Teacher is the pinnacle title of civilization because teaching is
society’s foundational activity. However, in American education today
there is a nation-wide teacher shortage, a randomly selected teacher is
statistically likely to be in his or her first year in the classroom,
and veteran teachers discourage their own children from entering the
profession. The situation is unsustainable and education in America may
fall into an abyss.As an accomplished classroom teacher, I work at the membrane through
which policy becomes practice. That gives me day-to-day experience with
the impact that policy has on teaching and learning. Therefore, I will
use my unique, inherent credibility to speak on issues in education and
advocate for changes in institutional policy and practice that I believe
will most benefit student well-being and the teaching profession.My governing principles will be to:
- Limit my advocacy to issues on which I have direct experience and authority to speak
- Inform myself further by reading broadly and deeply on the issues I care about
- Encourage the growth and efficacy of the teacher leader movement
by drawing attention to colleagues who exemplify great teaching and
leading- Fairly represent my views by highlighting the nuances of
my thinking and the conditions under which my views are valid or
mediated- Appeal to adversaries, many of whom are teachers, in a spirit of understanding, compromise, and reconciliation
- Correctly characterize my adversaries and their views and support the fair airing of their opinions
- Leverage my advocacy by working with networks whose mission is consistent with my values
- Expect to be fairly compensated for my leadership but not use compensation as a condition for engagement
- Be human first by caring for my family and health before all else
My Teaching is no longer limited to the work of preparing students for their futures. Instead, to be a Teacher, I must
also include working beyond the classroom to rebuild the profession and
turn the country away from the abyss and toward a new day in education.August “Sandy” Merz III