Task Zero, Review:
Rocking the Boat is a book about resistance in the workplace. It talks about resistance in the subtlest of ways. Being a radical and making change does not have to be loud and “in your face”. There are many ways to promote change in the workplace. The book suggests ways which this can be done.
Unfortunately, I believe Debra Meyerson comes from a very privileged position. The book is not told from the point of view of someone who works in the education system. She comes from the business world. And although, I agree with her most of the time, there are many instances in the book where I just can’t relate to, or agree with what she has to say. As most educators know and have experienced, there is much danger in trying to make education comparable to a business. Most of the time, it is the people in charge of implementing education policy who are constantly trying to turn our education system into a business. As we all know, this is not the best practice for our students. We as educators are in a constant struggle with the implementation of bad policy. Being an educator in these times is being a quiet (or loud) radical at all times.
She goes on to ask if “the business students and other social entrepreneurs are impatient and unrealistic in their call for alternative and radical change to the status quo?” Well, to start with, when it comes to education, business students have no business in it. Those are policies and initiatives that should be developed and guided by educators, people who are professionals at their craft. The author is asking if it is wrong for business students to meddle in the affairs of education. Well, the thing is, if business students are interested in education, then they should major in education. She states that tempered radicals work within the system, not against it. It is precisely this point, why in education, the people making change should be the educators.
Another instance in her book where I just can’t agree, is when a boss commits a micro-aggression against an Asian female by telling her that he just interviewed someone who looks just like her. The author’s suggestion on how to handle this situation is to laugh it off by making a similar comment to the boss about him being white. Although, I do believe that this will get the point across, I think it is very easy for Meyerson to suggest this action since she was not directly affected. The fact that she is not a woman of color and has to deal with these micro-aggressions on a regular basis from people in the workplace makes it easy for her to say that we should not respond in an angry manner because it will be less effective. “Humor can make a point but avoid provoking embarrassment and defensiveness; the listener can be more easily reflect on assumptions and learn from the interactions.” Yes, this may be true, but my question is, why should we (people of color) be the ones to stay calm in situations like these? It gets tiring.
Task One, How am I different?:
I wouldn’t say I am different. I am extremely lucky to work with educators who see their profession as a political act. For the most part, we are a group with different racial backgrounds but with similar values. I do believe that the leadership at our school has accepted this culture. Although there is some resistance from administration to some of our ideas, there is mostly a feeling of comradery, working towards a similar goal, and that goal is to work towards what is best for our students. I would even say that some of the “radical” changes that have taken place have been suggested by our administration.
A great difference between educators and people in the business world is that we still have unions protecting our rights. Examples given in the book where workers had to refrain from working jobs that were not in their job description are instances where our union is constantly defending us. When we as workers refuse to submit to the subordination that a powerful structure implements on us, we empower ourselves. We just completed a week of Work-to-Rule at our school. We limited our work from 7:45 to 2:45, our scheduled and paid time. Doing this, once again, reminded us how much we do that is not paid. We do this while the board continues to cut resources that we so desperately need.
Task Two, Becoming a Tempered Radical:
I believe that I am on the Organizing Collective Action side of the continuum. While I am usually not the one who begins a movement in our school, I do take part in organizing change. I am active in our union. We are very lucky to have a union that protects our rights as workers and the rights of our students. Like I stated earlier, many of the examples of resistance that the author gives in this book are protected by our union. Also, being a member of the Professional Personnel Leadership Committee (PPLC) has had a tremendous impact on the amount of change to the curriculum and implementation of programs that our professional development has shown us are effective. We have been able to make these changes from within our positions. Changes such as implementing a restorative justice program in our school, changing the grading system, and making some of our professional developments more meaningful by having teachers participate in talking circles where we discuss important topics pertinent to our students, have been achieved through the PPLC.
Task Three, Facing challenges:
As a school, we as teachers fight for the education of our students. As the experts in the field, we know first hand what is right for them. We know the pedagogy, the research, and we have the experience to be able to tell what works and what does not. We have regular union meetings to address any concerns of too much paper work, students not getting their services, etc. We are a collective that is in a constant struggle with the state, the city, and at times the network and the school administration. I believe that this is different from the business world because there, individuals are many times competing with other individuals to move up the ladder or to break the glass ceiling. This is not the case in my experience. Here, instead of competing, I do believe we are working towards the same goal. When fighting for what is right for our students, I rarely feel isolated. I have a strong group of teachers working besides me with a similar mentality. There was an instance when a co-worker of mine expressed to me that he felt like a pariah after he decided to boycott and not administer the ISAT test a few years ago. Some teachers in the building felt his actions were not the best action to take under the circumstances. It does happen, and this is one of the problems that Meyerson mentions. Loneliness falls under the Tolls of Ambivalence. “Tempered radicals’ dual stance positions them as both insiders and outsiders in their organizations, but they are not fully in either camp”. I believe that while my co-worker had a bad experience and the rest were not supportive, for the most part, we strive for collectiveness.
