Tag: JC Bowman

Are You “Called” to Teach

by JC Bowman, posted in Advocacy, Educators, JC Bowman, Leadership, Professional Development, Professional Educators of Tennessee, Professional Learning, Tennessee Education

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Why do people teach? The major reason someone says they teach is the ability to make a real difference in the lives of children. There are other reasons, including the fact that someone believes they are “called” to teach. Almost all teachers are linked together by a passion for educating children. The passion is innate and has to come from within.

Former Commissioner of Education in Tennessee, Candice McQueen, reminded a group of educators in a presentation that we were set apart in our mission. She pointed out the gifts that educators have are special talents and abilities. Educators are born for the mission that is being given for us. Dr. McQueen emphasized the profession is a special calling. She is correct.

We are all on a search for significance. We desire to make a difference. Educators are making a huge difference. That is why it is important that we honor them. It is the English social critic, Os Guinness, who stated: “Calling is not only a matter of being and doing what we are, but also of becoming what we are not yet but are called by God to be.” He then adds: “Deep in our hearts, we all want to find and fulfill a purpose bigger than ourselves.” Education of the next generation is one of the most important occupations we could ever do. The belief that one is “called to teach” keeps women and men in education, even with all the unwanted public scrutiny.

Matthew Lynch writes about teaching as a calling: “A calling implies a deep-seated belief that teaching is the only profession that makes sense for you to pursue…” Dylan Fenton, an English teacher and writer does not like the term “calling,” as it creates to him an “idea that good teachers are born, not made and, as a result, allow themselves to stagnate.” I would argue that Lynch is more accurate than Fenton, as a passionate teacher never stops honing their craft. John Hunter, an award-winning teacher and educational consultant wrote: “I used to think teaching was a job. And then I thought it was a profession. And now I’m of the opinion that it’s a calling. It’s a very noble calling.”

Henry David Thoreau said, “Most men lead lives of quiet desperation.” John Keating, in the movie Dead Poets Society challenged his students to not be resigned to that type of life. Yes, John Keating was subsequently fired, and probably never taught another class the rest of his life. However, he taught his students to find their own voice. It was his calling. If you have a profession that brings you passion, gives you someone other than yourself to care for, and is something that makes you want to get up in the morning to accomplish, you will not live a life of quiet desperation.

Teaching is indeed an imposing, self-sacrificing, but also a magnanimous calling. Going through the process to get certified, whether through traditional means or an alternative route is sometimes difficult. The creativity aspect of the profession has slowly been eroded. There is persistent negativity by some lawmakers and the media of public education. Compared to other professions, educators can expect a modest salary and sometimes extremely difficult working conditions. However, if you are called to teach, you will never find a happier place than in a classroom or serving students. Educators are set apart to make a difference. There is no other profession, except perhaps the clergy, that can change lives like a public-school teacher.

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JC Bowman is the Executive Director of Professional Educators of Tennessee, a non-partisan teacher association headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee. Permission to reprint in whole or in part is hereby granted, provided that the author and the association are properly cited. For more information on this subject or any education issue please contact Professional Educators of Tennessee. To schedule an interview please contact Audrey Shores, Director of Communications, at 1-800-471-4867 ext.102.

Culture, Discipline, and Salaries

by JC Bowman, posted in JC Bowman, Leadership, Legislation, Students

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Bureaucrats keep piling on more requirements of educators with barely a nod of appreciation. Fewer occupations have undergone more changes than those in public education. Three critical issues often cited by our educators for leaving our profession are school culture, student discipline, and teacher salaries.

The National School Climate Center notes that “empirical research has shown that when school members feel safe, valued, cared for, engaged, and respected, learning measurably increases, and staff satisfaction and retention are enhanced.” Bad school culture is a barrier to student learning and quality teaching.

Business leaders have long recognized the connection between employee working conditions and productivity. Establishing positive working conditions for school staff improves the learning conditions for students. Quality instruction cannot be provided if staff morale is low, the staff does not feel supported by school administration and/or the staff turnover is high. Teacher recruitment and retention is a critical role in any school or district. Factors such as teacher-administrator relationships, collegiality, job expectations, and participation in decision-making, are among the most important reasons in whether or not teachers choose to stay at their school or in the profession.

