After nine years of faithful blogging for Education Week Teacher鈥攖ackling everything from to to 鈥攔etired educator Nancy Flanagan has .
was one of the first educator-penned blogs on the Education Week Teacher site, and has
long been one of the most popular. Flanagan, who taught K-12 music classes for 30 years and was Michigan鈥檚 teacher of the year in 1993, became known in the edu-blogging community for her candor and sharp criticism of education 鈥渞eform鈥� measures, including the expansion of and the .
She鈥檚 a strong defender of the daily hard work teachers do, and a skeptic of attempts by non-educators to shape or demean that work.
鈥淭here鈥檚 something about for being willing to go the distance without adequate compensation or support,鈥� she wrote in May 2018, amidst large-scale teacher protests in several states. 鈥淲e鈥檙e supposed to persist and excel 鈥榝or the kids'鈥攁 phrase that teachers rightfully perceive as specious and manipulative. ... Maybe teachers are ready to demand what they need and deserve, rather than hang around hoping to be 鈥榓ppreciated鈥� every May.鈥�
Her honesty didn鈥檛 always win her friends, but it certainly got people talking.
鈥淩ight from the start, Nancy鈥檚 writing was engaging, fierce, funny, and deeply informed,鈥� said Anthony Rebora, the former managing editor for Education Week Teacher, who hired Flanagan to blog, in an email. 鈥淪he really helped set the tone for the whole site, and she kept people coming back, even if鈥攐r maybe because鈥攖hey didn鈥檛 always agree with her. ... She was a great partner in the work we were doing to try to elevate teacher voice.鈥�
As , she鈥檒l continue blogging, but on her own site and not just about education. (If her , she鈥檒l likely be getting more political.)
Below is a tour of some of Flanagan鈥檚 most popular posts over the years. Education Week is grateful for your many years of hard work and conversation-starting, Nancy!