Is this for real?

Yes, it's for real.

Is it a little tongue in cheek? Of course.

Will a paper shield really protect you from anything? Probably not.

Then why?
(deep breath) Because the Teacher Data Shield is a statement - of defiance, disgust, and outrage - over the current obsession with data in our schools.

Children are not data points.
Teachers are not data points.
Schools are not data points.

The achievements of all of the above are not data points.

There is so much more to education.

This little design is just a symbol that teachers can use to let people know how they feel. Perhaps it will encourage some teachers to speak up when deluged with data at faculty meetings. Perhaps it will give teachers courage to look beyond what they are being told is important. I hope so.

So, please spread the word, spread the design, spread the idea, 'cause who knows where this could go.... in the words of Arlo Guthrie... friends, they may think it's a movement.