Lack of student discipline, inadequate administrative support, and lack of respect are all frequently cited reasons as to why teachers leave the profession, almost as much as salary and working conditions. We continue to place children with serious and chronic behavior issues into regular classrooms, where the teacher is already overwhelmed with other students also with behavior problems. Instruction time is lost every time a teacher has to deal with discipline issues. Some students need attention and intervention beyond the scope of what a classroom teacher can provide. It is imperative that a school and district adopt policies that support effective classroom management as well as instruction for all students. Districts must have policies in place that protect all students’ right to learn.

To be clear, student discipline is a serious issue and it must be addressed, both at the state and local level. Any assault that causes an injury to students or teachers should be a police matter. One possible policy is better tracking of time an educator spends on discipline issues. For example, do parents have the right to know if one student disrupts their own child’s education so frequently their child loses instruction time? We need to document all discipline incidents so corrective courses of action can be taken at the building level, district level, and state level. We should work to reduce unnecessary suspensions and expulsions in our schools, by looking at this data on a regular basis and providing better training for all staff.

In California, schools will no longer be allowed to suspend elementary and middle school students from school for disrupting classroom activities or defying school authorities. The state of California undermined local control of schools and made it harder for teachers to manage their classroom. Their one-size-fits-all disciplinary requirement will likely have a chilling effect on teacher recruitment and retention. Let’s hope policymakers in other states have more forethought and common sense than their counterparts in California. Without discipline, students cannot learn. Students themselves must respect rules and authority.

The Comptroller’s Office of Research and Education Accountability (OREA) proved through research that there was a slightly more than 6 percent increase total in average classroom salaries in fiscal years 2016, 2017, and 2018 through the Instructional Salaries and Wages category of the Basic Education Program (BEP). More than $300 million in new, recurring state dollars was appropriated. Unfortunately, as most Tennessee teachers recognized, those dollars did not actually end up in teacher pockets. We must support our teachers and make sure the dollars allocated to their salaries reach them as policymakers intended. This was addressed in Tennessee through subsequent legislation in 2019. We know that many teachers still struggle to support their own families, particularly in places where the cost of living is higher. Salaries must be a priority.

Increasing student achievement takes adequate resources, as well as focus and collaboration to address school culture, student discipline, and teacher salaries. Teachers need the support of their administrators, their district, and the state. If we want to see increased student achievement and student learning, it is paramount that the state and districts work to address issues together. Immediate teacher recruitment and retention efforts will be largely determined by the success or failure on these issues, particularly in chronically hard-to-staff schools.

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JC Bowman is the Executive Director of Professional Educators of Tennessee, a non-partisan teacher association headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee. Permission to reprint in whole or in part is hereby granted, provided that the author and the association are properly cited.

It is Constitution Day in America

by JC Bowman, posted in JC Bowman, Leadership

Signing of the Constitution

On September 17, 1787, the delegates to the Constitutional Convention met to sign one of the greatest documents ever created:  The United States Constitution. In 2004, the late Senator Robert Byrd led the effort to rename the day ‘Constitution Day and Citizenship Day,’ which requires public schools and institutions to provide information on the history of the country’s constitution.   Our Founding Fathers would likely be pleased that the document they signed 232 years ago is still providing inspiration and guidance for American citizens and other countries around the world.

I was re-reading a letter I wrote to an attorney nearly two decades ago, who was striving to remove any vestige of our Judeo-Christian heritage from our country.  I have always maintained that religion has an appropriate role in the public square.   His position, of course, is that faith should be removed.  My answer to him was simple: ‘base your arguments on the US Constitution, not letters from dead Presidents.’ He had a clear misunderstanding of the Establishment Clause, despite the law degree, and was citing a letter in defense of free exercise of faith from a man who was not even present at the passage of the Constitution.

The United States Constitution is the one document in our public life that operates as a social contract between citizens and government, defining our basic rights and the limits of government with three main purposes:  First, it creates a federal government comprising of a legislative, an executive, and a judicial branch, with a system of checks and balances among the three branches.  Second, it shares power between the federal government and the states.  And third, it safeguards the liberties of all citizens.

The United States Constitution is an indisputably remarkable document, enduring in a world much different than the one in which it was written.  Our founding principles are critical as our country moves forward, if we are to survive as a nation.  It is one area in which Americans are likely to find agreement.  The power, scope, and reach of the government is clearly defined by a simple reading of the document.   Since the only oath every member of Congress takes is to defend the Constitution, it would seem that citizens would place a high priority on this governing document.  However, we are reminded, that interpretations of the Constitution can hold opposing views.

