We Hear Teachers

The personal stories shared in this episode call into question the impact of Wisconsin's Act 10 on public school teachers. A veteran teacher reflects on the ways in which teaching has changed over the last twenty years, and how the politicized nature of the profession has inflicted wounds that won't heal. Still, teachers are positioned to have a lasting and meaningful impact on the lives of children and families, making it a worthy career despite the relentless struggle. Years Later, Wisconsin Voters Remember Act 10, The Law That Ended Union Rights For Most Public Workers Still Provokes Strong Feelings -  https://bit.ly/2PTzpnW Ithsmus, Act 10 -  https://bit.ly/305GyGr New State Sata: Post-Act 10, Teachers' Health Care Costs Soared -  https://bit.ly/2vNl5nS Photo by Nicole Honeywill on Unsplash https://unsplash.com/photos/E3I2zjwGudM

An educator of 25 years describes how the teaching profession has changed dramatically in recent years. While teaching today is not impossible to do, it has become an unsustainable career. Teachers young and old are effective, yet they cannot keep up with all of the demands. Individualized instruction is laborious to plan, implement, and assess. Specialized learning disrupts community building. Ultimately, teaching is a great job that is incredibly difficult to do.

A teacher of thirty years shares her journey through the teaching profession. Schools have moved away from a one-size-fits-all model. Today instruction is differentiated to meet each child’s unique interests and needs. This shift requires a lot more work, planning time, and professional development, yet no extra time has been provided in the work day. Work-life balance is no longer attainable. Self-care has become a necessity for teachers and students. Children, Wired - For Better or Worse - https://bit.ly/2zOpSWU What Screen Addictions and Drug Addictions Have in Common - https://to.pbs.org/2CFu3bd America's Opioid Crisis: The Unseen Impact on Wisconsin Children - As Wisconsin Families Struggle with Addiction, Children are Caught in the Fray - https://bit.ly/2S3FzkW Wisconsin Teacher Shortage - https://bit.ly/2DdCVn2 Bipartisan Group Of Lawmakers Recommends Increased Funding For Schools - https://bit.ly/2tnMyLp Challenges for Wisconsin: School Finance & Vouchers - https://bit.ly/2SV2DGI Photo by Jelleke Vanooteghem on Unsplash

Our guest is an infant and toddler educator. We discuss her path to become an early childhood teacher and her experiences in the early years of her profession. She provides recommendations for families in search of quality care for their babies and toddlers. We also distinguish early childhood education in Denmark and the United States, with reference to Finland's teaching profession and France's quality childcare. Our teacher of young children shares her passion, dedication, knowledge, experience, and awe of our little ones. She has found her dream job, if only she can afford to keep it, and if only others viewed it as a respectable profession. PBS Documentary: The Raising of America - https://raisingofamerica.org Center of American Progress: True Cost of Infant & Toddler Care - https://ampr.gs/2Dne9Tb Motherly: No guilt, mama: Day care is good for your child’s social + emotional development - https://bit.ly/2q4YiAM Photo by Tanaphong Toochinda on Unsplash

This is an introduction to We Hear Teachers, a podcast & research project on the teacher experience. Teachers are uniquely positioned at the heart of our communities and have a pulse on the joys and struggles of our children and families. This podcast project was developed in order to provide the public with access to our teachers experiences in their profession. Our goal is to collect the stories of our teachers so that we may reap a greater understanding of the demands of the teaching profession and the kind of community engagement that is needed to empower our educators in their transformative work with our children.