Education Nation: "NBC Really Knew Very Little About the Topic They Decided to Cover"

The following is a very thoughtful post by Stephen Lazar, a Bronx teacher who had the privilege to participate in NBC’s Education Nation event.

Over the past few days, I have had the unbelievably depressing and deflating experience of being part of NBC’s Education Nation. I was one of the first teachers on stage for Sunday’s Teacher Town Hall, and I returned on Monday for a panel entitled "Good Apples," taking up a so-called "Oprah Seat" which promised the chance to respond to the panelists, who included the Waiting for Superman Three: Randi Weingarten, Geoffrey Canada, and Michelle Rhee, moderated by Times reporter Steven Brill.

Unlike nearly all of the other teachers involved who either worked for charters or had some previous national education recognition or involvement, I was there randomly. I got a call last Tuesday from a friend of my wife’s who works at Scholastic, which seems to have had the primary responsibility for getting teachers to the events. My wife’s friend knew I taught at a Bronx public school and thought I could speak well about my experiences there. She did not know that I was my school’s UFT Chapter Leader or a National Board Certified Teacher. I told her I would not turn down an opportunity to talk on behalf of good teachers everywhere. On Thursday, I got a call from someone at NBC, who briefly interviewed me about my views on teaching, accountability, recruitment, and retention. I was then invited to be on stage with Brian Williams at the Town Hall.

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