Where's the Principal? The Fight for Union-Run Schools

[cyu]

Excerpts from http://labornotes.org/2009/12/tired-teacher-bashing-union-educators-grow-their-own-schools

http://labornotes.org/system/files/imagecache/story_image/files/leads/Boston_School_Opens_copy.jpg

Attacked daily as the biggest roadblock to improving public education, union teachers have their work cut out for them, both in the classroom and in the court of public opinion.

They responded this fall, opening their own schools in two cities.

"Teachers have been getting the most blame and the most responsibility and the least amount of decision-making power"

Teachers in Boston have their own school, too, and educators in Los Angeles are pushing for community-centered models—all while a hurricane of teacher-bashing is pushed ahead by school privatizers, the press, and Obama administration policy.

Three grades of the Boston Teachers Union School opened up two months ago.

The BTU, the school district, and the mayor initiated pilot schools in order to head off the rise of privately managed, publicly funded charter schools, which Massachusetts had approved earlier that year.

A years-long battle between union and district ended in 2006 when the union won more paid hours for teachers, and in turn agreed to approve seven more pilot schools—including a union-run school.

the union had taken a beating in the local press. "They kept calling me an ogre standing in the way of progress"

The major difference at the BTU school is the lack of a principal. Teacher-leaders run the show, making all long-term decisions by consensus. "Anything that doesn’t have to be done today will be decided by a collective"

As for the union contract, teachers are in the bargaining unit and work under nearly the same contract, but have a different relationship to it. After all, they’re the boss—to a degree.

While Boston’s teacher-leaders aren’t yet burning bubble sheets, the development of teacher-run institutions itself signals a seismic shift.

Union teachers are at the helm at Denver’s Math and Science Leadership Academy. Members of the Classroom Teachers Association (a National Education Association affiliate) jumped at the chance to run their own school when the city began taking proposals for new educational models three years ago.

“We designed it, we put this together, and we’re running it,” says Nazareno. “Everybody gets that it’s our responsibility.”

every Friday students undertake “service learning” projects that promote engagement with the community and teach skills through programs on renewable energy, hunger, and homelessness.

they’ve already shown that schools in less affluent neighborhoods can attract good teachers with the promise of more ownership. The school fielded around 30 applications for each position, and is already receiving dozens more for next year, when the academy adds a grade.

Charter companies are in a frenzy to snap up the sites, but the teachers union, United Teachers Los Angeles, is organizing with teachers and parents to keep them at bay.

“Parents are getting active, and it’s not just the union talking to parents, it’s parents organizing with each other,” says Ingrid Villeda, a UTLA rep working on proposals. Teams of parents are going door to door to build support for a community-centered model.

[CELMX]

Hurray for them!! I am very excited for these teacher-run schools!

Not only will they benefit the teachers greatly, they will also benefit the students. Children will learn that a boss is not needed, and that it is important to share and cooperate together to create a thriving community.
Also, as a student, I have heard utterly brilliant ideas from teachers on how to change schools, school systems, etc. that never get past the principal. Now, the teachers have a chance to implement these ideas for the benefit of a new generation.

The principal also has corrupt agendas, believe or not:rolleyes:, and these cooperatives can abolish this type of scamming, or wtv, that allows the principal to make "deals" for more power and profit.



every Friday students undertake “service learning” projects that promote engagement with the community and teach skills through programs on renewable energy, hunger, and homelessness.


brilliant! i wish my school had this...
Anyways, for private schools, and rich upper class schools, these programs, I believe, will make the richer kids more aware of the atrocities happening around them. Hopefully, they might even become class concious.

I have a feeling that these schools will be a great success, and will definitely make students become aware, thinking, intelligent individuals, instead of automatons that use rote memorization just for the sake of a dehumanizing letter/number grade.

:Di'm so excited/happy for the teachers, schools, and students!!:D

[the last donut of the night]

If anybody is interested, Socialist Worker (http://socialistworker.org/) has great articles on the teachers' movement against union-busters and corporate pricks. I can't give you direct links, as my internet service isn't too good as of now.

