Be the Change

Let's face it-public schools have a bad reputation. Britney Spears circa 2007 bad.

   Some of the negative press is deserved, and it is known that a major transformation (note, not reformation) is necessary to best serve today's students. The systematic changes needed to achieve this goal are far too complex and conditional for this blogger to touch on at the moment, but I'd like to get back to our reputation.
   The media and public opinion of our school system is nothing if not disheartening. If we are all on the same team, with ONE common goal (prepare all American children for their best future), why are we distracting ourselves with the constant finger pointing? What does it serve to defame our most important institution?
   For one, because schools are so vital to our country, the public has every right to feel cheated and angry when they think schools are failing their children. There is so much at stake, with an ever-heavy burden thrust upon the shoulders of those responsible for our future. It makes sense for people to become vocal in response to what they hear or think they know.
   But is it all bad? And more tragic, is it all true? As a public school teacher, I feel bombarded with articles, videos, infographics, and Facebook posts circulating around that are not only completely absurd, they're so willingly accepted as objective news. Trust me, if I believed everything I heard, saw, or read about education, I'd be livid as well. How can we dispel this negative (and false) press without coming off as defensive or attacking? Has this always been an obstacle for educators, or has it been propelled by the information over-sharing era?
   Don't get me wrong, many of the circulating untruths are inconsequential, but in a system completely dependent of the government and its taxpayers we are remiss if think public opinion is unimportant. We want to work with the public, to shine the light of truth, and listen to their concerns. If we continue an 'us vs. them' mentality, we ultimately fail the children.
   So what's my point? My point is a call to action from those in education: teachers, leaders, classified staff, students. If enough is publicized about what's wrong with schools, we are responsible for sharing all that is right in schools. Privacy rights in mind, I encourage you to share the wonderful things going on at your school or in your classroom. Be the positive PR representative your school so desperately needs. Answer questions, clarify misconceptions respectfully, be the change. More importantly (I can't overstate this), please stop being negative. Every time you post on social media that you dread Monday, you need a bottle of wine after how bad your students were, or about how frustrating your district is, you are broadcasting to the public they are right in their presumptions about public schools and their educators. I'm no saint, I've been guilty of this to a degree, but that's why I'm trying to be the change I want to see.
   My new mission is to share one positive/clarifying thing about public schools each day. So far, I have found that in the process of sharing, I inherently instill more love for what I have been called to do-teach children.


What message are you giving?