Politics in Education

Education is political, even when the intention is to be apolitical. There is a certain disassociation of responsibility when a school claims to be non-biased and removed from politics. The curriculum, behavioral philosophies, students, staff, and encompassing community will influence the beliefs, operations, and politics of the school. Teachers will engage in politics, whether it be at the classroom, school, or district level. As stated on page 261 of Foundations of American Education "Schools are not devoid of politics, nor are you free from politics in your teacher education classroom." (Johnson, J.A. (2013). Foundations of American education. Upper Saddle River: Pearson). A teacher can influence what goes on at their school by making friends throughout the school. From the school board to the principal, the teacher across the hall, the janitor, and the bus driver. As Petyr Baelish would say, it's useful to befriend those who could help you later on. A friend is far more useful than an enemy. There are three ways a teacher can influence decisions at the district or board level. A teacher can hold a high degree of expertise on a topic of district interest (RTI, Behavior, Curriculum, etc). A teacher can be a member of a coalition of union (such as the NEA). Finally, the teacher can hold a high degree of popularity within and outside the school, which can be used to sway public opinion. As stated in Dale Carnegie's How to win friends and influence people, the best way to win people over to your thinking is to "Avoid argument at all costs, show respect and never tell someone they are wrong, admit your mistakes quickly and emphatically, let the other person do the talking, let the person think they thought of the idea, be sympathetic to the other person's beliefs and desires, and appeal to nobler causes." (Carnegie, 2009, p. 189-190). There are a number of different ways to influence the politics of your school. 

 (Carnegie, Dale, 1888-1955. (2009). How to win friends and influence people. New York :Simon & Schuster,)
(Johnson, J.A. (2013). Foundations of American education. Upper Saddle River: Pearson).

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