Why Michael Brown’s death is important to BATs

Since BATs’ inception both its detractors and would be supporters have continued to ask, “If not the reform agenda, then what?” And it is a valid question, not because teachers have done anything wrong, or because schools have not provided content knowledge and thinking skills, but because not all our children have been getting equal access to the same education opportunities; and by far the higher proportion of children in poverty who have not been getting equal access are children who are brown or black.

(Please note, I am not saying the poverty or challenges of poor white children should be disregarded, or that growing poverty in all areas of our population is unimportant, only that black and immigrant children tend to be represented in higher proportions among those affected by poverty, and that disproportionate representation needs to considered and addressed.)

For years before the reform movement, we as a whole society framed the issue of equal access to education as an issue of poverty, and tried to avoid or gloss over the ways in which poverty is related to the racial divisions among us. Almost no one has wanted to examine how desegregation of schools, which was the hope of the Civil Rights generation, has not done away with the inequalities among us as so many hoped. Idealists truly thought Integrated schools would bring our whole culture into equilibrium and our nation to complete fulfillment of its promise for all.

It was a staggering responsibility placed upon education and teachers in particular; to bring about an equal and just society in a single generation, or maybe two, after 350 years as a deeply divided and unequal nation. Yet, that was the great expectation placed upon us with the assumption that we would be able to achieve this miracle in spite of no special resources or preparation.

It is no wonder that we are considered failures against the measure of such a task. Yet, that is still the charge- confusingly articulated and impossible though it be. Though reformers are ignorant of the complex details of what it means to be able to help children and young people learn and become, they are in part expressing the disappointment which is echoed by parents and communities of color, that the promise of an equal and just society has not been fulfilled, regardless of our efforts, or who is president, or the legend of a color-blind society.

So, we find ourselves in 2014, a nation still deeply divided by race when it comes to education, income, and life opportunities; divided from one another and still prey to the prejudices and biases of the last 400 years; our schools’ attempts at integration more or less abandoned and our schools of color being labelled failing and then closed in favor of for-profit schools; with a school-to-prison pipeline that is depriving our entire nation of the talents that might have come from a fully empowered generation of young black men and women.

Reform has made this problem of inequity worse, and certainly the artificially imposed and misguided standards and testing from the reform agenda will continue to make it worse if we do not come up with ways we can at least begin to change the systemic problems. Though it is clear these are societal problems, not just school problems, as teachers we are the largest group of trained, organized and engaged people who can affect the changes in our culture and society for the better.

Michael Brown is not just the young man shot down in the street in Ferguson earlier this week, he is the little boy reflected below in the story from his kindergarten teacher. He is also one of many young unarmed black men who have died in police incidents in the last several years. Each of them stands as an indictment that the efforts of the last 50 years to improve equality and race relations has not succeeded. His death is also evidence that even when young black men grow up in stable families and reach the goal of graduating high school and achieving “college and career readiness,” the effects of racial bias can still haunt and destroy their futures and possibilities and destroy our faith in ourselves as a nation of opportunity and equality.

Though it is still a task against improbable odds, we as the teachers of the nation have the best chance for affecting positive change because we can educate ourselves, our school families, and our students, even our whole communities toward a more egalitarian and just model of community and relationship.

An Inter/Multi-Cultural School System which is integrated into our communities and goes beyond tolerance to appreciation and understanding is among the best answers to the question so many people ask about "what would you replace school reform with?"

Not only must we create that Inter-cultural system, we must also urge the adults in our communities to change the institutionalized systems and sources of inequality in our policies, laws, and organizations that continue to contribute to disastrous practices that are destroying the hope and peace of our society.

Michael’s life and his death asks the question more strongly than any reformer can, and gives us the clue to the answer of ...what then?

