Shut Up! And Let Me Teach: Ending the Assault on Teacher Autonomy | Chandra Shaw | TEDxLSCTomball

If you live in Texas, you know all too well that there are a few things that are inevitable, death, taxes, and high stakes testing! What you may not be aware of is the effect it has on students and great teachers, those who stay at work late, not because they didn’t get the mountains of paperwork, intervention plans, and data analysis done during the day, not because they are unorganized poor managers of time, but because it’s the only time they have to do what they were actually hired to do, build relationships and design engaging thought provoking learning experiences for the students they teach. In this talk, Lifelong Learner, Educator, & Consultant, Chandra Shaw, shares the story of her first year of teaching and a of “politically incorrect” advice on what’s needed for teachers to teach so that ALL students can continue to learn and grow.



Chandra Shaw has more than 16 years of experience in Education, as a teacher, instructional specialist, and now an ELAR Education Consultant with Region 10 ESC in Richardson, TX. As a teacher, her friends described her as a person who, “….accomplishes the impossible with her students,” so it should come as no surprise that Chandra wants to live in a world where everyone has the opportunity to accomplish their impossible dreams. Presenting a TED talk has been a dream of hers, holding steady at # 3 on her “bucket list,” for some time now.

[corneliusyoung]

She is spot on. A lot of us who decided to leave education (or that were booted out) couldnt handle the pressure of admin coming in and telling us we are doing a bad job when we are doing the best we can. After 7 years I left and this TED Talk hit on every single point of why I left. Student behavior is always the least of the problems. Micromanagement from admin and helicopter parents are the worst.

[MrSelfawareness]

Our profession needs more teachers like this! Excellent talk.

[beyondthebarre]

THAT WOMAN DESERVES SO MUCH MORE APPLAUSE THAN SHE GOT.

[CelticSparrows]

I’m high school teacher - from a long line of teachers going back to the 1860s - but I won’t be in the profession much longer. My reason for leaving is the horrific and appalling behavior of today’s students.

[edgarc]

Teaching is an art. When a teacher is limited in his autonomy to teach, often times this hinders the student. There are many different ways to achieve a goal. A teacher is limited when he/she is told that the lesson should be taught one way. I agree that some teachers do not belong is a classroom, these teachers can only teach from the teachers guide book. Does it matter how you achieve the goal in the lesson? As long as you achieve the goal is what matter. Teachable moments should be taken into account. Just because some Dr. in education has come up with some new methodology, does not mean it is applicable to every student.

[sarahguy]

Thank you for sharing your story of teaching. As a veteran Teacher, this was still inspirational! What is a shame is that teachers are controlled at all levels this day and age and in public schools. Your suggestion of how to handle the overeager and unacknowledged supervisors was right on track. Thank you.

[MrJohnisthename]

One subject I consider vital that is missing in the education curriculum is the management of money. Kids graduate these days with no clue as to budgeting their income, balancing a checkbook, or any other financial matters yet they're offered credit cards that result in serious debt not to mention credit issues that will effect them when they get older.

[ayatzaaroura]

Every teacher should watch this video.

[mzlaura]

It all connects! Bring the arts back! Let's connect all subjects in a creative approach. Let real teachers who understand learning, teaching and kids decide how children should not be left behind.

[patriciacorrea]

You had me at "teaching is an art form."

[cherylbombenger]

Love it! My state has passed a law to allow autonomy! Hopefully all schools are doing the same! Your message, Chandra, is awesome!

[AlyssaFajardo]

I wish teachers would realize that i dont raise my hand, not because I don't know the answer, but because I have anxiety.

[jackieloubasawil]

laugh out loud on no fighting etc.... I reverse it with go ahead and talk create noise and kids just see each other and keep quiet ...miss my kids in this quarantine... continue listening with you ma'am...

[ab-lmrf]

The thing that I love about this woman is she telling her story in a passionate way. I mean just few of people have a passion of teaching. Surprisingly, this woman somehow find a passion of teaching when she is a little kid. But when thing did not go well at the beginning of her first "teach" year. She take a effort to turn the situation around in a empathetic way. In particular, doing research toward her student which rare other teachers did that. <3

[SonicVision]

Reading. Writing. Arithmetic. Everything is connected.

[marchforth]

This talk made me tear up. I told my family I couldn’t be a teacher because I have absolutely no patience for anything but this teacher and one of mine, whose patience is beyond anything I’ve seen or felt, makes me think it’s possible. I realize I’ll need to work on myself before anything else. Everything I want to do involves a ton of patience and perseverance, and I personally think kids should in a good place mentally before they learn anything more than simple. Well, there’s a lot I need to learn, too, but I’ll associate everything with negativity if I don’t find a good foundation to start on. I really wanna help the education system. I loved this talk, it was amazing and inspirational. Teacher/education activism is what we need.

[sopilda]

Only yesterday that I felt so desperate getting attention from my year 7 class and at that time I almost regret that I have always chosen teaching as my career. She's right, we can't teach for what others expect us to teach. We teach our students because we do care what's best for them.

[auntpurl]

Yep. I put in one terrible year to a public school and rethought my whole career path. I felt overwhelmed from day one by impossible and compounding demands with no reasonable margins on my time. There was no joy, no appreciation, no support, no freedom to try to meet the students where they were. I was chained to the state blueprint and "teaching" to the test rather than the kids. The admin politics was a perpetual, corrosive undercurrent, morale was low across the board, and I came home exhausted and spent every day. I became seriously underweight (no time to eat properly) and depressed. As soon as my contract ended, I took my own young kids out and homeschooled them. I've never looked back. My kids are in college and high school now, and my only regret is the money I wasted on my education degree (perfectly useless in a homeschool setting, by the way. That money would have been better spent on travel and books). Currently I teach high school students privately in a classical homeschool setting, and I am paid by parents to whom I am directly accountable. I rejoice in my freedom to teach and try new things, and I am thriving. I love my job! It is my dream teaching gig, and I have great joy watching the kids bloom right in front of me. I want to do this kind of teaching for life if I am able. I respect the teachers who have the tenacity, fortitude, and dedication to hang in there. I was unwilling to sacrifice my own family for a career path that I personally found unfulfilling and destructive.

[susiebliss]

Somehow the algorithm suggested this to me today (1/18/2023) and I thought it would be wonderful. Unfortunately teacher autonomy is now under greater attack than any other time I can remember. (I started teaching in 1982)

[rochellegray]

Thank you for your support of what we teachers KNOW WHAT TO DO!! And we do it!!