**Update: You can support TRUTH In Teaching by purchasing shirts at Teespring. A few styles of T-shirts, a long-sleeve shirt, and a sweatshirt are available. Thank you!

When I wrote “An Open Letter to Campbell Brown from a Teacher on Leave” in early August 2014, I never imagined the outpouring of support I would receive. The letter has gone viral, I have received hundreds of emails, and teachers continue to comment and speak out on my original blog, “Life Under the Ponytail.” In all of the correspondence, one thing has become abundantly clear: teachers need a voice but are afraid to speak up because of backlash from the public and their administrators.

So, I am proud to announce this new site, TRUTH In Teaching. I have a B.A. in English Literature, my Level II Certification in Secondary English from the State of Pennsylvania, and my Masters in Education. I have a passion for helping teachers in every way that I can to combat education reform, high-stakes testing, and the war on teachers. I know this will not be an easy journey, and I don’t expect to influence policymakers and big businesses who are trying to take over public education… at least, not right away.

But, I do hope to keep the discussion that started with the Open Letter going. And, I hope that teachers feel more confident in joining the discussion to get out the TRUTH about what it’s like to teach in today’s public education system, so that parents and policymakers alike can start shifting the conversation back to education and learning and away from the numbers.

TRUTH In Teaching will keep you up to date with the latest education news, information about progress being made in the fight against Common Core and education reform, stories about teachers who are standing up for themselves and their students, and more in our blog posts. Plus, I have been adding to our Resources pages so that you can break out of the test-prep curriculum. TRUTH In Teaching exists solely for the teachers. I hope the resources on this site will be invaluable tools for you and that you find this site to be a place you visit often for information, graphic organizers, lesson plan ideas, or maybe just a laugh at a blog post.

Ultimately, I hope to create a culture of education that focuses more on helping students and teachers thrive than it does on a standardized test score or teacher or school grade. TRUTH In Teaching is here for you. Teach on!