Limiting the power of government and protecting the rights of our citizens is something we must all make a conscientious effort to protect. We should be especially appreciative for the protection afforded in our Bill of Rights, especially our most fundamental rights—freedom of speech, religion, protest, and our equal protection under the law. A free society does not just occur. It has to be deliberately and intentionally preserved. Eternal vigilance is the price of freedom.

The founders knew it wasn’t a perfect document, yet the Constitution has adapted and prevailed. On Constitution Day, take a few minutes to read the document for yourself. In order to protect the values, we hold so dearly, we must guarantee that generations to come will embrace and uphold the one thing that sets us apart from every other nation. That one thing is the United States Constitution.

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JC Bowman is the Executive Director of Professional Educators of Tennessee, a non-partisan teacher association headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee. Permission to reprint in whole or in part is hereby granted, provided that the author and the association are properly cited. For more information on this subject or any education issue please contact Professional Educators of Tennessee.

The Social & Emotional Needs of Children

by JC Bowman, posted in JC Bowman, Mental Health, Professional Educators of Tennessee

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Who does not want a child to have success with academic achievement, positive behavior, and healthier life choices? On the surface, self-awareness, self-control, and interpersonal skills are indeed essential for success in school, work, and life. Too often good ideas and solutions get lost in poor implementation, and teachers often are not trained specifically to address some of the issue’s children face.

Social-emotional learning (SEL) has become arguably one of the hottest topics in education and the most controversial to critics. Christina Cipriano, the director of research at the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence and a research scientist at the Child Study Center at the Yale School of Medicine, identifies five competencies children should master: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision making. This is something she told EdSurge that has been around for decades. Cipriano says: “At the end of the day, we’re talking about teaching people how to be better citizens and more positive contributors to their society.”

As early as 2014, educator Larry Ferlazzo was sounding the alarm in his editorial about how social and emotional learning (SEL) — and its ancestor, character education — was being unduly influenced by some in the education world. Few people would disagree. Those who he identified as manipulating SEL cross a wide variety of ideologies. Ferlazzo states: “Social Emotional Learning has an important place in teaching and in learning. It’s also critical to remember that it has to be kept in its appropriate place.” And the appropriate place is where the debate begins and ends.

Years ago, I remember a discussion with some fellow policy wonks on reading. The consensus was some children will fall through the cracks and never learn to read which was something I could not accept. I blurted out: “You care more about Johnny feeling good about himself, instead of whether he can read or write.”

Don’t get me wrong, I do want children to have self-esteem and self-respect, but I also think it is important that we do not lose focus on academic goals. Which brings me back to the major point: teachers are often not trained specifically to address some of the issue’s children face. To be certain, educators innately encourage healthy social and emotional development of our children. For any program to be successful, there must be complete transparency and community support before implementing any formal SEL program. The creation of this type of climate will support social and emotional learning to nurture emotionally intelligent children.

Tina Olesen, a school teacher in British Columbia wrote:

The way to help the child develop real self-control is tried and true: a caring adult patiently and unflaggingly commits to the moral training of that child. Directing, warning, correcting and disciplining day by day, hour by hour, moment by moment, the adult encourages the child to do what is right, whether or not it feels good. When a child consistently chooses to act in accordance with what is right, he develops moral character. As he develops moral character, he becomes increasingly capable of governing himself and applying himself to his studies, and he develops the self-control required for learning. This can be a long and arduous process that requires self-sacrifice and much patience on the part of a parent or teacher.

The truth is that we have to address so many issues in public education that we forget that parents have the most important role in the moral formation of their own children. Teachers and families should be partners in helping children succeed. Nevertheless, educators are forced to fill a gap in which they may lack appropriate training, and which assessment of success or failure is not readily available.

Quoting Henri-Frédéric Amiel, Oleson added, “The test of every religious, political or educational system is the man which it forms. If a system injures the intelligence, it is bad. If it injures the character, it is vicious. If it injures the conscience, it is criminal.” Whatever your opinion is on this issue, the objective of improved academic achievement, positive behavior, and healthier life choices is a worthy goal to pursue, at home, school, and in the community.

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JC Bowman is the Executive Director of Professional Educators of Tennessee, a non-partisan teacher association headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee. Permission to reprint in whole or in part is hereby granted, provided that the author and the association are properly cited. For more information on this subject or any education issue please contact Professional Educators of Tennessee. 

