Involved Teachers

Who: The teachers who are everywhere: club advisors, coaches, department heads, the ones on the hiring committee or the school improvement team. You already know who they are.

Power: Access. They sit in the meetings where decisions get made, they know which administrator actually handles what, and the principal trusts them. They also know the school's history, including what's been tried before and why it failed.

What they care about: Students. That's why they're still in the building at 5pm running practice or robotics, usually for a small stipend that doesn't come close to covering the hours. They also care about their relationship with administration, so they'll be careful about anything that looks like a fight.

How to work with them: Ask for advice before you ask for help. "Who should I talk to about this?" is the best first question in school. Keep them in the loop, give them credit in public, and never make them choose between you and their boss. If one of them mentions your idea to the principal, you'll get a meeting a petition wouldn't.