[RSCT] In NYC: Teachers Unite's Teacher Activist Course

[sally at teachersunite.net]

http://www.teachersunite.net/register

Register today for Teachers Unite's Teacher Activist Course! You can  
sign up for any combination of Sessions 1, 2, 3 and 4 being held  
August 24-27. Each session is from 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

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Some feedback from participants in our spring course:

"Terrific energy in the room. Thank you for the intellectual  
stimulation and overall nurturing!"

"The walking tour was a tremendous way to introduce the idea of  
schools and community. The conversations surrounding Ocean  
Hill-Brownsville have enlightened my understanding of control in NYC  
schools."

"I have a new understanding of the nature of power relations and  
organizing strategies, plus the tactics and the 'how to' of parent  
organizing."

"I loved hearing about the history of privatization of public  
education, and getting together with other teachers to brainstorm.  
I've decided today that I'm going to run for Chapter Leader thanks to  
the conversations I've had today in this session."

"Keep feeding me information and inspiration!"

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Details at http://www.teachersunite.net/register
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Course session descriptions:

Monday, August 24 - Session 1:

Understanding Power and Oppression

How does oppression play out in public education? What is power? Can  
teachers be powerful enough to transform public education? Through  
group discussions and activities, we will examine what roles race,  
class, and gender play in teachers' work and personal lives. We will  
explore various types of oppression and power and discuss how they  
manifest in schools. Teachers will have an opportunity to begin  
exploring their own ideas for transforming public education.

Tuesday, August 25 - Session 2:

Effective Community Organizing

How can teachers build enough power to transform public education?   
What does community organizing mean? How can we create sustainable and  
successful campaigns that improve teachers' and students' daily lives?  
  Whether it's organizing your colleagues around a school problem or a  
community concern, participants in this session will learn strategies  
and techniques for framing an issue, engaging others, and developing  
an effective organizing campaign. There will be opportunities to  
identify and plan campaigns around key educational issues.

Wednesday, August 26 - Session 3:

Who Controls Public Schools in New York City?: A History of the City's Schools

New York City schools have always been contested terrain, places where  
many disparate interests have come together. This session will focus  
on two key points in 20th century history (1908 and 1968) in which  
those interests have come together and have clashed. We will explore  
those conflicts in depth to understand what they reveal about whom the  
schools serve and what role parents, teachers, and politicians have  
played in the schools. We will also hear from experts who will  
contextualize the city's recent history of schooling and what can be  
done to bring the city schools under the control of the people working  
in and being served by them.

Thursday, August 27 - Session 4:

Education Reform, Social Justice and Teachers Unions

Too often teachers unions have failed to adequately address the  
attacks on public education. As a result, many committed social  
justice activists question whether unions can be mobilized to fight  
for education reform and justice for our students or even, whether  
they are part of the problem. In this workshop we will discuss what  
all teachers should know about their unions, the role they could and  
do play in the fight for education reform and strategies to mobilize  
our unions to more fully represent the interests of the teachers they  
serve. We will also focus on some nuts and bolts about the UFT, our  
contract, and how to organize union chapters and campaigns in one's  
school.

Visit http://www.teachersunite.net/register for more information about  
the sessions and how to register.

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