Program alumnae Dr. Sara Hardman (Lecturer of Philosophy and Education at Teachers College) and Dr. Tomas de Rezende Rocha (Assistant Professor of Educational Foundations, Leadership, and Policy at the University of Washington) co-authored an article that has recently been published in Studies in Philosophy and Education (May 2023).

The article is titled “‘Cheerleaders and Mama Bears’: Combatting Sexist Teacher Strike Discourse.” In it, Hardman and Rocha examine how sexism and misogyny have impacted teacher strike discourse, as well as the justifications that teachers themselves give for striking. Although they demonstrate that such sexist discourse has been prominent throughout the history of teacher strikes, many of the examples they draw from have occurred within the past few years, including the teacher strikes of West Virginia, Seattle, Chicago, and Columbus. Generally speaking, Hardman and Rocha are concerned that teachers risk being deemed ‘immoral’ unless they justify their decision to strike by appealing to their being in the service of others—which also works to uphold unjust patriarchal norms. Thus, Hardman and Rocha put forward alternative ways of framing teacher strikes that strike to allow teachers to be regarded as both self-regarding and moral. By extending this recognition to teachers who strike, Hardman and Rocha combat covert sexist expectations and uphold the dignity of teachers as persons.