Democracy at work

It's 5 AM at the San Diego airport and I'm among the first wave of 9,000 educators on their way home from the Representative Assembly. During this meeting, we set in motion work plans to ensure that teachers will have a voice as national standards including 21st century skills are developed. We supported new and more appropriate systems of assessment to truly demonstrate that students are acquiring these important skills. Dr. Linda Darling Hammond received the NEA Friend of Education Award - we affirmed her inspiring call to raise the status of the teaching profession and improve professional working conditions to match those in countries frequently cited as the "best" on their national assessments. And finally, we acknowledged our dual role as both professional organization and union recognizing that bargaining (particularly in the form of interest based collaborative problem solving) and advocacy are both important tools to achieve improved salaries, needed school funding, affordable health care for all, and to guarantee human and civil rights for both students and educators.

For me, though, the RA was more than a major business meeting. The remarks by the national Teacher of the Year, Anthony Mullen and by Dr. Darling Hammond were inspiring - renewing each of our 170 Kansas delegates' commitment to our desire to touch the lives of our students and make a difference in the world. We were also profoundly moved as we recognized the work of Mr. Bob Chanin, NEA General Counsel who is retiring after 41 years. Lawyers aren't often noted for endearing themselves to our hearts, but Bob is no average attorney. He has argued numerous cases before the Supreme Court, helped craft the bargaining laws in numerous states, and made a career of defending our students, public education, and the educators who work in those schools. Personally, I worked with Bob on a task force to analyze Distance Learning. He facilitated as our members, teachers from across the country, formulated positive and forward-looking guidance for how we should add distance learning to the repertoire of tools to meet the educational needs of each student. Bob brought wisdom, commitment to excellence, and always remembered that our profession needs a united voice if we are to have the power to exert influence on these important issues. Bob's good humor, incisive analysis, and deep caring are a combination that mean his shoes won't be easily filled. But each of us who know him are also committed to do our part to pick up the banner of great public schools for every child that he leaves in our keeping.

Thanks to the Kansas educators who gave up a week of their time to serve... thanks to Bob who dedicated a lifetime of work!

July 4th for teachers

Each year, the NEA holds its annual Representative Assembly (RA) over the 4th of July... and there seems to be no more fitting way to celebrate our nation's heritage and the birth of our freedom. From Kansas, 170 teachers representing every corner of the state joined almost 9,000 educators from across our country to discuss a wide range of issues: how to ensure every child has access to a great public school, ensuring quality health care is available and affordable for our students as well as for educators, equality and civil rights guarantees - it was a list worthy of the 4th. In addition, a choir of music educators sang patriotic songs, prayers, and readings from our nation's great leaders were all part of a midday celebration in the convention center.

I should also mention that the high point of this RA may have been at the annual Human and Civil Rights Awards Dinner. Matthew Heck and seven other members of his cross country team from Wichita East High School were honored for their relay run from Wichita to Washington, DC to raise funds to help refugees from Darfur. These fine young men exemplify the kinds of values of hard work, caring, and responsibility that each of us as teachers hopes our students will see in our lives and learn from our examples. Read more about these students on the KNEA web site's record of the 2009 KNEA RA. This group humbles us all and makes us proud of public education and our students. Watch for more about the RA in a couple of days.