Post by Jim K on Aug 4, 2013 15:53:28 GMT -5
Welcome to The Badass Teachers Association!
Please take a moment to read the information below. It contains our mission, goals and guidelines.
What is the Badass Teacher Association?
A diverse group of families and education professionals who wish to reclaim America’s public education system.
Founders: Priscilla Sanstead, Dr. Mark Naison, Marla Kilfoye
Our mission: Badass Teachers Association was created to give voice to every teacher who refuses to be blamed for the failure of our society to erase poverty and inequality through education. BAT members refuse to accept assessments, tests and evaluations created and imposed by corporate driven entities that have contempt for authentic teaching and learning.
Our goals: BATs aim to reduce or eliminate the use of high stakes testing, increase teacher autonomy in the classroom and work to include teacher and family voices in legislative decision-making processes that affect students.
Group guidelines: We are a rich and diverse group of education professionals and concerned citizens/families who strive to engage in discourse that improves our profession. We encourage dialogue about many hot-button issues but page administrators reserve the right to delete comments, threads, and (if necessary) individuals from the group that do not engage in respectful civil discourse. Decisions to remove comments, threads or individuals are not taken lightly. All potential removals are subject to review by group founders.
Examples of offensive remarks/comments fall under but are not limited to: homophobic or racist comments, personal agendas (i.e.- seeking to profit off of published books or merchandise), bullying, excessive or inappropriate use of vulgarity, or comments that conflict with the established mission or goals of BAT. Members who do not abide by the guidelines may be asked to leave.
Actions: BAT will engage in organized group actions such as phone calls, emails, or letter writing. These actions will be announced as timely as possible so it will allow all members an opportunity to be a part of the action.
A note on the name: There have been many discussions about the name of the group. There are some who feel it is offensive or unprofessional to use the word “badass” and are uncomfortable with its use. We disagree. As Dr. Naison says: "We've had enough. We are not your doormats. We are not your punching bags. We are some of the hardest working, most idealistic people in this country and we are not going to take it anymore. We are going to stand up for ourselves, and stand up for our students even if no organization really supports us. We are Badass. We are legion. And we will force the nation to hear our voice!”
We hope that conversations about changing the name no longer continue. To that end, page administrators have been asked to end or delete any comments and/or threads where this becomes the topic. Our intention is to promote the goals of the group and move forward with our efforts.
Thank you for your voice and your efforts- and welcome to being a Badass Teacher!
Please take a moment to read the information below. It contains our mission, goals and guidelines.
What is the Badass Teacher Association?
A diverse group of families and education professionals who wish to reclaim America’s public education system.
Founders: Priscilla Sanstead, Dr. Mark Naison, Marla Kilfoye
Our mission: Badass Teachers Association was created to give voice to every teacher who refuses to be blamed for the failure of our society to erase poverty and inequality through education. BAT members refuse to accept assessments, tests and evaluations created and imposed by corporate driven entities that have contempt for authentic teaching and learning.
Our goals: BATs aim to reduce or eliminate the use of high stakes testing, increase teacher autonomy in the classroom and work to include teacher and family voices in legislative decision-making processes that affect students.
Group guidelines: We are a rich and diverse group of education professionals and concerned citizens/families who strive to engage in discourse that improves our profession. We encourage dialogue about many hot-button issues but page administrators reserve the right to delete comments, threads, and (if necessary) individuals from the group that do not engage in respectful civil discourse. Decisions to remove comments, threads or individuals are not taken lightly. All potential removals are subject to review by group founders.
Examples of offensive remarks/comments fall under but are not limited to: homophobic or racist comments, personal agendas (i.e.- seeking to profit off of published books or merchandise), bullying, excessive or inappropriate use of vulgarity, or comments that conflict with the established mission or goals of BAT. Members who do not abide by the guidelines may be asked to leave.
Actions: BAT will engage in organized group actions such as phone calls, emails, or letter writing. These actions will be announced as timely as possible so it will allow all members an opportunity to be a part of the action.
A note on the name: There have been many discussions about the name of the group. There are some who feel it is offensive or unprofessional to use the word “badass” and are uncomfortable with its use. We disagree. As Dr. Naison says: "We've had enough. We are not your doormats. We are not your punching bags. We are some of the hardest working, most idealistic people in this country and we are not going to take it anymore. We are going to stand up for ourselves, and stand up for our students even if no organization really supports us. We are Badass. We are legion. And we will force the nation to hear our voice!”
We hope that conversations about changing the name no longer continue. To that end, page administrators have been asked to end or delete any comments and/or threads where this becomes the topic. Our intention is to promote the goals of the group and move forward with our efforts.
Thank you for your voice and your efforts- and welcome to being a Badass Teacher!