We Remember September 11th!

by JC Bowman, posted in JC Bowman

Our nation was attacked on September 11, 2001 and our world changed. Muslim terrorists called al-Qaeda, with training camps all around the world were responsible for the death of the more than 3,000 victims. This is an enemy unlike any we have ever faced. There are multiple countries, multiple fronts and multiple threats.

This enemy is committed to the absolute destruction of the American way of life and imposing their beliefs and values upon the world. In their world, law is determined by force—those with power—whether military strength or political dominance—make the rules. It is our belief in freedom, human rights, idealism, personal responsibility and economic opportunity that extremists dislike the most.

If you were a classroom teacher today how would you address the events of September 11, 2001 with your students? Would you blame the incident on the very people who lost their lives? Would you blame those with a misguided ideology for killing innocent people? To me, the answer is very apparent. And those who would blame victims or our nation are siding with evil-doers and promoting savagery.

Since Jeremiah Wright first shocked our nation with his comment in 2008, parroting a Malcolm X phrase, that ‘America’s chickens are coming home to roost,’ which was widely understood as meaning that America brought the September 11 attacks upon itself. Every year that has passed since 2001 that sentiment has been voiced in one manner or another. Eventually that will end up in our classrooms and textbooks. My fear is that the victims will be posthumously put on trial while the terrorists are seen as genial freedom fighters. Nothing could be further from the truth.

It seems to many that we treat perpetrators of evil kinder than we treat their victims in our society. It is an obvious assault on law and order. It is law which enables man to live together, and creates order out of chaos. We first and foremost a nation of laws. Founding Father and future president John Adams called America ‘a nation of laws, not of men.’ These rules should not be subject to the whims of those in power. And those who fail to understand history in the proper context will write textbooks to inform future generations. It is why curriculum has been such a highly debated issue.

Historian Bruce Kauffmann wrote about ‘the Soviet Union’s infamous dictator, Josef Stalin, who in the late 1930s had millions of innocent people incarcerated and murdered after they underwent show trials, or no trials, in which the ‘nature and cause of the accusation’ against them were such specifically identified and legally provable crimes as being ‘foreign agents,’ ‘counterrevolutionaries,’ ‘enemies of the people’ or ‘enemies of the state.’ Have we become so politically correct that only one opinion is allowed?

I accept that countries lie to their citizens, and that we are, regrettably, governed by men and women who are sometimes corrupt. That is undesirable, but it is a fact of life. Often choices made by government is not between good and bad, but between bad and worse. We have done exactly what George Washington warned us against by embracing entangling alliances. We have largely abandoned our Judeo-Christian heritage, in fear of lawsuits and in the name of inclusion. However, we still have the rule of law, right?

I am reminded of Robert Kennedy’s speech in which he was discussing the law. He said about the law: ‘The road ahead is full of difficulties and discomforts. But as for me, I welcome the challenge. I welcome the opportunity, and I pledge to you my best effort — all I have in material things and physical strength and spirit to see that freedom shall advance and that our children will grow old under the rule of law.’

People of reason can disagree with issues and have civil discourse. ‘Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not to his own facts,’ according to the late Daniel Patrick Moynihan. Who also reminded us that culture, not politics, determines the success of society. Respect of our fellow human beings is the core outgrowth of a nation committed under a rule of law. It is our shared history in America, and one in which we must be personally committed to follow. That is the real lesson to teach. If we fail to pass that to the next generation, freedom, the political process, civil liberties, individual rights and media independence will be lost to the dustbin of history and no longer tolerated.

We must remember September 11th in our homes and in our classrooms and engage in this important dialogue. Never let it be said that the flame of freedom was extinguished on our watch. That can be summed up in two words: We Remember.

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JC Bowman is the Executive Director of Professional Educators of Tennessee, a non-partisan teacher association headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee. Permission to reprint in whole or in part is hereby granted, provided that the author and the association are properly cited. For more information on this subject or any education issue please contact Professional Educators of Tennessee.

Labor Day Thoughts

by JC Bowman, posted in JC Bowman, Leadership, Professional Educators of Tennessee

This article originally ran in 2017.  This year another Hurricane Dorian threatens our country.  

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My ancestors migrated here, including my Native American relatives, and in their own way they have contributed positively to the development of the county. They have been soldiers, teachers, preachers, farmers, bankers, builders and the list goes on. Our nation was formed out of the fires of Revolution –that cost lives, possessions, and even a way of life. America was built on the backs of immigrants, including those forced by slavery to come to our shores.

