The Learnable Moment: On Becoming “Political” and Taking Action as Preservice Teachers

• In Event: The Challenges of Being a Good Citizen and a Good Teacher: Lessons From the Wisconsin Protests

Abstract

In this presentation, a Professional Development School (PDS) school-based supervisor in Madison discusses how school closings and daily protests at the state capitol created a critical
space for the 15 pre-service teachers placed in classrooms at her high poverty elementary school to question, articulate, and act on beliefs about public school educators’ rights and
responsibilities as they relate to taking civic action.

University students in this PDS cohort conduct four consecutive semesters of fieldwork in one urban school community and receive mentoring by an on-site supervisor and dedicated set of
teachers who model core instructional techniques, work to apply culturally relevant teaching practices, and encourage community-based learning opportunities. The commitment these pre-service teachers make to forging deep relationships with school staff, families, and each other creates a strong support system for exploring ideas about advocacy and teaching. In turn, the connections developed over time both ground and challenge their understanding of how ideas and practices play out with real people in real contexts.

In February 2011, the governor’s “Budget Repair Bill” that included among its many planned cuts to public services a proposal to end collective bargaining put the local teachers’ union in an uproar and our teacher education program’s social justice principles to the test. In short order, a critical mass of Madison teachers decided to call in sick in order to take political action against the bill, forcing the district to cancel school for a total of four days. While many teachers across the city chose to attend rallies and testify at hearings, others disagreed with this course of action or felt financially obligated to report to their schools. Emotions ran high, and student teachers listened as cooperating teachers shared concerns about the increasing threats to public education and decreased funding for social services, and worried about the impact on public perception of
teachers and how families would cope with closed schools.

The circumstances initially provoked intense uncertainty among the pre-service teachers, many of whom had previously characterized themselves as “apolitical.” In addition to accessing a continuous stream of social media, they were receiving conflicting advice from the university, the school district, and family about how best to proceed. It seemed clear that the proposed legislation would negatively impact their students’ and their own futures. But were they expected to report to school or should they join the protests? How did one’s responsibility as a
concerned citizen and prospective teacher coincide or conflict? This presentation examines the ways in which student teachers struggled to answer these questions and reflects upon the PDS supervisor’s attempts to facilitate such a process. Overall, this experience was a deeply politicizing event for many of the pre-service students. It also starkly revealed areas for growth within the program in terms of deepening its commitment to social justice and community interaction.

Author

• Mary Klehr, Madison Metropolitan School District/University of Wisconsin-Madison Teacher Education Center