It鈥檚 been a busy week in education. At the TUC anti-racist workplace conference on Saturday, Kevin Courtney led the conversation with the reflection that 鈥渨e鈥檝e seen a decade鈥檚 worth of activism in a week鈥�. Like me, it seems he was also impressed by the creativity on display during the teacher strikes, celebrating their skills with a great Twitter thread of his favourite placards. and the winner is鈥� — Kevin Courtney (@cyclingkev) There are many reasons why educators are going on strike, all of them serious. These have been thoroughly reported in Schools Week and I won鈥檛 go into them here, but as educators we know that non-violent protest can be a powerful way to effect change and make voices heard. We also know that a good placard conveying all that seriousness with humour is a great way to get people talking. As a former headteacher, I鈥檓 very supportive of the strikes. As an art teacher, I was all the more interested in how teachers would use the ultimate art form of the placard to bring attention to this dispute. Expectations were high. Twitter user , promising 鈥渢he most grammatically correct placards this country鈥檚 ever seen鈥�. Meanwhile, @ellasmr made a valid point that teacher鈥檚 placards are so good because they are 鈥渉oned from years of display making鈥�. And : 鈥淭eachers placards are going to be amazing. 100% they’ve all been laminated ready for the picket lines in the morning.鈥� So I鈥檓 pleased to say that they didn鈥檛 disappoint. As you might have expected, the National Society for Educators of Art and Design (The Art and Design teachers鈥� trade union, subject association and learned society) chimed in with a top-class effort at . But the quality of placards is about so much more than the craft. It plays to another one of the profession鈥檚 strengths: use of language. As after the event: 鈥淣o one can write puns better than a teacher. The placards are incredible.鈥� [INSERT PICTURE 3 – PLACARD WITH PUN HERE] A final, important element of the effective placard is the use of cultural references. This is also something teachers are extremely adept at. From South Park to national curriculum tests, last week鈥檚 placards leaned into the profession鈥檚 ability to connect the message they are trying to impart with ideas that are familiar to their audience. And the result of all that humour and creativity was that with expressions of teachers鈥� frustrations 鈥� few of them about pay and most about school funding. What better way to get the public on side? No one was more pleased, perhaps, than , who didn鈥檛 miss the opportunity to celebrate and draw attention to their members鈥� creative expression. Some went further, suggesting that art teachers should deliver CPD on placard-making! Today I have decided that our art teachers and art educators should start running school staff workshops on making protest banners and placards! — Susan M Coles (@theartcriminal) Indeed, was so inspired by Wednesday鈥檚 mobile displays that they got involved. On Thursday, they published with 鈥渟teps to make your own protest sign and show others what cause you feel passionate about today鈥�, inspired by the work of the great artist Bob and Roberta Smith. Art has long been used as a form of protest. This week has been a fantastic reminder of its power to effect social change. And if there exists any equal to art鈥檚 power to reach people and inspire them to action, it is certainly teaching. In this regard, last week鈥檚 placards were a match made in heaven. With any luck, they will have been enough to persuade ministers to do what it takes to prevent another opportunity for teachers to take their display-making skills onto the streets. But whether ministers have learned anything, the profession hasn鈥檛 missed a teachable moment. Headteacher, Simon Smith (@smithsmm) has a book for every occasion. This week, , by De Nichols. Reason enough to look forward to the next walk-out already.