T4SJ's Study Groups 6 new study groups have been launched this October! see below for details.

Meetings:		General Meetings:will be held quarterly and will be announced via email alerts and the web. Location Listed below but often at Everett Middle School Church at 16th 3 blocks from BART
Upcoming Events: study groups! sign up for t4sj's email list and updates on study groups		Quarterly Meeting: Stay posted for next meeting at Everett Middle School (Church and 17th ) Near 16th St. Bart in SF. Click here to join our email annoncements limited to about 2 per month.
			Meeting Notes: Teachers 4 Social Justice and Teachers 4 Change presents: "Discussing September 11th with our Students: --Towards a Social Justice Perspective"
Our Mission and Goals:
			MISSION Our mission is to sustain an organization of educators in the struggle for meaningful change in the classroom, school, community and society. T4SJ organizes teachers and community-based educators and implements programs and projects that develop empowering learning environments, promote equitable access to resources and power, and realize a just and caring culture. GOALS Maintain a network of progressive educators to develop an environment of support and professional development. Sustain a membership that is engaged in a continuing process of critical self-reflection and growth. Evolve an education system that is responsive to the needs of the communities it serves and promotes equitable access to resources and power. Sustain a membership with a level of competency in creating empowering learning environments.
How to get involved:		You can be involved by coming to our general meetings and joining one of collectives and/or study groups. Our membership policies: T4SJ Membership. We look forward to seeing you there!
Conference Update		The 4th annual "Teaching for Social Justice" conference will take place in October of 2004. Instead of holding the conference at the usual time in February, the conference will now occur at the beginning of the school year. This decision came about at T4SJ's annual post-conference retreat in May of this year for the following reasons: - Holding the conference in February draws energy and resources away from the Study Groups and other T4SJ projects and takes over T4SJ work starting in November. - February is so close to testing time that teachers find it difficult to implement new strategies and frameworks that are introduced at the conference. - Having the conference in October would allow participants more time to develop networks and collaborate, opening up the year with an eye on teaching for social justice. - The conference will become a launching pad for yearly Study Groups, continuing the energy and momentum of the conference. TOP
Study Groups:
QUESTIONS/COMMENTS			We will be launching 6 new Study Groups in October, 2003. They will continue throughout the school year, meeting monthly, and will focus around the following topics: discipline and social justice, violence and wellness in our communities, racism, balancing curriculum and testing, and investigating school/district/state budgets and resources. The Study Group objectives are the following: - understand and engage in a process of reflection andaction; - use new insights and understandings in theirclassrooms; - have a collection of strategies and tools to share insights and engage the topic and process at their school sites; - begin to initiate change at their school site using the collection of strategies; - learn strategies and processes to build community in a variety of settings (among students, teachers and other professionals). The Study Groups will be composed of a majority of classroom teachers (both new and seasoned teachers), and at least half of which will be teachers of color and a combination of pre-teachers and community based educators. In mid-August T4SJ will begin an outreach campaign to inform and recruit Study Group participants. We're hoping you will join us in transforming ourselves and our schools and classrooms. If you would like to participate in or find out more about T4SJ's 2003-2004 Study Groups, write to Karen Zapata at teachers4socialjustice@yahoo.com. Past t4sj study groups have included: ANTI-RACIST- Organizing and Teaching Examine, define, process and investigate ways to effectively apply social justice strategies to address various forms of racism. How do we address racism, internalized racism, and institutional racism? What is the difference? How can it improve the management of your classroom or your curriculum? The members will decide the specific area of focus as we define social justice for ourselves as educators and support each other in developing our teaching strategies. SCHOOL DISCIPLINE- Social Justice in the Classroom Investigate ways of approaching discipline as an opportunity for teaching, rather then punishment. In addition, participants will discuss ways of incorporating a social justice perspective in the discipline policies in our classroom, schools and districts. VIOLENCE AND WELLNESS IN OUR CLASSROOOMS AND COMMUNITIES Explore the many issues of violence, health and the intersections with our schools and classrooms. Participants will discuss effective ways to promote wellness in the classroom and community. HIGH STAKES TESTING, ASSESSMENT AND CURRICULUM Explore the tightrope that teachers must walk in these times of "standardization" and how we can still fit critical issues into education TOP
Organizational Principles:
			The following principles guide our work and form the basis of our organization: Involvement of teachers of color in all aspects of the organization is crucial. Democratic decision-making processes need to be upheld, ensuring the meaningful participation of every member in systems and structures. Shared accountability for our actions as individuals and as an organization. Learning and collective action is a partnership between students, teachers, parents, and community. Our actions address root causes of systems of oppression at the individual, group, and societal level(racism, sexism, homophobia, age-ism, able-ism,etc.). The development of our organization is based on the evolution of our individual and collective processes. TOP
Our VISION Statement:
			TEACHERS FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE believes in evolving a society based on equity and love, where each person has access to resources regardless of race, gender, ability, age, socio-economic status, sexual orientation, or faith, for intellectual, spiritual, artistic, and emotional growth. This visionary society’s political, economic, and cultural systems and structures uphold the people’s right to participate in the decisions that affect them and ensures interactions that are based on respect and cooperation toward a sustainable future. T4SJ is united in the belief that children are the foundation of our future and that teachers, parents, and communities are crucial to a child’s growth and development. Toward this end, we need to foster relationships that preclude violence and incarceration. T4SJ shall actualize schools as an extension of the community, reflecting the different histories, issues, and forms of resistance of our diverse peoples. These schools support the efforts of people to develop a critical understanding of their power and role in effecting meaningful change at the local, national, and global levels. TOP
HISTORY   | VISION | MISSION STATEMENT  |GOALS| PRINCIPLES  | MEMBERSHIP   COLLECTIVES   |   STUDY GROUPS |  CONTACT US| TEACHERS 4 CHANGE | Last Updated: March 23, 2003
"The greatest weapon in the hands of the oppressor is the minds of the oppressed!" --Steven Biko