On advocacy and activism

                                      


In light of a long, rambling, preachy facebook post on one of the several online teacher networks, I should tell you I'm not at school today. I am in Oklahoma City with my family. I mention why later but I just wanted to make sure anyone thought I was slacking off at work...

I was asked by a friend who works for an organization that does things to make Oklahoma better (vague enough) to share how the budget cuts in Oklahoma have impacted my professional and personal situation. It was a broadly specific set of questions and I was happy to do it. I guess if you teach long enough and let people who are smarter than you know that, they will ask you things because, after all, you're a teacher. And as a teacher you are (at least I am) going to answer those questions. It's a chance to help so I filled out the responses (I'll let you know what I hear).

Being asked this question made me think... And its what you would like to discuss today. I'm a teacher and I know what that means... Am I anything else? Am I supposed to be anything else? Is there something else I should be doing?

Teachers (or at least I do) often struggle with where exactly that line between state employee and activist and advocate is. It is too easy to assume people will just do what they are supposed to. Education will always receive copious amounts of lip service. Everyone "supports" education. Then why are we so behind and where does all that support go? There are thousands of Educators active in the political process throughout the state that engage and support our state leaders. But not nearly enough of us do this consistently. At least, in part, political inactivity and a social naivete is killing us. It is setting us up for failure on a spectacular level. We are actively drowning in a sea of narcissistic, self-loathing empty success. We think we are number one, when there is no evidence to give us that assumption. We delude ourselves into thinking the way we have always done it will  just magically work one day. Then, when we keep making it not work, we get all surprised and bothered.. We have to do better that and begins with engagement, participation, and advocacy.

So how do we do that ethically and professionally? As teachers we are paid for by tax dollars. There are and should be protections, for all involved. The students are a captive audience, easily manipulated, and their parents are the final arbiters of most aspects of their development and social awareness. I get that. I definitely do not want my children subject to extreme indoctrination or on political issues in the classroom setting. Reasonable people can have reasonable conversations about those lines and it's not something that is going to be solved anytime soon or in any specific way. It requires a mature attitude and mindset. 

But what are we supposed to do when that which is what we do and are is under attack? Should we just allow this to happen? One critical peculiarity of our profession is its entanglement in so many lives and pieces of our culture and communities. It really does affect everyone. And there is no getting around that.


So I believe we have to advocate. We have to lobby. We have to make sure our voices are heard. After all, this is a democracy (kind of) right? If we don't, no one else will, and it's not just gonna happen. I would also submit it is our duty, especially if we have found ourselves in the camp complaining of the decisions and actions of the State legislature and leaders. If we are not willing to help and contribute in some way, we really should stop complaining. I don't think we are going to stop complaining... So let's get active and involved.

I haven’t spoken much about this on this platform but my youngest child and only daughter has been battling Leukemia for the past two years. She has responded well to most all treatments. However, there still remain trace elements of the cancer in her system so earlier this year we began the process of her undergoing a bone marrow transplant. I will write about it all in my next post (now that I’ve brought it up) but I brought it up to say the transplant doctor and team is at Children’s Hospital in Oklahoma City. She's been there for over a month and will be there until later this Summer. Her mother is staying with her and her brothers are staying on this side of the state to continue school. We are spread pretty thin and make a lot of trips to the City. It is where i am today. 

                                                                           

The hospital is located near the State Capitol and the nearest sonic and On Cue are at 23rd and Santa Fe right below (literally) the Capitol. That stretch of 23rd St in Oklahoma City is named the Clara Luper corridor.


I see that sign almost every time I travel to Oklahoma City. You do too if you take the Broadway Extension or 23rd St to get to the Capitol. That should mean something to us. If you don’t know her story, get to know it. Do it now, I'll wait..., then come back here. If you know it, great. I sure hope you share it when it's appropriate, or even when it isn't. She's an amazing story and she is a member of our education family. We need to find that piece of our profession again, and fight for our kids unequivocally
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If Clara Luper and her students can take action in the way they did, surely we can tweet, email, blog, chat, and discuss topics with our students. Should it be civil? Yes. Will it be controversial? Yeah. Will people be upset? Probably. You'll most likely be one of them at some point, but that is the point. Ideas aren't clean. And knowledge isn’t always pleasant, linear, and pre-boxed with a script and score. We have to be grown ups about grownup things.



We could start with this....