Over the summer, I taught a course on education reform to forty-four graduate teaching interns just beginning an intensive one-year Master’s program at the University of Michigan. When it was confirmed that I’d be teaching it (back in February), little did I know it was going to be online. And, little did the interns know their fall student teaching might be online as well. 

Given the class is based on educational equity and social justice, I integrated the equity implications of the coronavirus into the syllabus and had interns select a specific topic of interest. Some chose K-12 students’ mental health or physical wellbeing, while others compared the hidden inequities in online, hybrid, and in-person instruction. 

The immediacy and complexities of these issues upped the ante for considering access, opportunity, democracy, and the common good. And while it would have been easier to simply focus on the nuts-and-bolts of teaching during a pandemic, these students rose to the higher challenge. 

The interns’ commitment offers inspiration to all educators as we head into a school year rife with uncertainty. Ever the proud teacher, I am inspired to share some of the take-aways here. Each of the bulleted paragraphs is an excerpt from a different student’s work (presented anonomously with students’ permission). 

We must not lose sight of the democratic purpose of education. 

• “I have always believed that it is our civic duty to improve our community, however, I hadn’t thought about the fact that our society seems to expect adults to solve community problems when they are rarely given an education on how to do so. It is very important to me as an educator that I am able to integrate solving global and community problems into my curriculum.” 

• “If you want students to learn democracy, let them practice democracy. Give them meaningful choices, teach them to collaborate, and spur them to civic action.Schools should be organized to provide a just and democratic education to all Americans so that they can participate in society.” 

• “Not only are we aware of the importance of equity and democracy in a classroom, but we know how to identify it based off of various categories, including, but not limited to accountability, involvement, policy, role of students, teachers, parents, government, etc. By building an actual set of criteria to evaluate schooling, “democracy” no longer belongs to the government or the bureaucrats; it is in the hands of teachers.” 

• “ ‘Democracy’ isn’t a word to accept and repeat, as some politicians would prefer, but a word to use to evaluate and challenge existing systems. Gaining understanding that there is a difference between “Democratic” and “democratic” was a moment in class where my fundamental understanding of the world shifted a little.

• “We must realize that not only can standards and classroom democracy be integrated but that they must be integrated to create the culture and the environment that every child needs to succeed.”

We must center students’ well-being. 

• “It is clear that many students already have a deep grasp on the various inequities that are deeply embedded in the American school system and it is unfortunate that 16 year-olds are more capable at acknowledging these issues than [many decision-makers].” 

• “As educators, we need to make space for students to process their emotions and, if needed, to grieve. That is, we need to put student wellbeing before curricular goals in the coming school year. This is particularly true for Black and Brown students whose communities have been disproportionately impacted by the dual pandemics of coronavirus and police violence.”

• “In times of uncertainty and unknowing, we can create a space where our students’ voice and insights can illuminate the path we are carving out for them -- and us.”

Inaction is injustice. 

• “As an aspiring educator, standing by is simply not enough. Advocating for our students’ behalf, especially those who are predisposed to be underrepresented or underserved, is part of our duty to increase educational and democratic equity. In this sense, democracy starts in the classroom, where we can help coming generations by giving them all a voice and purpose as citizens of their communities.”

• “[My role is] not to to get my seniors to vote for a candidate or even indoctrinate my students with my way of thinking. I mean that I need to stand up for democratic equitable principles in my class, that I need to facilitate political discussions in my class, and I need to take on inherently political subjects because those subjects affect all of our lives and avoiding them does a disservice to my students.”

• “Upper-class students are taught to lead, middle-class students to deliberate, and working-class students to obey. Deficit thinking justifies the perpetuation of these educational inequalities by separating students into “cans” and “cannots.” Whereas middle- and upper-class students are encouraged to take initiative and think critically, working-class students are given seatwork and detentions. To break this mold, educators need to radically rethink what each and every one our students can achieve when given the opportunity.” 

We must continuously evaluate the impacts of educational policies 

• “If educational policy is not addressing things like access to food and clean water then it is inherently incomplete. If we are asking how to raise students’ test scores, while those same students are taking tests on empty stomachs then perhaps we need to take a look at our priorities. Policies which are not concerned about the student as a whole often rely on deficit thinking.” 

• “Unregulated and unmitigated competition erodes equity. When we focus on winning at all costs, the most vulnerable people are not protected. This is particularly damaging in schools, because the “losers” are not bankrupt companies, but children who miss out on an education and a future.” 

• “I believe that I have the tools to interpret, call out, and advocate for educational policies. By gaining skills to interpret and critically evaluate programs, we are huge assets to our schools, as we can determine what is truly democratic and equitable versus what may “sound” democratic but actually perpetuate further inequities.”

• “[When talking] about No Child Left Behind and Common Core and charter schools, we should not just demonize other perspectives, but truly think critically about what’s at stake, who’s benefiting, what the underlying principles or assumptions are, and how a policy or practice may seem positive, but actually be problematic. We must truly analyze a policy’s effects and potential discrepancies.”

We must rely on each other. 

• “I [realize] I’m not teacher all alone in my head, trying to figure out how I was going to work around a myriad of obstacles (e.g. school board, standardized testing, administration, funding) getting in the way of me providing my students with the best educational opportunities -- I was part of an alliance, working to tear apart bad systems at their foundations, to replace inequities with actionable community efforts.”

• “Communication, empathy, and flexibility are going to become our new best friends.”

You can see why I had to share these wise words. Teaching is a profession that’s under fire even on a good day, yet my student have bravely embarked on this journey under extraordinary circumstances.

To ensure all students receive the education they deserve, we must all accept the mission to not compromise our commitment to justice, even--and especially--during this pandemic. I hope you’ve found some inspiration here!