Teachers participate in Walk In For Public Education
October 7, 2016
As students and busses drove up to Manhattan High Thursday morning, a large mass of educators, parents, legislators and community members stood huddled together alongside the Big Blue Marching Band in the school’s parking lot. At the bottom of the hill stood Chemistry teacher James Neff with previous principal and current Senator Tom Hawk as they welcomed district member to Manhattan High’s Nation Education Administration’s Walk In For Public Education.
While the Walk In did not originate in Kansas, it’s significance to Kansas schools is striking. Designed originally for underfunded schools in poor areas like Chicago, Detroit and Milwaukee, the Walk In For Public Education was used by teachers and administrators as a way to show their solidarity through times of struggle. With recent Legislative decisions having great impacts on Kansas schools, solidarity is something teachers need the most right now.
“Right now in the state of Kansas, in public education we feel not supported by some people in the legislatures and the government,” sophomore principal Angie Messer said. “This is to show that we are supported and that there are people behind us and that we are all trying to show that we are all trying to support each other in this.” — Angie Messer
“Any time you can get teachers to be passionate about what they are doing again, that means they will be more effective in the classroom,” — James Neff
While part of the goal for this movement was to spread positive energy, the main and more serious mission was to advocate for change.
“The only way to counteract the bad things that are happening at the state level is if we as teachers come together and be a strong unified voice,” Neff said. “If we don’t advocate for public education, that means nobody is advocating for students. If we don’t advocate for public ed, we aren’t advocating for students. And the only way to do that is to come together and be a unified strong voice. So one 35,000 strong voice is a lot better than a single voice. There are 35,000 public school teachers in Kansas. If that voice became unified and strong, the legislature couldn’t do what they want to do to public ed.”