Abstract
J Amos Hatch’s Reclaiming the Teaching Profession: Transforming the Dialogue on Public Education offers a detailed critique of the neo-liberal reform efforts that currently dominate public schools in the United States. While many have written about the short-sightedness of various aspects of school reform, Hatch provides a detailed argument that unveils hegemonic forces and he does so in a format that is accessible to a broad audience. More specifically, he provides a two-part playbook for defenders of public education. He begins by debunking 10 of what he considers to be the most common, albeit unfounded, assertions of neo-liberal reformers. From the purported ineptitudes of teachers and teacher educators to the presumed efficacy of accountability systems that claim to provide evidence of such shortcomings, Hatch counters an abundant supply of damning propaganda with substantial contrary evidence. Additionally, he explains how repetition from authoritative voices has promulgated these pernicious claims to circulate as truths in mainstream discourse and become widely taken for granted in the public sphere. Then, the author presents his readers with suggestions for how one might effectively articulate the imperativeness of supporting a strong public education system. Throughout the text, the virtues of democratic living are implicitly promoted as readers are encouraged to think critically and engage in deliberative conversations regarding what is required to develop and maintain schools that all children deserve and desire.
This book provides greatly relevant information at a time when heightened, multifaceted scrutiny forecasts a tenuous future for public education. Moreover, this information is presented by Hatch in a manner that will surely connect with teachers, administrators, and families who are committed to preserving public schools. With overwhelming criticism coming from bipartisan legislation and reform initiatives funded by the wealthiest Americans, proponents of public education do indeed find themselves in perilous circumstances. The author shines a spotlight on clandestine sources of power and influence, naming Gates, Walton, and Broad as “the big three.” Pulling no punches, Hatch asserts: “when you follow the money, you find that Gates, Walton, Broad, ALEC [the American Legislative Exchange Council], and Pearson link directly or indirectly to each other and to virtually all of the players in the educational reform game” (93). Underlying the author’s consistent prompts to follow the money is a deep concern for the many inconsistencies found between the rhetoric and the practices of school reformers. If equity and inclusiveness are truly the aims of school reform efforts, then the disproportionate influence of a “big three” ought to cause significant unease. The second half of the book adeptly raises such concerns regarding dominant voices in educational policy, provides purposeful visions for public school education, and suggests means for “reclaiming the profession.”
On the topic of the teaching profession and its contextualizing circumstances, Hatch writes with a remarkable voice of practical experience and scholarly expertise. Readers of this journal are likely familiar with his prolific authorship in the fields of early childhood teacher education and qualitative research. Having taught for 13 years in urban elementary schools in Kansas City, Missouri, and Jacksonville, Florida, Hatch brings practical experience to his current work as Professor of Early Childhood Education at the University of Tennessee. His wide-ranging experiences as an educator include teaching children, teaching teachers, and conducting and supervising educational research. It is clear that the years he spent in elementary school classrooms, as well as his impressive body of scholarship, have provided the author with roots for articulating his deep sense of understanding and abiding respect for classroom teachers’ daily work. Although not mentioned in this book, the concurrency of the Education Science Reform Act of 2002 and the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 signifies how dominant policy trends are impacting all facets of education in the United States, including both K–12 practice and educational research. As a former elementary schoolteacher and a leading voice in qualitative research, Hatch provides a refreshingly broad perspective on our contemporary circumstances. With a great breadth of understanding, he expresses the depths of his commitment: “To remain silent and compliant when we know better,” he contends, “is the ethical equivalent of capitulation and complicity” (97).
I read Reclaiming the Teaching Profession from a vantage point that blends with that of the author. Similar to Hatch, I spent 15 years teaching kindergarten in a public school before my recent transition to higher education. Therefore, I can testify that the multifaceted ways the author asserts that school reform policy maligns the teaching profession are part of a common reality, which I have also directly experienced. I share the author’s respect for the practice of teaching, his commitment to advancing public education as a public good, as well as his appreciation for the subtle ways that teaching is an inherently political enterprise. However, as I read the book, I found myself preoccupied with contemplations regarding what exactly is implicated by Hatch’s call for a “reclaiming” of the profession. As important as it might be to consider the details of polarizing politics that currently contextualize public school teaching, engaging in such polemics can be quite limiting. By revealing the ideology disseminated by so-called “reformers,” Hatch prepares stakeholders of various roles for progressive freethinking and collaborative educational advocacy. However, in opposition, he also walks a fine line of propagating his own dogma.
Hatch opens the preface with an anecdote about the risks of being deemed a “conspiracy theorist” to illustrate his decision to write in a manner that is unapologetically political. Considering the most basic principles of democracy to be in jeopardy, he asserts that “powerful forces are at work to take the public out of public education in the United States” (ix). While welcoming dialogue about the contrasts between the tenets of neo-liberal reform and fundamentals of democracy, the reactionary stance signaled by the author’s appeal for “reclaiming the profession” was dissatisfying. The binary created by framing our contemporary situation as a “reformer” versus “public school defender” battle seems to superficially categorize the complex voices of diverse individuals working to improve educational experiences in a variety of settings. Further, the ahistorical undertones of calls for “reclaiming” only point toward a romanticized nostalgia for a past that never was—a time when teaching was allegedly flourishing as a profession and schools were truly leveling playing fields for all children in the United States. My ultimate concern is that the potential for teachers and teacher educators to act as lead professionals may be severely hampered by reinscriptions of “the delusion that schools can be [or ever have been] the Archimedean lever by means of which history can be corrected and society transformed” (Pinar, 2012: 27). Amplifications of defensive, romanticized images of the past are in abundant supply on both ends of the political spectrum and, by my appraisal, this only distracts from Hatch’s important critiques of current policy trends.
Moreover, I hope that what I have considered to be polemics does not detract from Hatch’s call for solidarity within the profession. Pointing out that unions have a potentially vital role to play in organizing a cohesive voice to contest neo-liberal reforms, the author reminds us that such efforts must be grounded in “an obligation to do what’s right for children and society” (137). Rather than finding camaraderie in the shared identity of “unionized employees,” as is suggested in this book, perhaps solidarity can be found among professionals in ideas that work toward fostering developmentally meaningful, culturally relevant pedagogical moments for all children (Hyun, 2006). Toward this end, teacher leaders and professors of education have an important role to play, which embraces both individuality and collaboration. Generative, adaptable, and socially responsible education advocates must fashion their own spaces to persevere in acts of what Gaztambide-Fernandez (2010) conceptualizes as “creative solidarity.” Rather than persuading individuals to assimilate their points of view to a pre-existing “school of thought” or political allegiance, creative solidarity calls for the embracing of the particularities of one’s human experience in relation to and interdependently with others and society.
I hope that Hatch’s thorough and critical assessment of the state of affairs that currently contextualizes public education in the United States prompts readers to reflect on their own practices, engage in academic study, and invite others to do the same. I can envision Hatch’s explanation of these perilous times for public education serving as a resource that inspires educators to reconsider some of the most taken-for-granted aspects of their professional identities and daily practices. In so doing, the invention of new ideas, discourses, and practices is made possible. Perhaps it will be as students of curriculum and pedagogy that educators will be able to embody a sense of creative solidarity and act as lead professionals and transform the dialogue in public education. With this book, J Amos Hatch shepherds the profession in this exciting new direction.