“You have too much potential to go into teaching.” This is what I was told as a high school junior by my AP teacher. Although I was accustomed to hearing variations of this sentiment – mostly from neighbors, peers, and friends of my family – I was especially confused and crushed to hear it from my own teacher. This particular teacher was one of the best educators I had ever had, and she prided herself on empowering her students to accomplish their dreams. At that time, she was also a mother to a young child on the cusp of entering public school, and an advocate for social justice and equity.
Yet, when I told her I wanted to be a teacher, she laughed at me. She casually suggested I choose a different career given how well I performed in her class. Looking back, I still don’t fully understand why she laughed in that moment. Perhaps it was because of her own challenging work conditions. I suspect a lack of respect made my teacher feel frustrated and less likely to encourage her “star pupils” to pursue the same profession that she felt trapped in. Nevertheless, at the time, the conversation stunned me.
Afterwards, as I paced in my kitchen, deeply hurt and confused, I reflected that I likely wasn’t the only high-performing student repeatedly steered away from teaching. I suspected that my peers received similar comments, and feared many might even abandon their plans to work in education as a result of this feedback. At the same time, I knew from research that many public schools, especially high-need urban and rural schools, face routine challenges in finding enough qualified teachers, especially in math, science, and special education classrooms. The teacher shortage disproportionately affects vulnerable students, causing challenging education inequities.
Reflecting on my personal and political values, and recalling the joy I experienced working with elementary school students, rekindled my interest in becoming an elementary school teacher. I simultaneously began researching the social dynamics and pressures that hinder the teaching profession so I could help shift this culture.
In late 2014, about eighteen months after my distressing conversation with my teacher, I discovered the Teacher-Powered Schools movement. As I browsed the website, ideas clicked into place – both student learning and the prestige of teaching can improve if we reimagine how schools are structured! Discovering the many benefits of how teacher powered schools create student-centered learning inspired me to found and launch a student-run organization. AlignEd’s mission is to mobilize college students around child-centered learning and educator leadership.
Many of our members find teacher-powered schools to be more attractive than traditionally structured schools. From my perspective, this is largely because educators in teacher-powered schools have more autonomy in their work environment, which allows for deeper learning among students. Furthermore, in these schools teachers are respected as professionals and trusted to make meaningful decisions. Many of our members plan to work in teacher-powered schools, and some have decided to work in education rather than pursue other professions, specifically because they learned about teacher-powered schools and related opportunities.
Based on my experience as a prospective educator, spreading the word about teacher-powered schools can play an important part in addressing the teacher shortage.
In the four years since my AP teacher laughed at me for my interest in school teaching, I have learned strategies for turning discouraging moments like this into productive conversations about educator leadership and education equity. Many of these strategies have been shared by other preservice and in-service educators who are committed to child-centered education. For example, asking open-ended questions, listening deeply to answers people provide, and pointing to concrete examples of equitable, teacher-powered schools, such as the Social Justice Humanitas Academy in Los Angeles, CA, often lead to productive conversations about educator leadership and education equity.
If you have other ideas, please don’t hesitate to reach out. Through collaborative conversations and action, we can collectively address the teacher shortage issue, and promote education equity, at all stages of our career.
https://www.teachingquality.org/turning-too-smart-to-teach-into-a-moment-of-motivation/
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