Teachers Show They Can Speak Truth to Power

Please click on this link to read the letter from Abby Breaux that was printed in the Washington Post over the weekend. It is getting rave reviews from educators all over the country. Take a look at the many comments from teachers in other parts of the country that are facing the same impossible challenges as Ms Breaux that are being ignored by our "reformer" power structure. People like Jindal and White have no idea what teachers go through, yet they want to run education. Finally, teachers have decided to speak truth to power! God bless you Abby!

I am reprinting the following from the Lafayette Advertiser:
(click here to see the video provided by the Advertiser)

A group of Lafayette teachers calling themselves the "Fearless Foursome" launched a Facebook page to spark continued discussion about education issues.

Abby Breaux, Andrea Thibodeaux, Linda Rhoads and Jennifer Guillory started the page "Teachers Standing for Solutions" over the weekend. By late Monday afternoon, the page had more than 1,000 "likes."

Guillory said her children encouraged her to start the page after she and the other teachers spoke out last week about the challenges of education. Their concerns include the district's discipline system, a large amount of standardized tests and the state's teacher evaluation system. Breaux presented a letter to the Lafayette Parish School Board last Wednesday that outlined several of her concerns.

Since then, the letter has appeared on The Washington Post's website and other media outlets. Guillory said the teachers have also heard from school board members and members of the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education.

"My children were saying we needed to do a Facebook page so all of the comments can be in the right place," Guillory said. "We don't want it to be a whining wall. Our agenda right now is about distractions in the classroom and standardized testing. That's where we are starting because that is where we can make a difference now."

The page is described as a way to pursue "moderate and practical changes" in education and give children better learning environments.

"While our catalyst was one teacher's recent letter to a local school board, the need to take a stand has been escalating for years ...," reads a description of the page on Facebook.

"We stand with other teachers, our students and the community for educational improvement."

Guillory emphasized that the group wants the page to serve as a point for a discussion on solutions, rather than focusing solely on problems.

"We're pretty energized by all of this," she said.

"Obviously, we kind of awakened a sleeping giant. It's not about me, it's not only about Lafayette Parish. These are huge issues and they need to be fixed."