 ~ written by Cheryl Gibbs Binkley

Recently posted on Facebook 

Deidre Sealey
August 12
I'd like to take this opportunity to tell MY story about Michael Brown. I taught Michael when he was in Kindergarten. Michael was one of the kindest kids that I have taught. Michael was quiet, yet funny. He had an infectious smile. Some things I remember most was how Michael's grandfather or dad picked him up from school every day. His mom, dad, and extended family were fiercely protective of Michael and at that time, his only sister, Déjà. They were active in every aspect of his education, conferences, school performances, et al. I hadn't seen Michael in some time and in June, I saw him walking in our school parking lot with a friend. He asked me, "Mrs. Sealey, do you remember me?" I answered, "Yes, Michael Brown, but I am amazed at how tall you've gotten." He gave that shy grin and informed me that he had just graduated and had intentions of attending Vatterott. I asked about his mom and sister and he told me that they were well, and he went on his way. Each of my colleagues, who had the opportunity to teach Michael, have echoed my sentiments. I guess this is why it is so very hard to fathom that Michael's demeanor would change so suddenly as to wrestle with an armed police officer. While I am unsure of all of the details of Michael's untimely death, I can answer with certainty, that this was NOT his nature. Those of you who watched the interview with Michael's mom and dad, you saw a glimpse of Michael's demeanor in his dad, very quiet but proud. I saw the man that Michael will never get to be. I saw his mom two weeks ago and she was excited about his future.She has ALWAYS been her children's biggest cheerleader. I ask that we continue to keep Michael's family in prayer. I understand the anger. But, please don't allow anger to turn into bitterness. Out of anger comes CHANGE, bitterness destroys. Please stay in Peace.

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Reflections from a Teacher
By:  Maria Glass

 I just retired from 22 years of teaching, 2 as an ESL adult educator, 7 as bilingual/ESL middle school language arts and 13 as a high school English and creative writing teacher. In 1994  I did my student teaching in Peoria in a predominantly white middle class school. Of course, I spoke with an accent, which allowed some (teachers and students) to believe I was not qualified, even though I was an English major and fluent in 5 languages. My "cooperative" teacher accepted me because she was going through a custodial battle with the Apache father of her adoptive son. I heard her say numerous times that "her" son was "only 18% Indian". -no comment-. Part of the training I requested was to sit on diverse classes. One was a gifted program, 17 kids, all white except for 1 Asian, most children of teachers. They had 2 teachers, were allowed to sit on the floor and chew gum. Another was a remedial English. 40 kids sitting in rows, one teacher at a lectern and worksheets after worksheets. I immediately realized that Blacks and Hispanics made the bulk. I was angry and, needless to say, didn't apply in that district. Instead, I got my first job in the Dysart District middle school, 67% Hispanic, poor and rural constantly overrun in their quest bond by the retiree community within their district limits. Aside from me, I counted 2 Hispanic teachers and one counselor. No Black teacher. However, the entire janitor and cafeteria staff was Hispanic. My students probably realized that too. In the library, you could fit on one shelf the books that told THEIR history and spoke to THEIR lives. They came to me for help when a math teacher hit them with a ruler on their shoulders for not standing fast enough for the pledge, or a science teacher told them to go back to Mexico if they wanted to speak Spanish. I had a nice conversation with a history teacher when, after hearing of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in my class, a student asked him why they didn't learn about it in history and the teacher responded, "Who cares about that?"I could go on and on, My first generation parents worked in the fields and their kids were the sweetest and most dedicated. However, the bulk of the two gangs that tried to run the school were born here. And they were angry. I stopped fights daily. I am only 5'2 and most of the kids were much bigger than I was but I never once was hurt because I stopped the fights BEFORE they occurred. I never had a fight in my classroom, where there was a tacit truce. I heard teachers telling me that I was crazy and that I should "just let them kill each other". So many kids were sent home for weeks on end for trivial infractions. Many of those kids are now in their 30s, married with children and my friends on FB. When I left, one of them, Hugo, told me I was quitting on them. It broke my heart, but I was exhausted by the system. Why do I share this, and please don't call it teacher bashing? Because this is the reality for too many minority kids and it needs to be told. I know it. You know it. For some to say that BAT speaking against the killing of Michael Brown and so many young men of color is not part of our BAT mission scares me. It tells me that some are unaware of what is going on in our society or, scarier even, refuse to acknowledge the reality. Dante said that "the hottest place in hell is reserved for those who, in time of moral uncertainty, choose to remain neutral." As a Buddhist, I do not believe in hell, but I believe in karma. If a teacher is not willing to fight for the Michael Browns among us because they are afraid for their tenure, then they do not deserve tenure. I will remain a BAT and I will keep fighting for equality and justice in our society because it is at the core of what is happening in our educational system. I said my piece.

