I wrote my memoir, A Graver Danger, White Chalk Crime, so a leader will know what to do about our schools. However, the more I think about getting informed people on school boards, the more I like it. For years, it was stuck in my head that I had to get my book to our president. Only he—not going to bother with (s)he— could fix our schools. Why didn’t I think of educating people about what’s going on so they can get on school boards and do it?
After all, school boards have all the power. My school board fired me for speaking out. My school board ordered me to see a psychiatrist and to answer questions about my sex life. My school board refused to investigate my administrators to see what they were doing to their teachers. My school board ignored a petition from sixty of my parents asking them to listen to me. My school board submitted an altered letter to my dismissal record, which is unlawful.
As guilty as my administrators were, they couldn’t have done that without the school board. So it seems that all we need to do is educate voters and make our schools, the foundation of our democracy, powerful.
Yet, I don’t think that I didn’t think of educating the people because of what that shameful school board did to my students and to me, and as a result, because of what that board did to me and to our democracy. I think most people are not like them.
I haven’t lost faith in people.
It’s more like this: I know that people aren’t like me. Few want to read to solve problems. People want to escape. This is a complex and upsetting topic, and the opposite of an escape. And our schools are like family to most of us. This is painful to have to accept. But my book needs to be read so people know what to do.
So in a way, I was grateful for a fascist leader. People will listen to me after they see what broken schools result in. People will be more like me, a teacher brain, a public servant, born to make this a better world, willing to read the hard stuff that most don’t want to read. He’s such a problem; they will accept a problem-solving approach. They will become more like me, a person born to solve problems for my students.
The part about welcoming a fascist leader was sarcastic. I would rather have left this earth with my book left behind as a time capsule than have to live through what’s facing us. This is awful.
Nevertheless, I’m feeling a little better each day, finding that the people at Substack are caring and deep, and many are reading my depressing book, the one their school district hopes they won’t read and kind of counts on that. It’s won ten awards, so I know it works when it’s read. If enough people read it and talk about it, one day we will take back our schools, the institution that our forefathers put in place to sustain democracy.
My book is called A Graver Danger. It’s not just because what’s going on in our schools is a graver danger to democracy than almost anything else. It’s also because my maiden name was Karen Graver, and I intend to be a danger to those holding education hostage. My goal is to help people realize that we need powerful teachers to get our democracy back. I was one in the classroom and intend to remain one wherever I can until we get our schools and our country back.
The wrestling lady taking down the Department of Education has met her match! My determination to get the truth about our schools known far exceeds the cult that has us all hostage.
I’ve been at this for 31 years. I am determined to be the first teacher fired for insubordination—reporting them is insubordination—to be heard. I am not giving up. After all, when you’re called to teach, you are given the extraordinary tenacity needed to deal with some very difficult students. Since they stopped me from doing that, I am using my tenacity on them!
I welcome your help! Keep talking about my book!
Thanks for reading Karen’s Substack! This post is public so feel free to share it.
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