I’ve been politically active through my association for more than a decade, and I use my personal story to advocate for public schools.
In February, I used my story to explain what our schools don’t need: high-stakes, standardized testing. I told my legislator about a student whose father passed away a day or two before we started standardized testing. We place so much importance on those standardized tests, but she came into my classroom with this heavy emotional baggage and needed a different kind of support from me. Sitting down to take this test two days after losing her dad would ensure she couldn’t do her best. And as a teacher, I would be evaluated according to her test score. That legislator then understood how there are so many things that tests can’t see.
It’s really important when educators talk to legislators at the local, state, or national level that they bring their classroom experience into that discussion. When you relay your personal story and experiences, they tend to listen more. If you throw a bunch of numbers and statistics at them, you run the risk of losing the human connection.
Everyone can think back to their own education and remember a teacher who inspired them. We draw on those moments to connect with legislators and ask for help getting what we need for our classrooms.
Especially now that we’re teaching during the coronavirus pandemic. After the building was closed, I didn’t hear from six of my students for nine straight weeks. I couldn’t get the communication lines open. Parents weren’t returning calls. I’m trying to get them access and materials, but it’s been a struggle. We’ve got to keep as much funding as we can in schools. Instead of cuts, we need more resources. We’ve got to take into account the mental toll—not just the academic one— that the pandemic has taken on our students. We’ve got to keep making the connection with elected leaders by telling the stories that show how we connect with students on a personal level.
We need the resources to get our schools re-opened safely and do the best work we can do for these students.