Labor Day has many meanings, but one meaning is that we must recognize the incredible effort it took to build this great country. We must remember those men and women who came before us and sacrificed for all of us on this day.

President Barack Obama said in his first inaugural address about our settlers: “It has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things — some celebrated, but more often men and women obscure in their labor — who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom. For us, they packed up their few worldly possessions and traveled across oceans in search of a new life. For us, they toiled in sweatshops and settled the West, endured the lash of the whip and plowed the hard earth.”

For centuries, our country has attracted people in search of a share of “the American dream” from all corners of the world. E Pluribus Unum (From Many, One) remains the national motto, yet it is true that there no longer seems to be a consensus about what it should mean. Our evolution from the margins of society to the forefront of political change is all the more remarkable when we realize we are a melting pot of cultures. If you step into our public schools today, the many different cultures are on full display not only in our urban communities, but increasingly in our rural communities as well.

Today, our country is divided politically. We see conflicts, in our streets and in the media. We see the “us versus them” attitude that prevents us from collectively working to improve our communities, our state, and our nation. Rather than compromise, we choose to not collaborate on hard issues and pass along our problems to our future generations. Lack of leadership, whether at the local, state or federal level, means our problems only grow larger. Anytime a voice is silenced, it eventually finds a place where it can be heard. Unfortunately, too many voices drown out those who offer attainable solutions to real problems.

However, it is not our differences that divide us. It is our inability to recognize that despite those differences, we have more in common than we can imagine. Nothing brings us closer together as a nation than we face adversity, whether it is a natural disaster or man-made catastrophe. “What unites us is far greater than what divides us,” as John F. Kennedy said. Our great strength as a nation comes in our unity, which is the critical component of America’s perseverance.

While we watched Hurricane Harvey batter Texas, Louisiana and other parts of our country, residents continue to struggle with rain, flooding, and destruction. The damage is still not fully comprehensible, and another Hurricane, Irma, is also threatening.

We can see that many American’s have already lost everything – their homes, cherished items and some their very lives. However, the amazing efforts of volunteers have been an incredible sight to witness. We notice the generosity of the American people to give and share with their neighbors. The way we respond to these tragedies is what makes our nation great.

We will work to repair those areas impacted by natural disaster. The devastation caused by Hurricane Harvey will take years to restore. It is a quintessential American trait that our citizens are dedicated to ensuring those impacted by natural disasters have the support they need to rebuild. History teaches us we will come back stronger than before, as long as America’s men and women today have the same courageous vision, the same audacity and indomitable spirit that made us a great nation in the beginning.

The majority of Americans still want what those first Americans wanted: a better life for themselves and their children. We must commit ourselves individually, and as a nation, to pass the baton of liberty to the next generation in this melting pot of cultures we call the United States of America. This Labor Day, I am reminded of the true value of freedom, the unique heritage of our nation and the effort so many people who came before us put forth so that we could enjoy the fruits of our labors. Happy Labor Day.

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JC Bowman is the Executive Director of Professional Educators of Tennessee, a non-partisan teacher association headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee. Permission to reprint in whole or in part is hereby granted, provided that the author and the association are properly cited.

The Educator and the Classroom

by JC Bowman, posted in Advocacy, JC Bowman, Leadership, Legislation, Professional Educators of Tennessee, Tennessee Education

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Former President Theodore Roosevelt gave an often-cited speech about citizenship in a Republic called The Man in the Arena at the Sorbonne in Paris, France on April 23, 1910. Roosevelt, a remarkable man of great accomplishments declared: “There is little use for the being whose tepid soul knows nothing of great and generous emotion, of the high pride, the stern belief, the lofty enthusiasm, of the men who quell the storm and ride the thunder.”

I often think of modern educators as “The Man in the Arena,” although in this case, a better title might be “The Educator and the Classroom.” I love this descriptor of those who quell the storm and ride the thunder. Educators do quell the storm and ride the thunder in educating the public. Too often our critics mistake cynicism for critical thinking, and vice-versa. We must never fear to critically analyze our profession or our performance. Roosevelt would likely remind us “It is not the critic who counts” but those who are actually “in the arena.”

On August 21st, the 2019 Tennessee Educator Survey report was released by Tennessee Education Research Alliance and the Tennessee Department of Education, Over 45,000 educators responded to the survey, representing 62% of the state’s teachers – an all-time high response rate. Lots of positive feedback, as well as some gloom and doom.

