It can take a long time to walk a short distance with Barbara E. Kerr, the new president of CTA. As she made her way to the parking lot at the CTA Presidents Conference in Pacific Grove, she stopped every few feet to greet and hug teachers. "It's so good to see you," she said again and again.
There was no one left to greet as she finally approached her car. Before getting in, she turned and said, without being asked, "I am happy. I really am."
It's an interesting thing for a brand new president to say in the face of a $32.2 billion deficit, a budget impasse (at the time of the interview), an upcoming election to recall the governor and a campaign to defeat the Connerly racial privacy initiative.
When asked how she stays so positive, Kerr replied, "It's because I really believe in what we are doing. I believe we can make it better. I'm not going to go into this for two or four years and say, 'I'm not going to get anything done because it's the worst time ever in the world, blah, blah, blah.'
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CTA President Barbara E. Kerr chats with Presidents Conference participants Megan Gowens and Ramon Duran, both from Modesto. Among her priorities is strengthening local chapters. |
"It may be the worst time in a long time, but I'm good in bad times. That's my history. In bad times, you have a chance to make things better. We're in a big mess, but we'll get out of it. CTA is stronger than it has ever been."
Her first priority, not surprisingly, is to bring some happiness back into education. "I want to bring the joy of teaching and learning back into the classroom," said Kerr, who has taught first grade and kindergarten for more than two decades in Riverside. "The testing mania has gotten way out of hand."
Other top priorities include long-term school finance reform and strengthening local unions through increased outreach and member participation. "I have a strong core belief that CTA should help chapters be strong. I plan on doing a lot of reaching out externally and internally."
Kerr has a reputation for reaching out to all sides, defusing situations with her sense of humor and inspiring trust. Some have called her a "kinder and gentler" president, "but don't let that fool you," says Kerr. "I am very friendly, but I absolutely always am focused on what we need and want for teachers and students. I'll charm anybody to get what I want. But behind the charm, I'm made of steel."
As proof, she demonstrated her "teacher's stare" guaranteed to stop any child in his or her tracks. "It gets people's attention," she said. "And yes, Gray [Gov. Davis] has seen it."
Kerr, 56, grew up near the beach in suburban Los Angeles and attended high school in Hawaii. When she went inland to attend the University of California at Riverside, she fell in love with the area and decided to stay. She was the first in her family to graduate from college.
Her mother was an artist ("I could say, 'Want to see my etchings?' and mean it," Kerr jokes), and her father worked with chemicals and dyes for the textile industry. Dinnertime was usually spent having political discussions. Kerr was most influenced by her paternal grandfather, a Hungarian immigrant who had a strong appreciation for democracy. "I know to this day that if I don't vote in an election, my grandfather will drop a rock on my head from heaven," she says.
After setting her sights on becoming a teacher, she earned her teaching credential from California State University at Long Beach. When her advisor suggested that she try teaching kindergarten, Kerr dug in her heels.
"I went into teaching so I could be a sixth-grade teacher," recalls Kerr. "But I spent a few months teaching sixth grade, and I hated it. It wasn't for me at all. Again, my advisor told me to try kindergarten. I argued with her. I said I'd try third grade. Already I was bargaining and negotiating, which was unheard of for a student teacher. Finally, I said I would try kindergarten for three weeks."
Three weeks later her advisor came to visit. But Kerr was so engrossed in her students she didn't even notice that her advisor was in the classroom until the bell rang. "She gave me a smile and walked out the door," says Kerr. "I was amazed at how much I loved teaching kindergarten. As an only child of older parents, I had never been around little kids before."
She became a CTA building representative at Liberty Elementary School in Riverside at the age of 22. "Politics hooked me in," she admits. Before long, she was elected president of the Riverside City Teachers Association. Much to her shock, she assumed office the day that Proposition 13 was approved by voters. The ballot measure rolled back property taxes and devastated funding for schools statewide.
"I was teaching kindergarten, president of a 1,000-member local association, and Prop. 13 had just passed. And we lost our CTA staff person," she recalls. "Fortunately, I was young and had lots of energy." Assuming a leadership role during that traumatic time was an experience that will help her meet the challenges that lie ahead, says Kerr.
Kerr served on the CTA Board of Directors for 10 years and has been vice president of the association for the past four years. As second in command, she served as the CTA liaison to the statewide Education Coalition, which won several victories to keep state budget cuts away from the classroom.
She plays the piano, "loves" musicals, plays a mean game of cards and enjoys singing in her car.
"I'm shy in my own way," says Kerr. "I think most good leaders are. I'm not special. I always try to remember that I am real."
Sherry Posnick-Goodwin
