We idealize the teacher advocate. The mild-mannered professional that works tirelessly during the day to impart knowledge and wisdom to young minds and who then dons the superhero costume at night to go out and battle in the great policy wars that rage across our nation.
Hyperbole aside, these teachers assume almost a mythical proportion for what they are able to accomplish. However, buried within this image lays a grave problem. Making teacher advocates out to be super heroes makes it seem like an unattainable goal to most teachers. It sends the message that you need to be someone special to be an advocate for your kids.
This is an unfortunate state of affairs, because by the very act of being a teacher, we all have it within ourselves to be an advocate for our kids outside of our school building. Many of us either don’t know how or don’t feel we have the time to do it well.
Before going further, I want to stop and define what I mean by “teacher advocate.” This is a teacher who does their very best each and every day for their kids inside the classroom. However, this teacher recognizes that school boards, city councils, mayors, legislators, governors and presidents all have a role in educating their children through the policies we adopt as a society. And so they take action through any number of means to become not only a teacher, but an advocate for their children.
However, advocacy isn’t something you can just dive into and expect instant results. I’ve spent three years working to crack the code of how to be an effective teacher advocate while still being an effective teacher. During that time, through trial and error, I’ve found that there are four key things that teachers needs to consider before taking on the role of teacher-advocate.
First, specialize in a specific area of ed policy. There are so many issues that one can advocate for and so many roles that teachers can work within that it can be overwhelming. As a teacher, you need to cut through all that and ask yourself “what do I care about?” Picking a specific area on which to focus will make you that much more effective in your advocacy. Over the years I’ve found that I’m most passionate about standards and school choice and I actively seek out ways to advocate for these two issues.
Second, carefully map out existing demands on your time. If you don’t do this, you may take on a role that requires more of you than you are willing to give to be effective. Are you a single 20-something young adult? Or do you have family commitments that require large investments of time? Both types of people can become advocates, but to be an effective advocate you need to take a careful inventory of the time that you have free to ensure that you can truly devote enough time to make the impact you want. I can’t tell you about the times where I’ve taken on more than I can handle, and its negatively impacted not only my role as an advocate, but also my professional and personal life.
Third, find your personal niche. Teacher advocacy can take on many different roles. You can determine this by examining your strengths. Are you a writer? Teacher voice opportunities abound both in print and online journalism. Is your strength motivating and inspiring? Perhaps a role as a volunteer organizer would best suit you. If you don’t know what your strengths are it is vital to explore, but finding that niche will be essential to your success. Personally, I feel that I can best be an advocate through sharing my voice through writing and encouraging others to write, so this is where I spend my time.
Fourth, remember that your effectiveness as an advocate rests on your effectiveness as an educator. In other words, don’t forget that your primary job is to be a teacher. It can be a heady feeling the first time your piece gets published in the paper or when you’re invited to that first subcommittee hearing! But we can’t sacrifice our effectiveness in the classroom for effectiveness as an advocate. Sometimes I have to choose between making my lesson plan for tomorrow and writing an article for Bluff City Ed. However, it’s never really a choice as the kids always come first.
Our kids need great teachers. But they also need great advocates. It can be difficult, but it’s possible to be both for our students. It requires careful thought and planning, but when it comes down to it, our kids need all of us to be advocates. Its on us to find the best way for us individually to do so.
Follow Bluff City Education on Twitter @bluffcityed and look for the hashtag #iteachiam and #TNedu to find more of our stories. Please also like our page on facebook. The views expressed in this piece are solely those of the author and do not represent those of any affiliated organizations.