Teachers Speak Up!: Stories of Courage, Resilience, and Hope in Difficult Times

The book "Teachers Speak Up!" presents a vision of education that prioritizes social justice and empowers teachers to create classrooms filled with hope and promise. It highlights the challenges faced by students, teachers, and marginalized populations and offers solutions based on the experiences of classroom teachers. The book features diverse chapter authors who share their visions for education and their successful practice teaching diverse students.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 272 pages
Publication date: 26 April 2024
Publisher: Teachers' College Press

In recent years, society has experienced significant political, racial, economic, and health-related disruptions, leading to negative consequences for students, teachers, the education profession, and marginalized and vulnerable populations. Academics and policymakers have offered their perspectives on addressing these issues, but teachers and other practitioners closest to students have not received the same level of visibility or access. This volume aims to address this absence by presenting compelling essays written by K–12 classroom teachers, highlighting their visions for education and describing their empowering classroom practices. The essays range from hopeful and joyful to angry and frustrated, reflecting the diverse experiences and perspectives of teachers.

One of the key themes of the book is the importance of teachers having a more direct influence on the purpose and aims of learning and teaching. The authors argue that teachers should be empowered to create classrooms filled with hope and promise, even in the face of numerous challenges to everyday practice. The book addresses the harm done by universal school closures due to the pandemic, growing political divisions, the ugly specter of racism, book bans, and other issues.

The book features grounded accounts of teachers who have created classrooms filled with hope and promise, despite the many challenges they face. These teachers describe their vision for education and their successful practice teaching diverse students. The authors also include chapter authors who are diverse in their identities, the subject matter they teach, and their time in the profession.

Overall, "Teachers Speak Up!" offers a bold vision of what education could be if teachers were to have a more direct influence on the purpose and aims of learning and teaching. It provides grounded accounts of creating classrooms filled with hope and promise, addresses the harm done by universal school closures due to the pandemic, growing political divisions, the ugly specter of racism, book bans, and other issues, and gives voice to classroom teachers who describe their vision for education and their successful practice teaching diverse students.

Weight: 384g
Dimension: 155 x 228 x 16 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780807769522