Teachers with 'bad' attitude

Last week I got a Facebook notice that I'd been added to a group called  "North Carolina BATs." A scan made it clear this was a teacher page,  and it didn't take me long to guess the rest of the acronym.

BAT logo

Fordham University Professor Mark Naison and self-described education activist Priscilla Sanstead of Tulsa, Okla., created the Badass Teacher Association as a Facebook group in June.  According to Naison's write-up,  membership skyrocketed like nothing he'd seen in his history of social media activism.  "The key may lie in the statement we wrote describing our reason for creating the group: 'This is for every teacher who refuses to be blamed for the failure of our society to erase poverty and inequality, and refuses to accept assessments, tests and evaluations imposed by those who have contempt for real teaching and learning,' " he writes.

What gives this yet-amorphous group its energy,  according to Naison, is teachers' anger over high-stakes testing,  micromanagement of their classrooms and  "the campaign of demonization directed against them." The name was intended to be  "half-humorous and extremely provocative,"  Naison writes, though it's not a hit with all potential supporters. But the organizers are eager to seize the moment.

"We are Badass. We are legion. And we will force the nation to hear our voice!"  the web site says.  "In terms of what policies or organizing strategies will emerge from this group,  only time will tell.  But it is significant that there are clearly thousands of teachers in this country who are fed up with polite, respectful appeals to policy makers who hold them in contempt and are ready to fight fire with fire."

The North Carolina page displays links about state and national teacher issues,  humorous videos and teacher-related merchandise.  If there's an action agenda,  it's not clear here,  either.  But don't be surprised to see some BAT members at today's Moral Monday protest in Charlotte.  Now you know what the BAT signal means.

And to state what I hope is obvious:  The fact that I've been added to the Facebook group doesn't mean I've joined the cause,  any more than I'm allied with the folks across the spectrum that I follow on Twitter or have as Facebook friends.  For me,  it's another way to keep up with developments in the world of education  --  and to help readers do the same.