Each member counts in a strong organization

By Sherry Posnick-Goodwin

How can you, as a teacher, empower yourself and your colleagues? How can you help determine policy in your school district, influence political decisions at the state government level and even help decide who will sit in the Oval Office?

The answer can be found in your own backyard — or school community. It begins with strengthening your local CTA chapter. And it happens one teacher at a time, says CTA President Barbara E. Kerr.

That's what organizing is all about, she said in a speech welcoming new and returning leaders to the CTA Presidents Conference in Pacific Grove. "It's having one conversation, building one relationship, building a strong local chapter and a strong CTA one member at a time."

New members "want the same thing you and I want in an organization," said Kerr. An organization that succeeds pays attention to the "three P's":

It has a personal touch: "We must help individual teachers fulfill their goals, earn a professional salary, and protect themselves from unfair treatment."

It's professional: "We must fight to give teachers respect and the flexibility to do their best work for their students."

It's participatory: "We must listen to our members and to each other. Our members have to feel that they have a real role in determining the direction and the priorities of our organization."

Part of the challenge local and state association leaders face is continuing to find ways to connect with members. It means talking with members, not to them, added Kerr.

Her suggestion for a new way to start a conversation is to hold house meetings back home.

All of the participants got a chance to try out Kerr's idea over the course of the conference, meeting a few at a time with CTA staff facilitators to discuss concerns and challenges, and to explore collective strategies for strengthening their chapters.

Some presidents represented small chapters of fewer than 50 members, and others represented large associations with hundreds or thousands of members. Despite the differences, there was a shared belief that strong local associations make a strong CTA, and a strong CTA empowers everyone in the classroom.

Some said that their members believed that CTA was "faceless" and inaccessible, and wanted to discuss how they could alter that perception. Others said their members felt they were powerless and used that as an excuse not to become involved.

"We have to make our members realize that the 'union' is us," said Michael Boykin, president of the Merced Union High School District Teachers Association. "We are the union. We do have power."

"Having strong local associations is the only way to get things done," said Alicia Garcia, president of the 69-member Calipatria Unified Teachers Association. "If you don't have a strong association, the school board will perceive you as weak and use you as a doormat."

"It's very important that teachers' voices be heard," said Steve Gilbert, president of the Orchard Teachers Association in San Jose. "Teachers may not think they have a role, but they do. I am learning how to foster involvement."

Garcia said it's up to teachers to use their political clout to spread the word that No Child Left Behind is bad for schools, and to help elect John Kerry as the next president. "I hope to energize my members."

"No Child Left Behind has increased stress on teachers, but it has also increased the need for teachers to unionize and be strong," said Dee Heckman, president of the Greenfield Teachers Association. "My school missed Adequate Yearly Progress by five points, but met the target for the Academic Performance Index. NCLB is a stupid law that teachers need to fight on every level."

Presidents shared many ideas on how to strengthen their chapters and motivate members:

• Establishing a strong foundation based on communication and relationship building.
• Building trust by setting goals and meeting them.
• Matching the passion or interest of members to volunteer tasks, and limiting the size of the task to encourage further involvement.
• Reaching out to the community when times are good as well as when they're bad.
• Cultivating new leaders and encouraging mentoring relationships with the "old guard."
• Getting members involved in politics at all levels — especially when it involves education issues. (One of the more popular sessions at the conference was titled, "We'll Get Out of Politics When Legislators Get Out of the Classroom.")

At the conclusion of the house meetings, most of the presidents said that they would try holding house meetings of their own.

"I want the association to continue to thrive in my absence," said Winsome Jackson, president of the Sierra College Faculty Association. "It's not about me — it's about the association."

"Teachers have a voice and have to use that voice," said Chisato Kanagi, president of the Newhall Elementary School District Teachers Association and chair of the chapter's political action committee. "I'm encouraging my members to know as much as possible about the issues so they can make informed decisions. Once they become informed, they can become active. ... Together, we can make a difference."

As CTA works to become a more member-centered organization, Kerr said, "Never forget that we are teachers helping teachers and together we will build our future, one member at a time."