The positive feedback includes:

  • Three out of Four teachers report feeling positive about the way things are run at their school.
  • Three out of Four teachers agree that teacher evaluation improves their teaching.
  • Nearly 90 percent of teachers say they would recommend their school to parents.

Among the negative conclusions:

  • Four in 10 teachers feel less enthusiastic than when they began in education.
  • One in three Tennessee teachers reports they would choose another profession in hindsight.
  • As well, one in three also says they would leave teaching altogether if they could find a higher paying job, according to a report released TODAY on the opinions of teachers statewide.
  • Teacher opinions are split on how much planning time they have in schools.
  • Teachers are also spending many hours creating instructional materials, with feedback showing educators are divided on whether instructional materials are adequate.
  • About half of all teacher says they need to modify or create instructional materials.

Policymakers and stakeholders need to take those negative findings very seriously. A third of Tennessee teachers wish they had gone into another profession, and they lack the time and adequate instructional materials to teach the children, which they have been assigned. This does not bode well for Tennessee schools moving forward. Merely increasing teacher salaries does not solve the issue of self-respect, time, or resources.

There is a lot of information for all of us to digest. Education is changing. We need increased educator voices to make Tennessee the best state in the nation for education and in turn, the best place to raise a family. We must proactively address the issues raised by educators, with real and attainable solutions. The philosopher Bertrand Russell often discussed the importance of using our imaginations in constructing our world, which was the inspiration for this point by Sharon Ann Lee: “There are people who build things and people who tear things down. Just remember which side you are on.”

Roosevelt added: “Well for these men if they succeed; well also, though not so well, if they fail, given only that they have nobly ventured, and have put forth all their heart and strength.” If you want to see passion just visit a classroom in Tennessee. There you will witness our educators zealous to see our children educated to the highest level possible. So, choose to be one who builds, not a cynic who merely criticizes the work of others. Offer hope, ideas, and support to those in the classrooms. Then criticize, if you must after you made that effort to quell the storm and ride the thunder.

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JC Bowman is the Executive Director of Professional Educators of Tennessee, a non-partisan teacher association headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee. Permission to reprint in whole or in part is hereby granted, provided that the author and the association are properly cited

Better Thinking Equals Better Results

by JC Bowman, posted in JC Bowman, Leadership, Legislation, Professional Educators of Tennessee, Tennessee Education

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The State Collaborative on Reforming Education (SCORE) celebrated their 10th Anniversary of working to improve the future for Tennessee students on August 12, 2019.  While we have not always agreed with some of the agenda at Professional Educators of Tennessee, we have never doubted their resolve or pursuit in improving public education in our state.  We are glad to partner with them to improve the future for educators and help our students succeed.

As Chairman of SCORE, Senator Bill Frist should be commended and honored for his tireless advocacy and passion for making education a priority in our state.  We are all better in public education because of his commitment to parents, teachers and especially students.

By advocating for many organizations including our own, Governors Phil Bredesen, Bill Haslam and now Bill Lee have all made education a priority in their administrations.  However, SCORE’s insistence of doing what is best for students to achieve excellence for all has made the greatest impact on public policy in the state this decade.  What has been significant has been consistent leadership at the organization, from former CEO and state senator Jamie Woodson to current CEO David Mansouri, who both shared Frist’s relentless drive in educating our students.

To prepare our children for the future, a student-centered education begins with an excellent teacher. SCORE has been pushing that envelope and playing a critical role in advancing student achievement in Tennessee.  That is why our dialogue with SCORE continues to surround how to engage and empower educators to improve public education.  Those who possess the knowledge about students must have input into the decisions.

We can and we must continue to have policy discussions and debates on improving public education.  Marching in complete lockstep has never produced an original thought.  We have to understand that public education must be completely committed to student success.   Continued collaboration and a spirit of unity remain critical in creating a culture that truly values education.

Providing educators with resources and supports seem to be a foolproof means of making sure that student needs are met completely.  In this area, we all can agree on the critical importance of an authentic teacher voice in policy discussions.  One of the greatest weaknesses of public education, is our isolation in classrooms and in schools.  Teachers need more opportunities for reflection and to develop connections beyond their own school walls or even districts.  That is why membership in professional associations can play a critical role.  The amplified voices of educators that are improving outcomes for students through innovative practices must be shared in our state, and we cannot do it alone.

