We miss you our Power House Union Truth to Power Badass Teacher Voice Karen Lewis
A question what asked today on Badass Teachers Facebook page:
“Hi everyone. Music teacher (21years) here.
If you have a moment, please chime in on these topics. I am trying to get a wider perspective.
• Have today students become more resistant to learning?
• Are you experiencing more behavioral difficult difficulties than in the past during class?
• What ways have students changed in recent years?
• Has teaching become more difficult?
I sure appreciate any thoughts you are willing to share. Anything you say remains 100% anonymous. Thanks”
I responded
No Child Left Behind, (NCLB), shifted the focus from teachers being judged by how creatively they engaged their students to the only thing that matters are test scores in our schools.
That shift also siphoned off billions of dollars from actual services for students, to standards, expensive tech-based data systems, and testing. Equity is not everyone taking the same test. I can’t emphasize enough how harmful that loss of services has been to Black, Brown, and Special Education students. This is child abuse!
Former CTU president Karen Lewis who passed away from cancer helped teachers in Chicago understand what we do to children, we do to teachers, and frame the battle against these high-stakes and school choice education reformers as a Civil Rights battle.
What I am seeing is a loss of humanity that abuses children and teachers, I would even call it, trauma. This trauma began in 2002 and drained everyone's energy. Teaching and learning are becoming more and more exhausting. We also have very few places to safely discuss this. BATS is one of the few safe places left.
I wish Karen Lewis was still with us, no one understood it better or stood taller.
Respectfully,
Dr. Jesse P. Turner
Uniting to Save Our Schools
Badass Teacher
If you like to listen to the tune that inspired my morning walk it is Teach the Children cover by Play for Change > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5AuFDHdrrg <
"That shift also siphoned off billions of dollars from actual services for students, to standards, expensive tech-based data systems, and testing. Equity is not everyone taking the same test. I can’t emphasize enough how harmful that loss of services has been to Black, Brown, and Special Education students. This is child abuse!" exactly!
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