Teachers as Parrhesiastes: Rethinking the Act of Teaching in an Era of Educational Censorship

The professional autonomy of teachers is being threatened more than at any time in U.S. history, leading to a “chilling effect” in which teachers often censor themselves to prevent running afoul of the law or district policies. In light of these challenges, I present Foucault’s conception of parrhesia, which can be defined as the ability to speak truth in spite of danger or fear, as a necessary framework for K–12 education.