We know that teachers worry about this, so give a […]

More and more teachers are telling why they keep teaching. It looks like Beth Shaum’s video on her blog Use Your Outside Voice — which we featured on this site just yesterday — really struck a chord. Beth has received statements from a number of additional teachers & posted them. Here’s Collette Bennett’s way of […]

OK, let’s get serious and look at some numbers. I’m in the Chicago metro area, so I’ll focus on Illinois. A national study shows Illinois is the second worst state in the union for funding disparity between high and low poverty-level schools. This partly results from shortfalls in state aid to schools. In recent years, […]

I don’t usually write more than one blog post per day. But I spent yesterday late afternoon with a wonderful group and I had better tell about it right now. After an intense day of teaching, a dozen teachers who research their classrooms to improve learning have gathered in a seminar sponsored by the Chicago […]

Readers, please take a look at this powerful, great video on why teachers stay with the job, made by teacher Beth Shaum. Then visit her blog, Use Your Outside Voice. And now, if you’re a teacher, ask yourself: wouldn’t it be wise to take just a few minutes each week — in spite of the […]