We're In Charge

As NEA President Dennis Van Roekel put it, "It is time for us [educators] to transform public education by taking charge of our profession." I couldn't agree more with Mr. Van Roekel's assessment.

Teachers understand students, their behaviors and what makes them tick. Teachers have specialized training in their subject area(s) and know how to connect subject matter to students needs. But something is missing in the profession where novices, so called 'reformers' and those who run government see themselves as self annointed or self appointed educational professionals.

I'm not going to spend this space, today, discrediting such people; rather, I want to make a plea for those of us who have taught and are still involved in the profession to take charge.

Taking charge has many meanings and the possibilities are endless but, the bottom line is that teachers and our unions need to get back out in front of the pack when it comes to taking responsibility for what takes place within those four walls called the classroom. Don't get me wrong, this isn't about a dictatorship run by union bosses; rather, it is a profound collaborative process that involves many constituents. The point is that teachers need to come to the fore to organize such partnerships.

Over the next couple of days, I will lay out some ideas, some already in practice and others that need to be considered as the real professionals lay the groundwork for leading education into the future.

Dick