[the last donut of the night]

brilliant! i wish my school had this...
Anyways, for private schools, and rich upper class schools, these programs, I believe, will make the richer kids more aware of the atrocities happening around them. Hopefully, they might even become class concious.

I wish, but that is doubtful. Hell, a lot of great things in the American worker movement have happened: for example, the occupation of the Republic Window factory in Chicago. However, not a lot of ordinary people read about it, and even less rich kids did.

Even if they knew about such things, they would be completely influenced by the bias around them: these teacher-run schools will be bashed as irresponsible, corrupt, socialistic, or just inefficient by the right-wing media.

I welcome every new communist, but I would place less hopes on rich kids getting some brains than poor kids just knowing a bit more about a better world.

[Weezer]

I hate Teacher Unions.

I do not support this. And CELMX, if there is no principal, the teachers will become the bosses. Maybe this will be good, but most Teacher Unions I've heard of are badniks.

[RHIZOMES]

Coming from a family of underpaid, overworked teachers myself, this is GREAT news.


I hate Teacher Unions.

I do not support this.

The fuck are you doing on this site?


And CELMX, if there is no principal, the teachers will become the bosses.

The bosses of who exactly?


Maybe this will be good, but most Teacher Unions I've heard of are badniks.

And who have you heard this from? The "unbiased" media, right? :rolleyes:

What a bunch of right-wing anti-union shite.

[Weezer]

Coming from a family of underpaid, overworked teachers myself, this is GREAT news.



The fuck are you doing on this site?



The bosses of who exactly?



And who have you heard this from? The "unbiased" media, right? :rolleyes:

What a bunch of right-wing anti-union shite.

Teachers=bourgeois

Schools are just another means of production.

I would be for Teacher's Unions if they weren't bureaucratic. It's a just personal experience. Of course I want teachers to organize, but remember, they're not the only ones under the principal's fist.

[which doctor]

Teachers=bourgeois

Schools are just another means of production.

Teachers are not bourgeois as they do not own or control the means of production. Yes, schools, to an extent, are just another means of production but teachers have been reduced to mere functionaries of the system who have no control over it. They may serve a bourgeois end in that they indoctrinate students, but they are only bourgeois to the extent that a service worker is bourgeois by means of their arranging the stock shelves so more products will sell. To that degree, neither the teacher nor the service worker are bourgeois at all, but both are members of the proletariat.

[RHIZOMES]

Teachers=bourgeois

Fuck you. My mother has been a teacher for 30+ years and I can assure you this isn't the case. She works for a wage, she doesn't extract surplus value from anyone (That's what the bourgeoisie do). Learn some fucking basic Marxist economics before you go talking a bunch of psuedo-socialist anti-worker bullshit. Teachers get a completely crap deal, they're only paid for their time at school yet they're expected to do all this unpaid work in their own supposed "leisure" time marking shit, planning their classes, etc etc. For a supposed "bourgeoisie" family we sure are quite poor!


Teachers are not bourgeois as they do not own or control the means of production. Yes, schools, to an extent, are just another means of production but teachers have been reduced to mere functionaries of the system who have no control over it. They may serve a bourgeois end in that they indoctrinate students, but they are only bourgeois to the extent that a service worker is bourgeois by means of their arranging the stock shelves so more products will sell. To that degree, neither the teacher nor the service worker are bourgeois at all, but both are members of the proletariat.

What he said.