Thirteen and a Half Years a Slave by Peggy Marie Savage

May 17, 2014 recognized the  anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education. It was supposed to be a sixty year victory over segregation and a celebration of the  unanimous Supreme Court decision combined five separate cases and overturned a long standing separate but equal law. In Washington , D.C this year  will be coveted with a sea of blue wearing supporters that want to reclaim the promise. The promise that all children must have access to a high - quality education from early childhood through college . You’ll hear the rally cry  to to urge the Supreme Court to continue to carry out the decision of this historic case in 1954. Five cases coming before the Supreme Court as one . The five cases that  nudged the Supreme Court to side on the side of integration rather than segregation.

1954 , five years before my birth. A birth that took place in Ft. Pierce , Florida. Both of my parents grew up in the south. And by birth I am also a southerner . Even with the court decision in 1954 growing up some folks felt that my siblings and I didn’t belong.  That we should “go back where we came from, Africa.”  I knew about my ancestry. I connected with my African heritage from both my mother and father and with my ancestors who were slaves. I also connected with my parents proud southern heritage , Baton Rouge , Louisiana and Macon  & Tifton , Georgia. There was  definitely no shame felt by me but………….

My birth place was Fort Pierce , Florida and my parents at the time were share croppers. They moved to Wilkes- Barre, Pennsylvania where my siblings and I were formally educated . Many times I looked around for someone who looked like me ,  someone who felt the anger of being signaled out because of  the color of my skin. Someone who was reminded of the past my ancestors felt daily : an intentional reminder of slavery.  The scars  of slavery and its institutional belief that a group of human beings’  purpose on earth was to do the bidding of others  despite the harm to their well being and the safety of their kin. That kind of irresponsible thinking has surfaced in Philadelphia for the past thirteen years. The scars are evident. This form of slavery disengages the brightest students and their teachers and constantly reminds them that only the charters and independent schools are worthy of the state’s attention even the the fortitude of public school students and educators garner the same attention and respect.

Now a days teachers settle in to evaluate P.V.A.A. S  ( the Pennsylvania Valued Added Assessment System) growth. A report card of sorts that clearly allows the state of Pennsylvania to determine the measure of a students’ success  and the success of their teacher based on P.V.A.A.S. This  three year roll - out that includes  different students from those three years  tells a teacher the rate of success and that gets factored into the principal’s and state’s assessment of the teacher if she or  he remains in the same grade. Sounds complicated doesn’t it?  

Slavery has taken many forms in America.  Many cities have now being inundated  by private and charter companies. Companies that have eradicated neighborhood schools and replaced them with , “ scripted , well rehearsed , and one year contract  schools.” A kind of slavery that leaves teachers voiceless in the presence of operators that know nothing about education. A form of slavery in the City of Brotherly Love , is the notion that traditional public schools can somehow work miracles with practically no support from the city, state, and federal government(s). Children lacking the general resources to help them survive daily life are oftentimes expected to perform on standardized tests and exceed previous P.V.A.A. S growth predictions set by the state of Pennsylvania.

Lacking in this kind of warehouse or assembly line education is the destruction of a foundation that shapes all  students regardless of the religious or cultural mindset.

It shapes the very foundation that we stand on. This same foundation that has been swept out  from under students here in the city of Philadelphia. The very fabric that should bind and keep students and their teachers from unraveling is no   longer there. In 2001 The No Child Left Behind Law ( NCLB) an iteration of the 1965 Elementary and Secondary Education Act ( ESEA) was suppose to raise achievement and close achievement gaps. Both laws penalize teachers and their effectiveness in raising test scores and AYP status.

Students and teachers have been slaves to measures that culturally disconnect their very thoughts, practice , and the way they interact with their students. Unimaginable to succumb to four to five weeks of  administering tests for fourth & fifth graders. The emotional and physical toll suffered is immeasurable. The strenuous schedules and demands are too much as you watch a child just break down and cry because of the stress. No amount of preparation can ready you for such a sight.

I seek to engage you in a conversation. A conversation of the haves and have nots, full funding communities for public education , and reclaiming the promise for a generation of students who have been left out of this conversation and have had their  seats sold to the highest private and chartered businesses.

