Teacher Power

As an elected member of the Aurora Education Association Board of Directors, I have more positive influence on both my own and colleagues working conditions, and on the profession than I ever could possibly have as an isolated classroom teacher. A recent book on the profession and the professionalization of teaching, of, by, and for teachers is Don Cameron's, The Inside Story of the Teacher Revolution in America. The fact is that there has been a constant struggle in the US over the vision of the place of teachers in the civil society. One view, the most common throughout the world, sees teachers and teaching as a socialization process and the teacher as the main mechanism for inculcating norms and constraints on the citizenry. In its extreme form, it is little more than the teacher as propagandist and disciplinarian. The way to organize such a role is to make the teacher subject to direct employment by the state and view them as assembly line workers producing new patriotic citizens. The other role is to identify those "defective" students who are a challenge to the given social structure.

The other, less common view, sees teachers and teaching as an independent profession, inspired by the example of Socrates, with a responsibility to the student. That responsibility is to facilitate the enlightenment and liberty of a student as an independent, fully human mind who is responsible for finding their own place in civil society. It is a profoundly democratic vision, one that also can trace inspiration to the Greek city state (particularly Athens). In its extreme form, the classroom is a voluntary association of students and teacher with no greater responsibilities, one that could potentially degenerate into elitism.

The American Revolution brought these contrary views of teaching and education into a long running struggle in American Society. We have never really committed to a vision of either, and have swung often between the two poles. Most of the contemporary conversation about "reform", namely eliminating teacher due process and "tenure", charter schools, vouchers, "teacher proofing" curricula based on dubious research, and "accountability" intend on bringing teaching in line with the first, more "worker" role of teachers.

At times little stands between the cynical view of teacher as worker except the teacher Associations. They are profoundly democratic and professional. This is one thing often missed by critics of teacher "unions" who contend that the "union" really doesn't represent its members. It just shows how ignorant those critics are as to the workings of the Association. In fact, it is a democratically representative organization from the bottom to the top. The positions and policies of the organization are set by the teachers and members themselves through democratic processes. It is one of the only areas of education, excepting local school board elections, that is democratic.

So, when the Aurora Education Association Board of Directors meets in an all day meeting, as we recently did, to discuss the concrete issues that are facing our district, and to plan our vision and direction for the future, it is one of the few checks and balances on a system that would cut out the voice of teachers as professionals. And one of the research studies that we spent some time discussing shows unequivocally how the conditions of teaching and teachers as professionals are learning conditions. When the day comes [hopefully it won't] when teachers lose their professional strength and ability to influence the educational bureaucracy, it will be the saddest day not for teachers, but for students.