[black magick hustla]

i am not as anti-teacher as some of the crazies youth "liberationists" in the revleft crowd. but there is something for sure. schools prepare the children of the working class to be well behaved people. Schools are certainly a mechanism of domination and domestication. In fact a teacher told me once that the least important aspect of school is the subjects but that it teaches you how to work. i would argue vehemently against children dropping out, because schooling is kindof crucial if you dont want to be a barista for all your life, however regardless, school is a sort of kids version of a factory setting. an "autonomous" school is not going to change this. Second, self-management is not a communist demand. certainly if i was a teacher i would probably like being in a "self-managed school", but my desire for this would be transcendental.

for some analysis about "self managed counterrevolutions" you can read this
http://libcom.org/library/lip-and-the-self-managed-counter-revolution-negation

[cenv]

It's important to remember that most teachers have little to know say in what they teach and how they teach it. Do they help enforce bourgeois ideology? Sure, but so does someone who delivers newspapers. Bourgeois ideology is everywhere. The family, like the school, is an essential tool for passing bourgeois ideology from one generation to the next -- but that doesn't make parents "the oppressors."

Anyone who suggests that teachers are bourgeois fails to understand the complex web of power that tightly structures the conditions under which teachers operate, forcing them into an assembly line of lesson planning, exams, and grades that consumes both the time they spend at work and their "free time." Meanwhile, they're attacked from all angles. The bourgeoisie's representatives blame teachers for not performing well enough under all the constraints and with all the shit resources they have. Communists simple-mindedly blame teachers for the dehumanizing environment of the school. And here in California, teachers are being increasingly screwed over by the state's budget problems.

I agree that we should attack the bourgeois school for what it is -- an alienating, dehumanizing, ideological institution. But recognizing the nature of bourgeois education isn't at odds with supporting teachers' struggles. All workers contribute to capitalism in the course of their daily lives. This doesn't make them any less exploited, nor does it decrease their revolutionary potential.

[ZeroNowhere]

The fuck are you doing on this site?Presumably they are being anti-capitalist.


Teachers=bourgeoisNot really, they're more akin to cops on a smaller scale or perhaps managers. And, like cops, some can be pretty decent people, but that isn't quite generalized. So yeah, I'm not sure teacher-run schools are necessarily going to be any better for the students.


brilliant! i wish my school had this...Eh, given my experience with community service programs and such, they aren't going to do much in the way of class consciousness. That's not to say they're bad, because they're not (necessarily, at least), but they're fairly common here in Singapore.


I have a feeling that these schools will be a great success, and will definitely make students become aware, thinking, intelligent individuals, instead of automatons that use rote memorization just for the sake of a dehumanizing letter/number grade.Hm, do you know that these schools aren't using a grading system? Because that would be commendable.

[cyu]

for some analysis about "self managed counterrevolutions" you can read this
http://libcom.org/library/lip-and-th...ution-negation (http://www.anonym.to/?http://libcom.org/library/lip-and-the-self-managed-counter-revolution-negation)

tl;dr :D Can you give us an "executive" summary? I would've expected libcom.org, of all sites, to be in favor of self management.



school is a sort of kids version of a factory setting. an "autonomous" school is not going to change this.


I think CELMX said it quite well above: "Children will learn that a boss is not needed" - which is important, even if everything else they learn is crap.

I'm no expert on pedagogy, but what are your opinions on this guy: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paulo_Freire

[Pirate turtle the 11th]

TEACHERS ARE THE MAN DOOOD BY SUPPORTIN THE TEACHERS YOU ARE SUPPORTING THE MIND JAILORS!!111ONEONEONE

grow up and fuck off.

[Patchd]

Teachers=bourgeois

Schools are just another means of production.

I would be for Teacher's Unions if they weren't bureaucratic. It's a just personal experience. Of course I want teachers to organize, but remember, they're not the only ones under the principal's fist.Go on ... explain how schools being academic factories means teachers are necessarily bourgeois. I got into politics because of some of my teachers, one of whom gave me Revolution Betrayed to read, is this an example of cultivating an environment of subservience? You're generalising, like you said, it's your own personal experience and one which is harmful to the class struggle in my honest opinion (akin to Class War's labeling of teachers as middle class), but even then, if you had teachers who were complete nobs, it doesn't make them bourgeois (http://www.marxists.org/glossary/terms/b/o.htm#bourgeoisie).

