With a busy classroom schedule and school operations consuming each day, it’s rarely easy for public school teachers to stay on top of every education bill that’s making its way through the Tennessee General Assembly.
Educator voices can be important though to the lawmakers who vote on those bills and that’s one reason why the organization Tennesseans for Student Success created Teachers for Student Success two years ago.
The year-long education advocacy and leadership development program aims to empower teachers with the tools necessary to enact education policy change at the school, community, and state levels. The Tennessee Firefly is a project of and supported by Tennesseans for Student Success.
Blount County science teacher, Greg Metcalf served on last year’s Teachers for Student Success cohort. He believes it’s imperative for teachers to have conversations with lawmakers who are considering education policy decisions.
“Our politicians want and need honest, graceful perspectives from within the classroom,” said Metcalf. “Our policymakers see what I see from a totally different perspective and many of them are interested in the perspective from my side of the fence.”
Earlier this month Tennesseans for Student Success announced the 12 teachers who will provide that perspective this year. The 2024 Teachers for Student Success includes educators from both traditional public schools and public charter schools from across the state including:
- Dana Christian, Hollow Rock-Bruceton School District
- Megan Cohan, Emerald Academy Knoxville
- Brandon Crouch, Fentress County Schools
- Greg Hayworth, Grainger County Schools
- Keturah Kirby, Rocketship Northeast Nashville
- Melissa LaFollette, Maryville City Schools
- Ivy Miller, Rutherford County Schools
- Paige Pope, Bradley County Schools
- Carla Smith, Leadership Academy Memphis
- Jillian Sutton, Chattanooga Prep
- Sherrie Wilson, McNairy County Schools
- Josef Woody, Memphis-Shelby County Schools
Lessons Learned
DeJuan Parker also served on last year’s teaching cohort. Parker is an inclusion teacher at Memphis Shelby County Schools and his biggest lesson from Teachers for Student Success is that the community must come together to ensure “big picture” change is happening in education policy.
Parker says he’s helping to make that happen by sharing bill information with fellow teachers and community members to keep them informed during the legislative session.
“All the articles and different types of bills on the table I have shared with several teachers at my school and others so that they can be informed and engaged so that they can be the change that they want to see,” said Parker.
Another member of last year’s Teachers for Student Success cohort is White County Schools fifth-grade teacher Crystal Summers. Crystal recommends the cohort experience to all Tennessee teachers, whether they’re interested in education policy or want to hear from teachers in different parts of the state.
“I believe that any time a group of teachers from across the state have a chance to meet, everyone benefits,” said Summers. “Although we taught in different districts, we taught different subjects, and we taught different age groups, we were still able to find common ground by sharing our frustrations and triumphs with one another.”
Each participating teacher will engage with leaders from the Tennessee General Assembly this year along with education leaders. During the legislative session, cohort members will meet twice a month to discuss ongoing legislation and meet with policymakers to help bridge the gap between legislators and educators.
“I really do think that we are in this together and that both sides (teachers and policymakers) need to strive for more unity, recognize that both groups have valuable insight as well as unique struggles and limitations,” said Metcalf.