Thirteen Years a Slave ,and an unprecedented  thirteen years of bondage to the N.C.L.B  Act. . An agenda that started in December 2001. This was suppose to be the answer to educational reform. The bondage of human beings and their ideals have never seem to be a way to progress in America. The Emancipation Proclamation was suppose to be the answer  and yet………………

As an active member of the W.E. ( Working Educators of the P.F.T) I urge everyone to step back and just think for a minute . Can private and charter schools alone shape America in the next fifty years as a productive and global powerhouse?  Or we will spend most of those productive years standing on the backs of public school educators , stripping away the importance of committed veteran teachers   and dedicated beginning teachers , loyal students and parents or do we  cast them away only to replace them with less experienced  Teacher for America teachers (TFA’ers) that in most cases require mentor teachers within the buildings where they teach.

Force transfers and layoffs are conditions that some of my colleagues have been experiencing in the last five to seven  years. One such colleague is now in her ninth school in nine years, utterly ridiculous!

I leave you with this thought:

Slavery is a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work  under unthinkable conditions.

Many educators are slave to the Common Core, state micro managed doctrine , and school boards that want to rid their schools of the LeBron’s and Bryants and replace them with the ball boys on the team.  Slavery was and still is an ugly word.  It is the system of striking down anyone who challenges and who tries to get up from being knocked down repeatedly time and time again!  As teachers we must rise above the bullshit and remain professional and educate our parents about what is happening and what is about to come.

As charter systems continue to buy and sell our closed down school buildings and build new schools is it possible that they  are they now the new slave owners?  Their teachers work under one year contracts and know that the colleague standing next to them may or may not be certified ?  

Is this the America that dedicated and skilled educators are expected to flourish in the 2014 - 2015 school year?  Can students thrive ? Will they be supported?  Can parents trust the rhetoric that spills out of politicians mouths or will cities replace  every single school to charters, like New Orleans?

What’s your opinion on having students call you by your first name? A student responds

What’s your opinion on having students call you by your first name? A twelve word, simple sentence launched an all out comment war. The opinions are radically different, but all are supported and equally respected in the BATs community. Three hours and 416 comments later I decide that now is an appropriate time to toss my two cents into the wishing well. 

I wish adults would recognize not only myself, but my peers as legitimate actors in this place we call society. I felt disheartened by a few comments that stated that children and teachers are not equal therefore all students MUST call his/her teacher by his/her last name. My problem does not stem from whether or not I call my teacher by first or last name but that a college degree separates me from being consider an equal. Honestly, what so different between us? We both have ideas, opinions, thoughts, and ways to express all of those. We both breathe the same air, drink the same water and live on the same earth. The meaning of equality is not that I am equal to you because I have worked as hard as you have, or because I hold the same degree as you. The meaning of equality is that I am equal to you because we are all human. We are all here on this planet together, and that establishes us as equals. I should not have to work or fight for that. 

I wish that instead of basing respect off of what someone calls us, we base respect off of relationships and bonds formed in the classroom. If a teacher tells me it's okay to call him by his first name then I do not respect him any less than I would if he asked me to call him by his last name. If a teacher feels that addressing him by his first name is disrespectful then as a student I will accept that. My respect for my teacher is not based on his/her name, but the way I am treated in the classroom, the way education is approached in the classroom, and the care and (sometimes tough) love I receive in the classroom. I want to enjoy learning so in most cases I do not focus on a frivolous detail such as my teacher’s name. 

I wish that instead of waging a war against each other we can collectively confront the forces that continue to push against your profession and my education. We have to be clear that we are not two ships sailing in the dark, we are in the same ocean, region, boat, and cabin of this ship. If we do not realize that this is a collective struggle and start standing with each other then public education will continue to sink at a faster rate than the titanic. Until we come together as one force we will continue to hit icebergs such as Cami Anderson, John Deasy, William Hite, Rahm Emanuel, Michelle Rhee, and Arne Duncan. 

As a student who has organized and mobilized thousands of students for walkouts, boycotts, street shutdowns, and even sat in the board of education for 17 hours in order to protect the profession of education, it bothers me that just because I'm not 18 years old, or just because I do not hold a degree, or just because I am your student I am less than you. As an aspiring teacher I write this out of love for the continuous process of being a life long learner and out of the love for public education.

- Kristin Kowkaniuk ~ President of Newark Students Union

Containment, Confinement, and Death
By: Dr. Mark Naison

 There are so many ways we are treating our young people, especially
young people of color, as suspects, threats, dangers to the social order.

