This is an open letter from Path To Publishing to every educator who ever stepped up in front of a classroom and wondered, “Does my work matter?”
The short answer: Yes.
Teaching is a leadership position. Society may forget this, and the pay educators receive may not always reflect this, but it is true. The lessons a teacher gives today won’t just impact this generation. They will impact every generation to come afterward.
Not every lesson passed on in a classroom comes out of a textbook. The most important lessons often come from the relationships a teacher forms with his or her students. The impact of those relationships, good or bad, influence the way that future generations think about and discuss education.
Nikki T. Anthony’s new book, The Price We Pay, is told from the perspective of a Black teenage girl whose experiences with her teachers and principal are not positive in large part due to racial prejudices. That can make this a difficult read for educators, and we recognize that.
However, we encourage educators to use this book as an opportunity to open the doors to honest conversation with their students and parents about how they feel they are treated by the staff at their school and how that treatment impacts their ability to learn. The results of these conversations may not be what educators would like to hear, but lasting change cannot happen without them.
It’s clear that the education system as it exists is failing Black students. The graduation rate for Black male students is 59% — lower than any other population in the nation. Black students are more likely to be suspended or expelled, and are less likely to be identified as gifted and placed in gifted classes.
It’s fine to bring in outside researchers and to examine test scores to try and see where the problem is, but that won’t give the kind of insights that students themselves can provide. This isn’t about blaming educators for the problems. Blame helps neither the student nor the educators and does nothing to solve the problem.
We aren’t asking teachers and educators to do this without support, though. Our pledge to those educators who step up is that our service will not stop when the book is delivered. We will be offering those who #JoinTheConversation access to:
- Magnetic Thought Leadership Training to equip them to lead these conversations in a way that creates an inviting, respectful space where all voices are recognized and seen as being of equal value.
- Lessons in how to hold difficult conversations that are productive and meaningful where both sides feel respected and heard, yet challenged and encouraged to find room for compromise.
- A Study Guide to navigating the challenges of discussing sensitive topics in an inter-racial community.
- A community of like-minded individuals who are ready and willing to lend their support and encouragement along the way.
We will work to help educators, parents, and students engage in productive conversations about race relations in the classroom, while at the same time developing the leadership skills needed to make lasting change possible.
We want to encourage educators to #JoinTheConversation and support Path To Publishing’s mission to change the conversation around race relations with Nikki T. Anthony’s book, The Price We Pay. We want to leverage it to demonstrate the value educators bring to these conversations and their ability to make a difference with a book.
To discover more about Path To Publishing and the traditional publishing imprint we are publishing the title under (PTP Press), as well as our plans for The Price We Pay, visit our crowdfunding campaign at https://ptppress.com/taking-a-novel-approach-to-change. Those who sign up to #JoinTheConversation will receive an invitation to join our private LEADERS community.