Groundbreaking Work from Ground UP Activism: The Heart of a Teacher 

By:  Jamy A. Brice-Hyde, M.Ed.

Today a joint press release issued from the BATs and the AFT revealed preliminary results that show teachers are more stressed than ever. The study designed in conjunction by a team of Badass Teachers and a leadership team of the American Federation of Teachers worked for over 6 months on the project. The survey titled the Quality of Work Life of Educators was a labor of love in honor of teachers who are suffering across this nation and have had their ability to speak out on behalf of themselves and their students marginalized. Public education is in a national crisis not because of teachers as the corporate education reformers want the public to think but because of failed politics and public policy.

 The Survey, the first of its kind, answered by over 31K educators from across the nation revealed what many BADASS TEACHERS already know. Teachers are enduring crisis level stress on a daily basis in their schools. The work environment is toxic to their health and well -being. The biggest stressor is implementation of the RTTT Initiatives with no support or training coupled with a toxic test and punish evaluation system. Educators are working harder than ever in their careers but 50% have lost the enthusiasm they joyfully had when they first came into the profession. Despite this staggering number,  fewer than 14% would consider a job in a different profession!

TEACHERS LOVE THEIR STUDENTS AND WILL ENDURE LIFE THREATENING STRESS TO ENSURE THEIR STUDENTS GET THE BEST POSSIBLE EDUCATION, THIS  IN SPITE OF THE POLITICIANS AND THEIR POLICIES! THIS IS THE HEART OF A TEACHER!

“How did this all come about?” so many have asked.

Back in September and October of 2014 the reports of suffering teachers on the BATs pages became overwhelming to a BAT friend and I, as it did to many of our BATs!!  I became so emotionally distraught over reports of teacher suicides that I fired off an email to Randi Weingarten sharing our story and asking her if she was aware of the magnitude of the crisis among our nations teachers.  Randi immediately responded she was aware and wanted to speak with us! She requested a conference call to listen to teachers stories. MY BADASS friend and I gathered up some amazing BATs and teachers we knew to join us on the conference call to speak truth to power.  The teachers who spoke had endured , themselves, unconscionable stress on their job sites.   It was a very emotional event as we listened to story after story of the abuse and stress the teaching profession was enduring. Many on the first call were brought to tears along with Randi.   Randi suggested we work together towards a solution. She assembled an extraordinary team from AFT to assist our BATS in defining an action plan. The plan came together in the survey many BATs participated in as well as members of the AFT. This is what GROUND UP unionism looks like! This is how BADASS Teachers Roll!

The survey is historic as no one has conducted a study on the work environment of teachers. The groundbreaking survey and the results though unscientific require a national call to action.

 A TEACHERS WORK ENVIRONMENT IS A STUDENTS LEARNING ENVIRONMENT!

IT IS TIME TO CALL UPON NIOSH (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health) AND THE USDOE TO FULLY FUND AND CONDUCT A PEER REVIEWED SCIENTIFIC STUDY OF TEACHER WORKING CONDITIONS and LEGISLATIVE HEARINGS!

IT IS TIME FOR OUR TEACHER VOICES TO BE HEARD! LET NOT ANOTHER TEACHER BE SILENCED, BULLIED, GAGGED, or  HOSPITALIZED .

THIS IS OUR MOMENT! TOGETHER WE WILL CHANGE THE ENVIRONMENT OF OUR SCHOOLS AND RESTORE THEM TO POSITIVE CREATIVE CENTERS OF LEARNING AND INNOVATION FOR ALL OUR STUDENTS!

Together we HAVE CREATED A MOVEMENT!

Our BAT team along with our AFT team will not rest until we have affected change to our work environment in OUR public schools  that service OUR children.  Over the next several weeks we will be sharing our research and survey results.  We will be creating an action plan that  each of you can take to help us end this war on teachers.

Thank you for participating in our survey!! YOU HAVE BEEN HEARD !! THE ERA OF TEACHERS BEING SILENCED HAS COME TO END.


See BAT/AFT report here  http://www.aft.org/sites/default/files/worklifesurveyresults2015.pdf