 They are heavily policed in their schools and neighborhoods-often subject to arbitrary search and seizure.

 They are the targets of zero-tolerance disciplinary policies in schools which have become little more than test prep factories.

 They are arrested and jailed in enormous numbers for non-violent drug... offenses, permanently undermining their prospects for employment and sometimes depriving them of the right to vote.

 They are pushed out of the most prosperous neighborhoods into communities which limited resources and placed under close surveillance should they walk through or shop in gentrifying areas, even if they still live there.

 Given these developments, and given the long history of racial profiling in the society, is it any wonder that unarmed young blacks are periodically killed by law enforcement officials or private security guards?

 These acts of extreme violence are the logical outcome of a policy of containment and confinement that touches far larger numbers of people

TENNESSEE BATs ATTEND D.C. RALLY
BY:  ANDY SPEARS
http://tnedreport.com/?p=908




The Badass Teachers Association (BATs) is a nationwide group of teachers who aggressively argue against the status quo in education — that is, the current education reform agenda. Recently, the BATs held a national rally in Washington, DC and even had a chance to meet with Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. A group of BATs from Tennessee joined the national event and TN Ed Report interviewed two of them about the experience.
Lauren Hopson is a teacher in Knox County and Lucianna Sanson is a teacher in Franklin County. 
Here’s what they had to say:


1)      Why do you choose to affiliate with the BATs?
Hopson: I discovered the BATS purely by accident when I was checking to see who was posting the video of my October 2013 school board speech. I have always been a bit of a rebel, so the name fit me. At the time, I had no idea how seriously BATs took advocating for our students. Realizing that only solidifies my desire to be part of this group.
Sanson: BATs is a grassroots organization that is a support network for public schools across the nation. In TN, teachers from all areas of the state are able to network and communicate with each other about reforms that are taking place in the state of TN. This is a difficult time for public schools, teachers and students. BATs not only discuss the injustices taking place on the state level, BATs also address these issues and actively seek for positive ways to problem solve and make our public schools better for all students.

2)      What was the purpose of the DC BAT Rally?
Hopson: There were several purposes for the rally. Of course, the main purpose was to get the attention of the Department of Education and draw national attention to the destructive nature of current educational reform efforts. However, it also set up a place and time for educators across the country to network and share the experiences with ed reform in their own states.
Sanson: The purpose was multi-faceted. The National BATs Association wrote and delivered specific demands to the DOE and Secretary Arne Duncan- chief among them were demands to stop the over-use of Standardized testing and to halt the privatization and spread of Charter Schools across the United States.
3)      What did you learn from other BATs around the country while you were in DC?
Hopson: Surprisingly, I learned what an appreciation and admiration teachers in other states have for the TN BATs. Along with the Washington, Chicago and New York groups, we have been some of the most vocal and active BATs in the entire country during the last year. I think our own Secretary of Education’s close relationship with Arne Duncan has caused us to feel the effects of education reform more immediately than other states. However, I also think we just have a strong group of vocal teachers who have the Southern backbone to fight these destructive policies.
Sanson:  I learned that TN is not the only state that is going through these same types of reforms. I also learned that racism and socioeconomics play a large role in the take-over of our urban school systems. Basically, the suspicion that re-segregation is happening via Charter school take-overs, “parent trigger laws,” “school choice,” and “Vouchers,” was confirmed by speaking with other BATs across the country. Memphis, and the takeover of their schools by the Achievement School District (ASD), is especially troubling since it is patterned after the New Orleans Recovery School District. I learned that there are only five Public Schools left in the city of New Orleans, and, according to the Fordham Institute, Memphis is directly patterned after New Orleans.

4) What were the highlights of your trip to the rally?
Hopson: Singing “Lean on Me” with hundreds of teachers arm in arm in the DOE courtyard was an emotional experience. However, getting to watch my friend and our own legislator, Representative Gloria Johnson, speak during the rally about the positive effects of the “community schools” initiative was a seminal moment. She was able to share the details of a bill she is sponsoring dealing with this concept with educators from across the country who were excited to take this idea back to their home states. It even received interest during the meeting our delegation had with DOE officials at the end of the day.
Sanson: The highlight, for me, was finally meeting all of the people I have been collaborating with on a daily basis for over a year and watching our plans unfold. The Rally on Monday was a true celebration of our students and our public schools, complete with music and dancing, student performance, and spoken word. It was a visual representation of what BATs symbolizes: a holistic approach to learning and the assertion that school should be student-centered and FUN, not testing-centered and a CHORE.

