Emily Beers 01/24/2020

Emily Beers became a teacher in 2011 after working in a special education classroom. She developed a leadership capacity in her time as a special education teacher. She taught in a brick-and-mortar school for six years and transitioned into a virtual charter (Epic Charter Schools) during the walkouts. Due to her unique vantage point as a special education teacher, rather than as a classroom teacher, she felt that she was able to witness more school-wide trends of lack of funding and its impact on her students earlier than some of her colleagues. Emily felt she was able to see connections between legislation and its effects because her special education students were quickly and directly affected. She noticed teachers leaving in droves leading up to the strikes, and cites legislation as the cause. During the strikes, she worked hard to advocate for teachers and students, and actively participated in strike-related activities. Her transition from public school to charter school drew resentment from her colleagues that was intensified during the strike. Despite the resentment, she refused to be discouraged from advocating for teachers actively in her community. She mentions symptoms of the cycle of advocacy and how they affected her personally (citing burnout, feelings of abandonment after the strikes ended, etc.) Emily felt that she had finally felt solidarity during the strikes, she felt validated, and imbued with a sense of purpose. Emily mourned the loss of the solidarity after the strikes ended. She asserts that she won't stop advocating for her students and the improvement on the systems that support students in education in Oklahoma. Her hope for the future is to see students adequately supported financially and systemically by the state.