Mission Statement

At a time in U.S. history when education, in spite of all the political rhetoric about “No Child Left Behind,” is in distress, it is self-evident that we need to hear at every turn and in every way possible from the chalk-wielding front lines.

These are frenetic troubled times where in the best of schools (imagine the concrete city mammoths and impoverished rural outposts) colleagues rarely discover just how much emotion and insight sit beside them in the teachers' cafeteria. It is extremely sad that the majority of teachers come and go and never get heard at their most creative frequencies. These are times when colleagues, students, and parents should count on the strength, truth, and creative vision of poets and writers who have answered the calling of American education.

Our first priority is to keep this online space open for educators. However, we welcome anyone with an interest in American education. It is essential for us to establish a progressive creative dialogue about the teaching experience and education within our pages, and ensure that it reckons with a broad range of voices and aesthetics. The idiosyncratically personal to the radically social-political is considered. We are especially looking for solidarity with and support from those who care about the evolution of education, the human condition, and the power of language.