One of SCORE’s strategic priorities is preparing, recruiting, supporting and retaining excellent teachers and leaders.  There is no doubt that is often overlooked by policymakers at the state and local level.  A school system cannot have high expectations for their students, without a high-quality teacher in their classrooms.  This may prove difficult moving forward, as there are not enough qualified teachers applying for teaching jobs to meet the demand in all locations and fields.   It will take forward-thinking for Tennessee to see our potential for the future.  Simply put: better thinking equals better results.

Every mountain top is within reach if you just keep climbing.  Thank you to SCORE, Senator Frist and your team for your commitment to public education this last decade.  We have much more work left to do.  Together, educators and students across Tennessee will continue to climb higher and our state will rise to the top.

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JC Bowman is the Executive Director of Professional Educators of Tennessee, a non-partisan teacher association headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee. Permission to reprint in whole or in part is hereby granted, provided that the author and the association are properly cited. For more information on this subject or any education issue please contact Professional Educators of Tennessee.

Union Politics Hurts Public Education

by JC Bowman, posted in Advocacy, Educators, JC Bowman, Professional Educators of Tennessee, Students, Unions

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Against the wishes of their own membership, teachers’ unions often embody hyper-partisanship. Reiss Becker detailing research on teachers’ unions at the California Policy Center reports that, “in the 2016 election cycle over 93% of union campaign spending went to Democrats.”  Many union members are unaware that political spending by their union tends to support liberal political candidates and left-wing causes, when 60% of their membership has identified as Republicans or independents

Writing in a USA Today editorial, Jessica Anderson and Lindsey Burke gave a more detailed historical analysis:  “Since 1990, the NEA and the American Federation of Teachers have made over $140 million in direct political contributions. Over 97% of that went to liberals. That kind of political bias isn’t at all representative of the unions’ membership.”

Education Week pointed out that the National Education Association passed “several measures that seemed to move the union in an even more progressive direction.” This was in reference to “social issues as abortion and reparations, protested immigration policies, and, above all, pledged to defeat President Donald Trump in the 2020 election.”

Factor in that quite a few of these “issues” they espouse are typically classified as non-education issues. Members are rightfully being lambasted over the actions of their own delegates to the 2019 National Education Association Representative Assembly due to the passage of Business Item 56, which stated: “The NEA vigorously opposes all attacks on the right to choose and stands on the fundamental right to abortion under Roe v. Wade.”

Anderson and Burke then added: Why would the NEA go out of its way to stake out extreme stances on hot-button issues so far removed from the very real problems facing our nation’s schools? It appears as though the union is more concerned with promoting the political objectives of the left than serving the nation’s teachers and students. The answer may be as simple as federal law does not require union leaders to get their members’ authorization before spending their members’ money on non-educational, social issues.

Members of the union must ask themselves questions about their direct campaign contributions and independent spending at the national, state and local level.  Journalist Leah Mishkin blatantly asked union officials:  Why are some members unaware that part of their membership dues are helping to foot the bill?  Many educators simply do not want their dues used for endorsing or supporting political candidates, or social issues.

For too long union members at the state and local level have stated they disagree with their national union and their agenda, while sending in their hard-earned money in support.  Writer and researcher Mike Antonucci has correctly pointed out when state and local union members try to hide behind semantics: “All of its members are NEA members. They all send dues to NEA. You can’t wash your hands of your affiliation when it’s convenient.”   

That is a critical point, and one that their own members must understand; if you join the local union you are also supporting the national union.  NEA Executive Director John Stocks resigned in June 2019 to chair the Democracy Alliance.  Antonucci gives us the rest of the story about the musical chairs involving Stocks, his replacement, and the Democracy Alliance:

He (Stocks) concurrently serves as chairman of the board of the Democracy Alliance, a network of wealthy progressive political donors. He will continue in that role while acting as a senior adviser at NEA until after the 2020 elections. His successor as NEA executive director is Kim Anderson, a longtime senior staffer at the union who for the past three years has been executive vice president of the Democracy Alliance.

The assumption of many educators is that teachers’ unions are choosing ideology over their own members. That is why state-based professional associations who offer liability and legal protection, professional development, and member benefits are growing nationally.  Most teachers, either on the left or the right, do not choose education as a career choice because they enjoy politics.  They just want to teach while leaving political pursuits to their personal lives, not their professional ones.  Unlike a recent NEA delegate vote, most educators—including union members—actually value student learning as a priority.

