I currently work in public education for the TDSB teaching High School English and Drama. I consider our current model of public education to be both immoral and illegal. I have no desire to change the system – as far as I’m concerned, the system should simply be razed to the ground because there are no serious alterations that could overhaul it’s authoritative structure and coercive nature. So why get involved? Two major reasons:
 
1. I consider myself to have a “dissident” philosophy of education (at least in comparison to prevailing philosophies). The current system – from public education, to higher education and ultimately the selection of teacher candidates – works effectively to either indoctrinate the prevailing views or keep out/silence dissident ones. As such, I feel that "dissidents" are severely and quite logically underrepresented and I felt a moral responsibility to get involved. Put another way: a confused student once asked me, “I have one teacher who tells me school is the best thing for me while you tell me that it is the worst thing for me. Who am I to believe?” I responded with, “If it truly is public education, shouldn’t you hear both views and decide yourself?”
 
2. Given the factory-/prison-like nature of schools, the mere number of young humans an educator can work with in a year is overwhelming. Regardless of its oppressive nature, public education boils down to humans working with humans and there are many genuine opportunities for learning and creativity (although seriously hampered) in schools. In spite of the obstacles, we have a moral obligation to try and provide as many of these opportunities to as many people as possible while maintaining our own physical, emotional, and mental health.