Eleanor J. Blair

If public schools are going to survive the current assaults from individuals and groups who have chosen to focus on the needs of private interests while simultaneously disregarding the larger needs of a rapidly changing diverse culture, we need dynamic public schools more than ever before. A School with a View: Teachers' Work, Social Justice and 21st Century Schools is an examination of teachers’ work, its history, and its current status. However, more importantly, it is a critical analysis that lays the groundwork for moving forward and asserting a vision of the role that teachers must play in the transformation of 21st century schools that promote social justice as their first priority. Steven Covey argued that, “We must begin with the end in mind,” and at this point a vision for the teaching profession and the public schools is desperately needed. We are floundering in rough seas and there is an all-too-frequent reliance on “tried and true” responses to problems that are grounded in histories that lack relevance to the current situation, and ultimately, only seem to slow the steady accumulation of data documenting the failures of public schools and the blame heaped upon teachers who lack the power and authority to make meaningful changes to the structure and hierarchy of public spaces of learning. Important to any attempt to define and discuss teachers’ work is a meaningful and sustainable discussion of the intersection between the present realities of teachers’ work and school reform. A School with a View presents a critical analysis of teachers’ roles and teachers’ work that can be used to shape a vision of what must happen if public schools are going to survive, adapt and respond to the demands of a 21st century democratic society.

Nowhere is teachers’ lives and work more challenging than in Jamaican schools. Teachers in Jamaica are regularly faced with limited resources and challenging students. Teacher pay has been historically low and current conditions continue a long tradition of providing minimal compensation for teachers’ work. Recent school reform efforts has been successful in producing a teaching force that is better educated than ever before, and yet, teachers are seldom given the autonomy in decision-making and/or respect that accompanies the work of comparable professions. Coupled with these issues, teachers regularly face hunger, poverty, behavioral issues and a lack of parental support as part and parcel of their experience in 21st century schools. If teachers are perceived as having low professional status, it is not surprising that they are often blamed for the shortcomings of Jamaican schools. The citizens of Jamaica are firmly committed to the notion that “every child can learn, every child must learn;” however, the reality is that while all children can learn, many children do not learn in this country where the allocation of resources favors the rich and disowns the poor. Public schools in Jamaica vary tremendously across the fourteen parishes. Geography and social class regularly determine both the context and circumstances of teachers’ work, and yet, discussions of teachers seldom acknowledge the differences. There is a place for a more in-depth examination of teachers’ work and teachers’ lives in Jamaica where a consideration of the emergence of teacher leadership and higher professional status can intersect with a vision of new roles and responsibilities for teachers. While many of the reports on Jamaican education consider the role of administrative leaders, there is an absence of any discussion of the role of teacher leaders is school reform. It is interesting that a country can advocate for higher levels of teacher preparation and an upgrading of the professional status of teachers, and yet, ignore the potential power of teachers as major actors directing efforts to reform the schools. Teachers acting as leaders, in a profession dominated by women, would challenge the status quo and usurp preconceived notions regarding the work of teachers. In this book, 21st century descriptions of teachers’ lives and work will accompany a consideration of how the transformation of the teaching profession could positively impact both schools and classrooms across the island.

Nowhere is teachers’ lives and work more challenging than in Jamaican schools. Teachers in Jamaica are regularly faced with limited resources and challenging students. Teacher pay has been historically low and current conditions continue a long tradition of providing minimal compensation for teachers’ work. Recent school reform efforts has been successful in producing a teaching force that is better educated than ever before, and yet, teachers are seldom given the autonomy in decision-making and/or respect that accompanies the work of comparable professions. Coupled with these issues, teachers regularly face hunger, poverty, behavioral issues and a lack of parental support as part and parcel of their experience in 21st century schools. If teachers are perceived as having low professional status, it is not surprising that they are often blamed for the shortcomings of Jamaican schools. The citizens of Jamaica are firmly committed to the notion that “every child can learn, every child must learn;” however, the reality is that while all children can learn, many children do not learn in this country where the allocation of resources favors the rich and disowns the poor. Public schools in Jamaica vary tremendously across the fourteen parishes. Geography and social class regularly determine both the context and circumstances of teachers’ work, and yet, discussions of teachers seldom acknowledge the differences. There is a place for a more in-depth examination of teachers’ work and teachers’ lives in Jamaica where a consideration of the emergence of teacher leadership and higher professional status can intersect with a vision of new roles and responsibilities for teachers. While many of the reports on Jamaican education consider the role of administrative leaders, there is an absence of any discussion of the role of teacher leaders is school reform. It is interesting that a country can advocate for higher levels of teacher preparation and an upgrading of the professional status of teachers, and yet, ignore the potential power of teachers as major actors directing efforts to reform the schools. Teachers acting as leaders, in a profession dominated by women, would challenge the status quo and usurp preconceived notions regarding the work of teachers. In this book, 21st century descriptions of teachers’ lives and work will accompany a consideration of how the transformation of the teaching profession could positively impact both schools and classrooms across the island.

