"Edgier" Stories about Education?

Recently, I read a blog titled, "On Being Fired from My Job" by Lory Peroff, a National Board Certified Teacher and Hope Street Alumna. No, she wasn't fired from her teaching job; she was fired from a job she had writing for Civil Beat, a local publication.

I know Lory. I was the principal who hired her when she started teaching, 17 years ago. In fact, I nominated her as a Milken Teacher of Promise because as a new teacher, she was so innovative, caring, and created wonderful relationships with her students. Lory started doing project-based learning before it became a buzzword in education. Her students collected hygiene items for the homeless, and raised plants organically, sharing what they learned through a classroom blog, garden tours, and presentations to the school community as well as other principals. Because many of our students had parents who were deployed, Lory shared articles in the newspaper about current events, and student questions drove the discussions. As I’ve observed her continued growth after she left our school to teach abroad and now at Waikiki Elementary School, I cannot help but feel grateful to know her personally as well as professionally.

I was so proud when I opened up my Civil Beat app that morning and saw her first article. I was thrilled that she would be a regular contributor to their publication. Lory is an engaging writer, and I found myself looking forward to reading what she had to share. Therefore, I was a bit concerned when I realized that I was no longer seeing her articles. I wondered why. When I read her explanation, I couldn’t believe it. “Edgier?” They want articles that show the negative side of education? Maybe that’s the problem.

Lory shared a side of education that the general public might not have known about. She talked about the lack of funding for the arts and how their school sought out grants to have artists come to share their craft with students. She discussed the challenges of living in Hawaii on a teacher’s salary, and she shared deep concerns her students had about the state of our country and their discussions via “Philosophy for Children.”  Like most educators I worked with, however, Lory saw the glass as half-full rather than half-empty. She saw challenges within our system or within her school or classroom, but she chose to seek solutions rather than just complaining.

I know that teachers like Lory are making a difference for students; this is why I looked forward to reading her articles and why I follow her on Twitter. Recently, she reached out to Eran Ganot, the University of Hawaii basketball coach, about a student’s persuasive letter to spend time with a UH basketball player. What a thrill for that student to be invited to practice with the team, a possible life-changing event for him! These kinds of stories are so important in changing the perception of the public about our schools. It is a shame that so much of the news is negative and that the public impression of schools is often based on test scores.

I remember years ago when my husband explained about porcupine power; that explanation stuck with me (pun intended). It means that those who are loudest or abrasive or the most prickly often get what they want or their side of an issue is what is heard and shared. Porcupine power doesn’t work for teachers like Lory and the thousands of others like her in our Department; rather, these teachers work tirelessly to address challenges without complaining or asking for public sympathy.  We need to hear more of their stories and how they’ve overcome perceived challenges to engage and empower their students to be the best they can be.

I like reading Civil Beat; that is one of the first apps I check every morning when I wake up. This time, though, I think they got things wrong. Lory’s and other teachers’ stories need to be shared; we don’t need “edgier.” We need hope and positivity and stories of overcoming perceived challenges to help our students be the best they can be. Our schools, our teachers, and our kids deserve that.