Now is the Time

Jose -
This is a big week for teachers all over the country. It is a time when we can all really take an honest look at our nation’s school system and make some decisions about our priorities. In my last post I mentioned discussions about the purpose of schooling. If we can move past arguments of the true purpose of schooling towards a shared vision for our public schools we may take some steps off of this cyclical beaten path. If teachers can start to accept that education is  a compromise of civic idealism, personal good for students, and social good we might have some more productive things to talk about. 

If teachers are able to seize the mic and make it clear just what we we do care about, as a pluralistically defined professional community in a pluralistic nation, I can see an end to the reform wars. I can see an end to the colonization of education by profiteers and political running backs looking for the game winning touchdown for their campaign trail. I can see a much more stable educational system defined from the classroom into society. 

Now is the time Jose. I know that your speech Saturday at about 1 pm on the Elipse in Washington D.C. will be a defining moment for teacher voice in the future of teaching and learning. Sure, Matt Damon (actor), Linda Darling-Hammond (researcher), and Diane Ravitch (historian) will be on stage but you, you are a teacher. I can’t wait to hear your speech. I know you will rock the mic like only a teacher can. We will be listening to a teacher tell it like it is, for the first of many times to come.

Tagged as: sosmarch, Teaching2030, wakinggiant

About the author

John Holland

J.M. Holland is pursuing his doctorate at Virginia Commonwealth University where he serves as a National Board coach, mentor, and workshop presenter. His current passions include ethics in educational policy, teacher leadership, and 21st century learning. He is also a relentlessly positive professional artist, education writer and professional developer. John believes the alchemy of creativity, technology, and education is the key to a brighter future.