Standing Up and Standing Out

What do you believe makes America great? Is it welcoming people from around the world who want to build a better life or sending ICE to arrest high school seniors just before graduation? Is it nurturing young researchers and leading the world in scientific breakthroughs or cutting off the funding that enables those breakthroughs? Is it honest teaching about our nation’s best and worst moments or banning books, fearing critical thinking, and forcing propaganda into classrooms?

At the AFT, we believe our members—the work they do and the spirit in which they do it—make our nation great. AFT members make a difference in the lives of others every day, paving pathways for a better life for all. And they make that difference even when their work and their values are under attack.

While the Trump administration has been cutting funding for vital educational programs and endangering students, our members have been fighting back. Here we share five examples from across the country of AFT members whose students have been harmed by the administration’s actions. These educators are remarkable for standing up to the injustice and for striving to meet their students’ needs even without the federal grants. By appearing in American Educator, they are heeding a crucial lesson from historian Timothy Snyder’s On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century: they are choosing to stand out.

Among other lessons, such as “believe in truth” and “listen for dangerous words,” Snyder calls on all of us to:

Stand out. Someone has to. It is easy to follow along. It can feel strange to do or say something different. But without that unease, there is no freedom. Remember Rosa Parks. The moment you set an example, the spell of the status quo is broken, and others will follow.

–EDITORS

Planning for a Bright Future
By Sunny Jerome

Partnering and Persisting
By David Hoppey

Building Trust to Counter Disinformation
By Katy Dichter, Dave Ellenwood, Allison Reibel Fader, Althea Lazzaro, Adrianna Martinez, Alyssa Jocson Porter, Kelle Rose, and Chris Webb

Keeping Our Students Safe
By Kathryn Zamarrón

Caring for Our Students’ Mental Health
By Hennessey Lustica, Stephanie Betts, and Cristi Kuhn

[Photos by AFT]