CITIZEN TEACHERS AND THE QUEST FOR A DEMOCRATIC SOCIETY : place-making, border crossing, and the... possibilities for community organizing

"Wood's unflinching honesty on teaching is a beacon in a world rife with misinformation, capitalist exploitation, and a perpetual commitment to white supremacy. By lifting up the role of the citizen teacher, his challenge is clear: we cannot run from the problems of the world and hide in our classrooms. Instead, we must organize and build with those who know their oppression and work to abolish it permanently." David Stovall, Professor, Black Studies and Criminology, Law, and Justice, University of Illinois at Chicago, USA "This is an exciting book that points the way forward for educators and all who care about transforming schools towards democracy, justice, and liberation. With a compelling vision, powerful stories, and practical guidance, it shows why and how teachers can become community organizers, creating equitable schools in deep partnership with families, students, and communities. Get this book, read it, and use it!" Mark R. Warren, Professor, University of Massachusetts Boston, USA, and author of Willful Defiance: The Movement to Dismantle the School-to-Prison Pipeline This book explores how citizen teachers can expand our capacities to generate more equitable and just spaces with families by working as community organizers. Paying particular attention to community organizing work in one elementary school, the book weaves stories and examples with theoretical understandings to support emerging citizen teachers in creating more democratic spaces. Each chapter provides key community organizing concepts and skills and offers lessons learned to identify what worked and what did not. By building solidarity with families, citizen teachers can effectively activate more powerful practices grounded in the lives of students, their families, and their communities while articulating a broader response to the conditions impacting educators. Gerald K. Wood is Associate Professor of Educational Foundations in the Department of Educational Leadership at Northern Arizona University, USA. His work focuses broadly on the intersections of critical geographies and community organizing. He has worked with Industrial Areas Foundations affiliates and has been involved in broad-based organizing and youth organizing work Foreword Preface Acknowledgments Contents Chapter 1: Citizen Teachers: Why Teachers Should Organize Opening Vignette Introduction Teachers’ Working Conditions Divestment from Public Education Community and Education Organizing in Chicago Education Organizing #RedforEd Conceptualizing Citizen Teachers What Is a Citizen Teacher? Citizen Professionals Situating Myself as a Citizen Teacher Organization of the Book References Chapter 2: Place-Making as Citizen Teachers: Analyzing Using Critical and Racialized Geographies Opening Vignette Introduction Place-Making in Schools and Communities Production of Space Critical and Racialized Geographies Racial and Spatial Reorganization and Public Schools Thinking Spatially COVID-19 Mass School Shootings Mapping the School Context Success for All Conclusion References Chapter 3: The Power of Teacher Organizing Opening Vignette Introduction Whiteness and White Spatial Imaginaries Border Crossings and Border Pedagogy Community Organizing Concept: Self-Interest Community Organizing Concept: Power Community Organizing Skill: Individual Meetings Context of Teacher Organizing Organizing for Mutual Accountability Conducting Individual Meetings Honoring Community Traditions and Spaces Power Mapping, Research, and Identifying Targets Lessons Learned Challenges Conclusion References Chapter 4: The Power of Parent Organizing Opening Vignette Introduction Education Organizing Black Spatial Imaginaries Distinguishing Between Parent Involvement and Parent Engagement Community Organizing Concept: Public Accountability Community Organizing Skill: Conducting House Meetings Bridging and Bonding Spaces Stories from Parent Organizing Identifying Parent Leaders Parent-Teacher Organization (PTO) Math Curriculum Parent and Family Involvement Team Fry Bread Sale Lessons Learned Conclusion References Chapter 5: The Power of Student Organizing: Public Achievement Opening Vignette Introduction Public Achievement Community Organizing Concept: Public Work Community Organizing Concept: Everyday Politics Public Achievement in Action Context of Public Achievement Northern Arizona University (NAU) Engaging Public Achievement Walking Through an Example: Getting a Playground with Fourth Graders Lessons Learned Conclusion References Chapter 6: The Power of Teacher Education Opening Vignette Introduction Civic Engagement 1964 Mississippi Freedom Schools Community Organizing Concept: Free Spaces Student Involvement Days: Putting Freedom School Principles into Practice Aspiring Educators Union Chapter: Social Justice Unionism Union Stewardship Changing the Structure Transitioning Toward Social Justice Unionism Lessons Learned Conclusion References Chapter 7: Conclusion Opening Vignette Introduction Teacher Identities as Citizen Teachers Border Crossings and the Mobilizations of Broader Collective Interests Getting Started Conclusion References Index