Teachers Call to Duty

I once tweeted the following; teacher have to reclaim the profession, we already won, no fear. What do I mean? I mean we have to swallow the fears that keeps us from activating they very power we possess. What is that power? That power includes shaping communities, freeing minds, and instructionally steering the conversation in a direction that promote a systematic understanding of the material by the masses (or our would-be students). 
In any given community, rich or poor, ethnic minority or majority, and in Appalachia or the Urban Center, the classroom teacher wields influence over the families of every student in their class and every student that came through their tenure. And, in most communities, at least for New Jersey, the school is still the largest organization and concentration of professionals. As teacher we have already won, we just don't know it yet.
Here is a story. Early in my career, I had the privilege of teaching in my community. I was young and I understood very early that there is a degree of influence I wielded because of my direct service to the community and the community's children. And, I knew how, was not afraid to wield it. To my detriment, I lacked the maturity needed to properly handle it. Though I was a professional in the classroom, I was fearlessly outspoken and ardently challenged the status quo.  Because of my active outreach and community engagement, I took pride and would boast about how on any given board meeting, I can fill a room with parents, voting parents, ready to beat their chest, call for an inquiry, and take action.  After all, I was their kids teacher and served my community. They were completely committed in my protection and promotion, as long as I was for the betterment of their kids. And, I was and am.
When one possesses such powers, it does make the powers that be a little uneasy, to say the least. That uneasiness gave me enemies that included my mayor, my board president, and some members of the town's political establishment. But because I was the teacher, actively  serving my community, I got ardent supporters that included the council president (who later became mayor), and parents who served on a committee I establish to celebrate our town diversity, (they later became town council and board members). And, I had the hearts and minds of many of my neighbors which garnished attention from the county establishment, the county superintendent and media. All I can think about is it was little old me who was able to parlay a fragment of classroom skills to the greater community and all because I am a community member with a very specialized skill set that directly engages one's capacity to learn, think, and reason in transformative ways. In other words, I am a trained teacher.
My colleagues, those who are attacking us, denigrating our profession, know that we are but individually sleeping giants who if ever fully engaged and unleashed, know that our impact would cause a cataclysmic event on their whole operation. And, they know the only way to defeat us is to keep us defeated in our minds. Because once our minds are free, because of our skill set, we will free our very communities that we serve, because we are the teachers.
In order for Chairman Mao's cultural revolution to take hold, he first had to neutralize China Intelligencia, and he started with all the teachers. Colleagues, we have to take, not ask, take the conversation. We have to consistent and instructionally demand a culture that rejects gratuitous testing, and reinvigorate the humanities, vigorous scholarship, higher order processing, and good old fashion responsible learning.
But, we have to take the risk, and chance. We have to be willing to spend the capital that we have build in our respective communities. We have to use our associations to own the conversation on the local levels. And, time is of the essence so we have to do it now. I stated in another tweet that educators should sit on every school board. Could you imagine if that was the case; that true pedagogues sitting in a seat of power and insuring policy that is rooted in real scholarship? Dare I say it, policies that is rooted in what is really best for kids. Could you? I close with this statement.
Hillel the Elder stated "If I am not for myself, who will be for me? And if I am only for myself, then what am 'I'? And if not now, when?"
You are not a teacher, you're the TEACHER! It is time let everyone know what that really means.