5) Do you feel the rally and associated events accomplished anything for teachers? If so, what?
Hopson:  We did get to send in a small delegation to meet with officials in the DOE, and even briefly with Arne Duncan himself. It remains to be seen whether the ideas shared in that meeting will be taken seriously, although TN Teacher Larry Proffitt who was a part of the delegation, seemed optimistic. I do think we drew attention to the plight of students and teachers in America, and at least in my community, I heard from lots of teachers who wish they had been a part of it. Hopefully, this will lead to greater numbers at the next rally. For those of us that did go, we got to feel a sense of connection to a larger power which instilled a new sense of commitment and determination in us all.
Sanson: Yes. On Monday, the all-day celebration for public education ended with a committee meeting inside the U.S. DOE with Secretary Arne Duncan and his team. Our BATs team- which consisted of six members- one of them Larry Proffitt from TN, outlined our concerns and were heard by the Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, and his team. The BATs have another meeting at the U.S. DOE scheduled for later this fall. We look forward to continued dialogue and discourse with the U.S.DOE.

6) What do you see as the future for BATs in Tennessee and nationally?
Hopson:  I hope to see BATs become a driving force in changing the direction of education reform. I want to be part of a group that politicians have to take seriously if they want to get elected. BATs should also be a group they will go to for information. With TN being in the Bible Belt, I know it will be hard for the public to get past the name Badass Teachers. Hopefully, however, they will come to see the mission behind the name and realize these Brave Activist Teachers are fighting to protect their children.
Sanson: TNBATs will continue to be the state branch of the National Group. We will continue to network and align ourselves with other parent and citizen groups across the state and nation. We will continue to work with local legislators and policy makers to bring about change. We will continue to work with the Tennessee Education Association to support equality for our teachers, support staff and students.  We will continue to educate and speak truth to power about the reality of Ed Reform and the Privatization movement; we will continue to take a stand for our students and public schools. After all, BATs exists to fight for our students and public schools.
7) How would you describe the current education climate in TN?
Hopson: Toxic. We have toxic levels of testing. We have toxic levels of stress on our students and teachers. Students and teachers have been dehumanized and reduced to nothing more than numbers and data points. There is a complete lack of trust between teachers, administrators, and politicians. Using our students as pawns to further the interests of big money, big power groups is NOT the way to improve our schools.
Sanson: Current ed climate in TN: war zone
Teachers in TN are, in the words of Lauren Hopson, “tired” of not being heard and taken seriously. We are tired of being told how to do our jobs by people who have never taught and who know nothing about teaching. We are tired of seeing our students over-tested. We are tired of teaching to a test. We are tired of being treated like second-class citizens instead of highly trained professionals. We are tired of being “excessed” and replaced by inexperienced TFA green recruits who are ill-equipped with only five weeks of training. We are tired of groups like Micheel Rhee’s Students First giving money to people running for office. We are tired of Governor Haslam and his Commissioner of Education, Kevin Huffman, who have done nothing to help our public schools, but who have done much to sell them to the highest bidder. Most of all, we are tired of being afraid and being bullied into compliance by people threatening our livelihoods. Tired we may be, but being on the front lines and in the trenches means that you get up and go to battle every day. That is what we will continue to do for our Public Schools and our Students: Fight for Them.

8) Why should other teachers affiliate with BATs?
Hopson: BATs will provide a sense of community for them and a structure around which they can organize and regain their power.
While I was touring the Civil Rights section of the American History Museum in DC, I saw a quote from A. Phillip Randolph which said, “Nobody expects ten thousand Negroes to get together and march anywhere for anything at any time….In common parlance, they are supposed to be just scared and unorganizable. Is this true? I contend it is not.”
Nobody expects that of teachers either, but I think BATs will change that!
Sanson: TNBATs is a group that helps and supports teachers, parents, and public schools so that we can be better teachers for our students. We are invested in our students and schools and we are determined to bring positive change back into the TN public school systems. BATs are tough, resilient, trustworthy, caring, and willing to go the distance for our students and our profession. I think the better question should be “Why wouldn’t other teachers affiliate with BATs?”

