Baddass Teachers Association Unleashes Powers Teachers Already Posses

The success of the Badass Teachers Association is a tribute to the incredible creativity and courage of the thousands of teachers who have joined it. I am blown away by it, but not completely surprised. Because this is the kind of creativity and courage that teachers show every day in their classrooms, in their dealings with individual students, and in the many out of classroom student clubs, and activities they direct

But for the most part, teachers have not shown these traits in fighting to project their voice into the national political arena or influencing education policy. For the most part their actions addressing those in power have been polite, respectful, almost deferential.

But that approach hasn't worked. It has led the Billionaires that fund School Reform, and the elected officials that do their bidding, to feel that teachers can be intimidated, bribed and sweet talked into accepting policies that undermine their power, autonomy, and professional status, and make schools places where students dread to go.

What the Badass Teachers Association has done is put teachers in touch with powers they already possess, that they DISPLAY EVERY DAY on their jobs, and have them project that power into the public arena.

That is a beautiful thing. And something that may yet help turn the nation away from an obsession with standardization and testing that is stifling teaching and learning all cross the country.

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