Rocking the Boat is a book about resistance in the workplace. It talks about resistance in the subtlest of ways. Being a radical and making change does not have to be loud and “in your face”. There are many ways to promote change in the workplace. The book suggests ways which this can be done.
Unfortunately, I believe Debra Meyerson comes from a very privileged position. The book is not told from the point of view of someone who works in the education system. She comes from the business world. And although, I agree with her most of the time, there are many instances in the book where I just can’t relate to, or agree with what she has to say. As most educators know and have experienced, there is much danger in trying to make education comparable to a business. Most of the time, it is the people in charge of implementing education policy who are constantly trying to turn our education system into a business. As we all know, this is not the best practice for our students. We as educators are in a constant struggle with the implementation of bad policy. Being an educator in these times is being a quiet (or loud) radical at all times.
She goes on to ask if “the business students and other social entrepreneurs are impatient and unrealistic in their call for alternative and radical change to the status quo?” Well, to start with, when it comes to education, business students have no business in it. Those are policies and initiatives that should be developed and guided by educators, people who are professionals at their craft. The author is asking if it is wrong for business students to meddle in the affairs of education. Well, the thing is, if business students are interested in education, then they should major in education. She states that tempered radicals work within the system, not against it. It is precisely this point, why in education, the people making change should be the educators.
Another instance in her book where I just can’t agree, is when a boss commits a micro-aggression against an Asian female by telling her that he just interviewed someone who looks just like her. The author’s suggestion on how to handle this situation is to laugh it off by making a similar comment to the boss about him being white. Although, I do believe that this will get the point across, I think it is very easy for Meyerson to suggest this action since she was not directly affected. The fact that she is not a woman of color and has to deal with these micro-aggressions on a regular basis from people in the workplace makes it easy for her to say that we should not respond in an angry manner because it will be less effective. “Humor can make a point but avoid provoking embarrassment and defensiveness; the listener can be more easily reflect on assumptions and learn from the interactions.” Yes, this may be true, but my question is, why should we (people of color) be the ones to stay calm in situations like these? It gets tiring.
Task One, How am I different?:
I wouldn’t say I am different. I am extremely lucky to work with educators who see their profession as a political act. For the most part, we are a group with different racial backgrounds but with similar values. I do believe that the leadership at our school has accepted this culture. Although there is some resistance from administration to some of our ideas, there is mostly a feeling of comradery, working towards a similar goal, and that goal is to work towards what is best for our students. I would even say that some of the “radical” changes that have taken place have been suggested by our administration.
A great difference between educators and people in the business world is that we still have unions protecting our rights. Examples given in the book where workers had to refrain from working jobs that were not in their job description are instances where our union is constantly defending us. When we as workers refuse to submit to the subordination that a powerful structure implements on us, we empower ourselves. We just completed a week of Work-to-Rule at our school. We limited our work from 7:45 to 2:45, our scheduled and paid time. Doing this, once again, reminded us how much we do that is not paid. We do this while the board continues to cut resources that we so desperately need.
Task Two, Becoming a Tempered Radical:
I believe that I am on the Organizing Collective Action side of the continuum. While I am usually not the one who begins a movement in our school, I do take part in organizing change. I am active in our union. We are very lucky to have a union that protects our rights as workers and the rights of our students. Like I stated earlier, many of the examples of resistance that the author gives in this book are protected by our union. Also, being a member of the Professional Personnel Leadership Committee (PPLC) has had a tremendous impact on the amount of change to the curriculum and implementation of programs that our professional development has shown us are effective. We have been able to make these changes from within our positions. Changes such as implementing a restorative justice program in our school, changing the grading system, and making some of our professional developments more meaningful by having teachers participate in talking circles where we discuss important topics pertinent to our students, have been achieved through the PPLC.
Task Three, Facing challenges:
As a school, we as teachers fight for the education of our students. As the experts in the field, we know first hand what is right for them. We know the pedagogy, the research, and we have the experience to be able to tell what works and what does not. We have regular union meetings to address any concerns of too much paper work, students not getting their services, etc. We are a collective that is in a constant struggle with the state, the city, and at times the network and the school administration. I believe that this is different from the business world because there, individuals are many times competing with other individuals to move up the ladder or to break the glass ceiling. This is not the case in my experience. Here, instead of competing, I do believe we are working towards the same goal. When fighting for what is right for our students, I rarely feel isolated. I have a strong group of teachers working besides me with a similar mentality. There was an instance when a co-worker of mine expressed to me that he felt like a pariah after he decided to boycott and not administer the ISAT test a few years ago. Some teachers in the building felt his actions were not the best action to take under the circumstances. It does happen, and this is one of the problems that Meyerson mentions. Loneliness falls under the Tolls of Ambivalence. “Tempered radicals’ dual stance positions them as both insiders and outsiders in their organizations, but they are not fully in either camp”. I believe that while my co-worker had a bad experience and the rest were not supportive, for the most part, we strive for collectiveness.