Badass Teachers Association Shows a New Spirit of Defiance

[proud2BlibKansan]

Some teachers finally seem to have had enough, and they are letting the world know it.

A closed group on Facebook called the Badass Teachers Association has added more than a thousand members a day since its launch less than a week ago, rapidly approaching the 7000 mark, showing no sign of letting up.

Mark Naison, a professor of African American studies at Fordham University in New York, founded the group with the help of two activists, Priscilla Sanstead and Marla Massey Kilfoyle. Sanstead is a parent activist in Oklahoma, and Kilfoyle is a teacher and parent who has been active in the Long Island Opt Out group.

Naison provided this definition of "badassness" on his blog yesterday:

more . . . http://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/living-in-dialogue/2013/06/badass_teachers_association_sh.html?cmp=SOC-SHR-FB

[chervilant]

1. Badass teachers

get to school early each day to tutor students who are struggling with their subject, and bring breakfast food for students who will miss their subsidized breakfast (usually "plastic" cheese on white bread, somewhat melted, and most often thrown away).

Badass teachers help students understand that attending a "ghetto school" is not a deterrent to learning, then find ways to engage students, and ignite their passion for learning.

Badass teachers write grant proposals to enable field trips to places most students have never seen, and that they'l remember the rest of their lives.

Badass teachers stay after school to tutor their struggling students, and have snacks on hand to help feed their brains.

Badass teachers learn to "fly under the radar" of toxic administrators, to avoid being RIFfed.

Badass teachers keep pencils and paper for children whose parents are too poor (or disinterested) to provide these essential items.

Badass teachers getting organized...does this Badass Teacher's heart good!

[femmocrat]

2. +1000

Thank you, chervilant!

[femmocrat]

3. Thanks, P2BLK! Highly recommend!

Very cool. I only worry that since it is on FB, some narrow-minded board members can use it against teachers. If they would read carefully, they would see that it's not teachers with a bad attitude problem as the name seems to imply. I wouldn't join for that reason (but I'm not on FB).

No one else seems to mind the name, though, and the article does address it. I think it's wonderful and look forward to their future website.

[duffyduff]

6. I am sure some quisling for a school district

will rat on a particular teacher, and he or she will be railroaded out of a career.

Teachers have no real rights at all.

[LWolf]

7. Which is why

I don't use my whole name on FB.

I'm loving the Badass Teacher's association. I wish we could put a Badass teacher in place as NEA president.

[proud2BlibKansan]

8. It's a closed group. No one can see what you post

unless you belong to the group. Of course with 8000 members it's hard to keep a tight lid on it. But your posts won't come up in a search unless the person searching belongs to the group.

[snot]

4. Turning on the B.A.T. signal -- your nation needs you!

to advocate for your students and yourselves, and help us all understand what the real problems and solutions are!

[snot]

5. Link to the FB page:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/140244172840677/?fref=ts