Studies of teacher leadership have proliferated over the past fifty years. Earlier work tended to focus exclusively on the link between teacher leadership and school improvement. Now, however, cross-cultural research on the relationship between teacher leadership and power, agency and school culture has the potential to contribute to a deeper understanding of the teaching profession in diverse geographical and social contexts. A Cross-Cultural Consideration of Teacher Leaders’ Narratives of Power, Agency and School Culture presents groundbreaking work that expands discussions of teachers’ work to highlight the struggles of a profession in three different countries: England, Jamaica and the United States. This research provides examples of teacher leaders’ narratives about power, agency and school culture, presenting the voices of teacher leaders across diverse contexts. It seeks to identify the “lessons” that transcend culture and speak to the importance of understanding how teachers’work (and teacher leadership) functions within complex school cultures. This work has profound implications for teaching, learning and leading in a 21st century global economy.

Studies of teacher leadership have proliferated over the past fifty years. Earlier work tended to focus exclusively on the link between teacher leadership and school improvement. Now, however, cross-cultural research on the relationship between teacher leadership and power, agency and school culture has the potential to contribute to a deeper understanding of the teaching profession in diverse geographical and social contexts. A Cross-Cultural Consideration of Teacher Leaders’ Narratives of Power, Agency and School Culture presents groundbreaking work that expands discussions of teachers’ work to highlight the struggles of a profession in three different countries: England, Jamaica and the United States. This research provides examples of teacher leaders’ narratives about power, agency and school culture, presenting the voices of teacher leaders across diverse contexts. It seeks to identify the “lessons” that transcend culture and speak to the importance of understanding how teachers’work (and teacher leadership) functions within complex school cultures. This work has profound implications for teaching, learning and leading in a 21st century global economy.

Teacher moonlighting has been studied and documented since at least the early 1960s, and yet it can be easily argued that the phenomenon is still not understood. Teachers moonlight in higher numbers than other professions, and yet while most teachers claim that they do it for the money, increases in their compensation have not reduced the practice. By the Light of the Silvery Moon is the first book to provide a thorough review of the research on the topic, looking deeply into the intricate workings of a profession that is at least imperiled or, in the best of scenarios, a profession that is transition. Teachers play a critical role in society, so teaching needs to be a sustainable profession where teachers may still moonlight, but the opportunities to expand the status as well as the content and context of their work are unlimited. This book will fill an important gap in the literature by bringing together the research and situating it within a broader conversation about teachers’ work.

Teacher moonlighting has been studied and documented since at least the early 1960s, and yet it can be easily argued that the phenomenon is still not understood. Teachers moonlight in higher numbers than other professions, and yet while most teachers claim that they do it for the money, increases in their compensation have not reduced the practice. By the Light of the Silvery Moon is the first book to provide a thorough review of the research on the topic, looking deeply into the intricate workings of a profession that is at least imperiled or, in the best of scenarios, a profession that is transition. Teachers play a critical role in society, so teaching needs to be a sustainable profession where teachers may still moonlight, but the opportunities to expand the status as well as the content and context of their work are unlimited. This book will fill an important gap in the literature by bringing together the research and situating it within a broader conversation about teachers’ work.