Frankly, as someone who wants to train as a teacher in later life (if I don't get kicked out of uni for not doing any work before that is), I find this very offensive.


Also, somewhat relating to the topic, I've been interested in education in post-capitalist society. Take a look at the idea of Libertarian Schools (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_school).

[gorillafuck]

Not really, they're more akin to cops or perhaps managers. And, like cops, some can be pretty decent people, but that isn't quite generalized. So yeah, I'm not sure teacher-run schools are necessarily going to be any better for the students.
Cops kick you out of your home or apartment if you can't afford it anymore and break up strikes. Teachers don't do anything like that.

[Weezer]

TEACHERS ARE THE MAN DOOOD BY SUPPORTIN THE TEACHERS YOU ARE SUPPORTING THE MIND JAILORS!!111ONEONEONE

grow up and fuck off.

To quote theredson:

A 16 year old with cartoon character avatars is telling me to grow up? Rich.

Also, don't you have an account at School Survival (www.school-survival.net)? Hmmm?


Go on ... explain how schools being academic factories means teachers are necessarily bourgeois. I got into politics because of some of my teachers, one of whom gave me Revolution Betrayed to read, is this an example of cultivating an environment of subservience? You're generalising, like you said, it's your own personal experience and one which is harmful to the class struggle in my honest opinion (akin to Class War's labeling of teachers as middle class), but even then, if you had teachers who were complete nobs, it doesn't make them bourgeois (http://www.marxists.org/glossary/terms/b/o.htm#bourgeoisie).

Frankly, as someone who wants to train as a teacher in later life (if I don't get kicked out of uni for not doing any work before that is), I find this very offensive.


Also, somewhat relating to the topic, I've been interested in education in post-capitalist society. Take a look at the idea of Libertarian Schools (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_school).

The "Teacher=bourgeois" statement was a joke, but I guess I can't use jokes in the Worker's Struggles forum. Not all teachers are bad, I'll agree with you there. I'm not anti-teacher either, but I believe that schools needs reform.

I don't mean just collectivization. I mean digging into its foundation, and pulling out the Root of indoctrination.

Right now, schools, from North Korea or America, mold students into the current way of thinking. People regardless of age, need to form their own opinions.

Education should be democratic. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democratic_education)

And khad and Glenn Beck, thanks for feedback, it's good to know that you two Marxist-Leninists will always follow me wherever I post. :)

[Patchd]

You can make jokes in the workers' struggle forum, yes, so sorry about the post being directed at the wrong person (you), it's sometimes difficult to realise whether someone is joking over the internet or not as I can't hear your tone of voice, although admittedly I should have realised it from this:

"Of course I want teachers to organize, but remember, they're not the only ones under the principal's fist."

I still do have an issue with Zero Nowhere's post: "Not really, they're more akin to cops or perhaps managers. And, like cops, some can be pretty decent people, but that isn't quite generalized. So yeah, I'm not sure teacher-run schools are necessarily going to be any better for the students." Perhaps this was what Joe was referring to?

Also, are libertarian schools any different to democratic schools? I didn't notice any noticeable differences when I skimmed the wiki article.

[Patchd]

Why did you delete your post? I am just curious, so please don't take this the wrong way, I thought you had taken BucketofCows' point from what the post said. :confused:

[Pirate turtle the 11th]

To quote theredson:

A 16 year old with cartoon character avatars is telling me to grow up? Rich
To quote theredson:

I am uncut and I only wash my penis when I want a blow job from my gf.


Also, don't you have an account at School Survival (http://www.school-survival.net)? Hmmm?


Yeah I hated school and didn't really get on with most teachers, however idiots needing a slap do not need to be bourgeoisie.


/QUOTE]

[DenisDenis]

On the other hand, schools can be very valuable in shedding some light on marxism. A lot of the history teachers here in belgium (mostly the younger teachers) seem to be more on the left side of the political spectrum.

They mostly give a very thorough explanation of what marxism exactly is, sometimes with easy-to-understand cartoons. I actually learned a lot from these lessons.