The Wisdom Warriors stand ready to fight, whether the opposition is a bullying principal, a chauvinistic superintendent or a whole building of legislators waffling on public education funding.
These MTA retirees bring not only spirit and experience to the challenges that educators face — they also bring song.
The Wisdom Warriors have become a familiar presence at MTA member actions since forming a little more than three years ago. The activist group came together after retiree Elaine Koury heard a member from Everett speak out at the MTA Annual Meeting of Delegates, describing how women educators had been told to wear dresses, nylons and heels to work.
"I said, ‘You’ve got to be kidding me,’" Koury recalled. "I went back to my seat and started doodling. The words Wisdom Warriors came out. And I started thinking that MTA Retired members can say anything, whereas active members can’t always say what they want to because they may get into trouble."
The Wisdom Warriors put a twist on their activism, performing songs and leading singalongs wherever they showed up. Rather than stick to the classic protest song canon, they wrote humorous parodies to fit the situation at hand.
"The issues we address are serious, but there is always a side of ridiculousness to it," Koury said. "Our job is to find the ridiculousness and to sing about it."
So administrators in Andover heard the Wisdom Warriors sing about "silenced staff," set to the tune of "Silent Night," when the retirees joined protest actions in the district last December.
One of the group’s first "hits" was a recasting of Queen’s "We Will Rock You" — with the lyrics changed to "Fund Our Future."
"We try to choose songs everyone knows the tune to, and then we pass out lyrics we’ve written," explained Koury, who taught theater and English in Cambridge.
The Wisdom Warriors have participated in actions at the State House and in several districts aside from Andover, including Dedham, where educators went on strike last fall, and Somerville, where Education Support Professionals engaged in a successful — though at times contentious — fight for better pay.
"It was so combative there, we hoped we could get people to listen. The School Committee let us into a meeting, and we started singing, and they looked like deer in the headlights. I think the singing led people to listen more," Koury said.
Patrick Patterson, the newly appointed chair of the MTA Retired Members Committee, is a Wisdom Warrior.
"I’m a musical kind of guy," Patterson said. "I like the way we can relate to the political issues with a sense of humor."
It was particularly rewarding for him to return to Andover, where he taught high school social studies, to support elementary school educators protesting unfair treatment.
These days, Patterson is faced with the challenge of encouraging retirees’ activism and engagement while keeping members of the group safe during the pandemic.
"We’re strategizing now how to work through the COVID-19 crisis," he said, mentioning webinars and online book club discussions that will temporarily take the place of most in-person events.
More than 50 MTA Retired members are signed up to be Wisdom Warriors, but Koury noted that most are located in Eastern Massachusetts. The hope is to have robust branches in Central Massachusetts and Western Massachusetts as well.
"Our purpose is first to support the actions of members in need, second to support the MTA’s legislative agenda, and third to have fun with our friends," Koury said.
To alert the Wisdom Warriors about actions or to volunteer to join the group, send messages to wisdomwarriors@massteacher.org.
