|
|
|
Barbara E. Kerr
CTA President
|
These are tough times in our state and in our schools.
As I write this, we still don't know who will be the governor of California after Oct. 7.
The state budget deal reached this summer is threatened by two legal challenges, which, if upheld, could add another several billion dollars to the deficit.
And some school districts are still cutting programs and increasing class sizes.
But as I will say again and again, we are the largest and strongest state teachers' association in the nation, and we will get stronger as we fight for what is right for our students, for our fellow teachers and for public education.
As I travel the state and visit schools and colleges, I am constantly reminded that our greatest strength is often what our enemies try to use to divide us - our diversity.
CTA has more than 335,000 members. We're kindergarten and first-grade teachers like Vice President David A. Sanchez and myself. We're counselors like Secretary-Treasurer Dean E. Vogel. We're librarians and nurses; elementary, middle and high school teachers; community college and CSU faculty (full and part-time); adult education and preschool teachers; special education, music and ESL teachers; social workers, speech therapists and education support personnel.
We're different nationalities, ethnicities and races. Some of us are young and just starting our careers. Some are middle-aged. And some of us are, shall I say, experienced. We're Republicans, Democrats and Independents.
We are all CTA.
However, sometimes it's very difficult to understand the uniqueness of each person's job, and it is easy to say my job is harder or more important.
During bargaining, particularly in hard economic times, districts and school boards will attempt to use our differences to divide and conquer. You know what I'm talking about. They want us to choose between class size reduction and salary increases. They offer health benefit packages that pit teachers with families against single teachers. They tell us that we will have to increase faculty workload if we want equity for part-time faculty at the community colleges.
State lawmakers use the same tactics. I know you've heard this one repeatedly. "That's just what the union thinks. It's not what classroom teachers want."
Who do they think the union is? I didn't trade my credential for my membership card. I proudly carry both.
I see and hear this divisive strategy every day, but to make CTA stronger we must embrace each other and all of our differences. Your officers visit schools and talk to as many members as we can. I am making a special effort to reach out to some of our constituency groups, such as the California School Librarians Association, the California School Nurses Association and other organizations.
We can't let our adversaries divide us, and we can't divide ourselves. We all deserve smaller class loads. We all deserve better benefits. And we all deserve higher pay. That's the point. We are all in this together.
|
It's the little things
The first week of school is always hectic. But sometimes, the chaos defies all logic.
One teacher wrote to me about how he was busy getting all students settled in on the first day, when carpet layers showed up unexpectedly at his door. The principal forgot to mention they would be laying new carpet. Yes, this same room had been empty and student-free for the past three months.
The teacher and his students were forced to join another class for the first day. The rest of the week was spent moving between the library in the morning and the cafeteria in the afternoon.
Two other teachers went to set up their rooms on the first day, only to find the stairs and ramps to their portable trailers were gone. Being resourceful teachers, they found a ladder, climbed into their bungalows and went to work. Unfortunately, when they got ready to leave someone had taken the ladder.
And finally, another teacher told me how he and his class spent the first week outside on the lawn because the district painted his room the day before school started, and the students couldn't stand the fumes.
We all want clean classrooms and we know that takes time and work. We also know those who do the work don't determine the schedule. But there's a reason it's called "scheduled maintenance" - so we can put the kids first.
'It's the little things' will appear periodically in the Educator . If you have a suggestion or an example, e-mail me at barbara@cta.org.
|