How Do We Feel? From BATs DREAM

How do teachers feel about acts of violence that result in the murder of students of color? Besides parents, we make the greatest investment in the nation's youth. We nurture them. We watch them grow. We set them on the path to realize their dreams and send them into a world where their race still invites acts of suspicion and brutality. We have wept silently and individually for so many you like Michael Brown. The nation needs to know how we feel.

- Dr. Yohuru Williams

Confession

I'm too emotional to think clearly but I've begun a gathering. I'm gathering articles, pictures, and links to discuss Eric Garner and Michael Brown. I'm going to address this the first week of school. When we are going over the rules, behavior, and expectations. I will touch on the very real truth that what my brown and black students do in public can and is perceived as worse than what any other teen does.

The school itself feels like a prison. They come in late to first period due to snafus with metal detectors. Walking down the hallway in a multi-school campus building has them accused of “trespassing”. Trying to explain that the bathroom on the floor was closed, gets them yelled at for “talking back”/ situations are escalated. The student is documented and then put into the system. This is in a school. I am tired of my students being criminalized. The environment is oppressive.

Working in the Bronx, I've written letters of recommendation and character witness letters. Students have hopped on the back of a bus in a rush and been roughly pulled out by the collar by officers. Arrested or detained for some perceived offense. Brought into the system. They have cried in my classroom. I have felt helpless. Does anything I do in my classroom even matter when a police officer can justify unjustly harsh treatment, violence, injury, and death of a student by saying he felt threatened, or the student resisted?

Hence, the gathering. The printing, The compiling. I will waste the ink in my printer. I will stand at that stupid broken copier in the hot office, where the smell of the polluted creek behind the school sneaks in and copy each page one by one. To reach each student one by one, I have become convinced of the need for stand for justice even in small ways to change the culture of fear and violence. Will you stand with me?

- Aixa Rodriguez

Reality Bites!

I took the day off yesterday. I made a purposeful decision to ignore the internet yesterday, no Facebook, no twitter, no internet news. I did not have any communication, except with my children. I was due for a day of spending time with some very wonderful friends, listening to live music, and celebrating the life of one of (in my opinion) the greatest guitar player of all time. Then I woke up today and reality hit, and it hit extremely hard. I experienced a quick drowning feeling in the realization that, even though my life may have been good for a day, other people were living in a nightmare.

When I signed on again, I soon learned about the unjustified murder of Michael Brown. Reading his story, as a mother, I have been extremely upset at the thought of the possibility of dealing with such a trauma. Like Michael, my own boy is eighteen, having recently graduated from high school as well. These are the thoughts that kept running through my head, haunting me, as I was out running errands this morning.

But what are the chances that MY son would be a victim to such a violent crime, perpetrated by the police, the very people that are duty-sworn to “serve and protect?” You see, my child is White. We live in an average suburb. He has access to a car to get him from point A to point B. The truth of the matter is, while there is still a chance of him falling victim to a violent crime, the chance of that crime being committed by the police is practically slim to none.

Reports say that Michael Brown was shot as he was walking from his house to his grandmother's house. I began to wonder, “ What would life be like, living with the constant underlying fear, the knowledge that our “protectors,” the police, are a possible threat when my child walks down the street?” Would I have been able to take a day off to spend it with friends yesterday? Would I have been able to tell my children that they needed to remain home, inside, where it was safe all day until I returned home? I would never be able to force my children to become prisoners of their own home. But essentially, isn't that what is being done to the thousands of minority children and families that live in fear that one day their child could be another Michael Brown, another Trayvon Martin?

It is time to call out these crimes against teens of color, against our students that are constantly living with this fear in the back of their minds. Every day of their lives, they come to school and, as teachers, we try our hardest to create safe learning environments to teach state-mandated curriculum. But what are we really teaching them? Are we really teaching them about life? About the injustice that our own society perpetrates upon them? Are we teaching them about how to speak out and rise up against that injustice? Are we standing up for them in the sense that we are speaking out about these crimes, demanding that they stop?

I think it is time for all teachers to take a moment and reflect upon what our students really need from us. So, teachers, the next time someone tells us they don't want us to show our students how to think for themselves, just simply tell them, “You know what? Reality bites.”

- Melissa Tomlinson