Alexandra DeSanctis, a staff writer for National Review, suggests in a recent article that the National Education Association must think that as an “influential left-wing organization, the group must necessarily champion the entire progressive agenda.” She then submits that there is “a growing tendency on the Left, as ‘intersectional’ thinking takes hold — the idea that each interest group within the broader progressive movement has a responsibility to embrace and advocate the particular interests of the rest.”

Union politics often hurt public education and educators with an agenda that many parents and taxpayers are baffled by, and members are left to explain.  Marching in lockstep in any political direction is always a mistake.   As former classroom teacher Larry Sand, currently president of the California Teachers Empowerment Network, writes about teachers’ unions: “the choice between unions becoming more ecumenical or more radical has been made.”   At this point, there is no turning back, as some union leaders merely seek to build a militant minority to revive the labor movement.  Sadly, teachers have become pawns in this game.  They are pawns in the union political agenda.

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JC Bowman is the Executive Director of Professional Educators of Tennessee, a non-partisan teacher association headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee.  Permission to reprint in whole or in part is hereby granted, provided that the author and the association are properly cited. For more information on this subject or any education issue please contact Professional Educators of Tennessee.

Reflecting on Fatherhood

by JC Bowman, posted in Holidays, JC Bowman, Parents

Children do not come with an instruction guide.   It would be much easier if they did.   So much time and effort go into child rearing.  It is beyond a full-time job.   Let’s be honest, being a dad is actual work—and it is difficult yet rewarding work.    

Too many men in society today want the title of Father, but they want to put in the work of a part-time casual observer.  Men who fail to invest in their children miss the wonder of life.  The men will likely reap the results of that part-time status.  If not in their lifetime, then in the lives of their children.  It is a vicious and unnecessary cycle, that we perpetuate from generation to generation.     

Too often, children are subjected to fathers who do not know how to love them, or who are just not there.  The absent fathers and the emotionally distant fathers create more lasting problems, much more than physical abuse.  Not that physical abuse is ever acceptable.   Wounds heal, emotional scarring could last a lifetime—if you let it.    

We know that childhood abuse and neglect, cause so many people to embark on lives of drugs or prostitution, sometimes even worse.  The absent and emotionally distant father helps create adults full of bitterness and anger.  A man who takes the title of Father seriously, helps create children that are confident and secure as adults—they break the generational curse of men who fail to father their children. 

The writer and missionary, Floyd McClung, Jr., suggested that as people consider their past, that they “forgive their parents for their faults.” That is a deep thought.  As I came to grips with my own strained relationship with my Dad, it made me realize that I, too, had my own short comings as a parent. Self-reflection is bittersweet, but necessary.  Reflection benefits our souls. 

You wake up one day and twenty years have gone by.  I wish I had spent more time with my own daughters, listened more to what was going on in their lives, and been slower to criticize their youthful expressions of their generation.  I wish I had held my children closer and longer.  They were in a hurry to grow up, and truth be told, it was what I assumed was the natural passage of life.  To take them into my arms as children again and sing to them in my off-key voice is a dream that can never be fulfilled.  My children are what mattered most in the world, and while I was out making a living, I missed parts of their life—and deprived myself of enjoyment that was Fatherhood. 

This Father’s Day, embrace your children for as long as they will let you.  For those with a Father, forgive them for their shortcomings. The grace you give will return in your own children.  For those without a Father, recall the good times, and work toward moving past the hurt and pain. You will not regret investing in your relationships, and few are more important than the image a child has of a Father. 

Some of us still need emotional and spiritual healing, breaking out of judgmental cycles, and dealing with the inevitable disappointments of life. When we go through life with a distorted image of what a father is or what it means to be a father, it means we miss one of the most critical parts of our lives.  We can grieve and fail to recognize our internal pain, or that of others.   

We must acknowledge our life experiences for what they were, and recognize what should have been.  Yes, life is unfair.  All men may be created equal, but not all fathers are up for the difficult challenge of fatherhood.  The good news is that if you are a Father or have a Father who is still alive, you still have time to rebuild together. 

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JC Bowman is the Executive Director of Professional Educators of Tennessee. Permission to reprint in whole or in part is hereby granted, provided that the author and the association are properly cited. For more information on this subject or any education issue please contact Professional Educators of Tennessee.