Addressing the most critical issues facing public education around the world, the policy is under-pinned by the belief that quality public education is essential and must therefore become a global priority for all governments.  NEA Secretary-Treasurer Becky Pringle, as usual, did an outstanding job representing the view of the NEA on the floor of the Congress.  She stated on the floor that “if we don’t define the policy, policy will be defined for us.” 

Delegates deliberated the international policy during the World Congress and firmly rejected the privatisation of learning because it leades to “race to the bottom,” where limited resources are used to drive up profit margins instead if improving access to quality educational attainment and development.  Standarized tests as a measurement of school performance are another symptom of privitasation.  Reliance on test scores to evaluate and compensate teachers narrows the scope  of what students are taught.  Instead, the policy suggests that to strengthenperformance. it is essential to invest  in more professional development and training.

After lunch, there was presentation videos from the VUE project,  or Video for Union Educators project, which will be shown on the floor of the World Congress throughout the week. The VUE project was developed four years ago by NEA and EI as part of the EI Communicators Network, ComNet.  The videos are all shot on location around the world with local EI affiliates and translated into multiple languages.

The VUE projects include Beyond Burma: Lessons in Hope for Refugee Children, which focuses on children and their teachers who have escaped from oppression in Burma and have set up makeshift schools in border towns in Thailand. Another involves education union members battling child labor in Morrocco. It’s called No to Child Labor – Yes to Education, and tells the story of a young girl rescued as part of a union project after she had been pulled from school and sold as a worker.   No to Child Labor -Yes to Education, was shown today.  A third documentary is After the Tsunami; Rebuilding Schools, Rebuilding Lives, which shows the response of the international education community to the devastating Tsunami in Sri Lanka and Indonesia, specifically EI’s school rebuilding program in the region.

The second plenary session of the world congress started at 2:00 p.m. this afternoon.  Featured speaker was EI Secretary General Fred van Leeuwen.

Stephen Henry, NEA board member and former male co-chair of the NEA GLBT Caucus, was featured in the World Congress Newsletter as the Delegate of the Day.  Stephen presented at the LGBT Rights Forum.

Today we elected NEA President Dennis Van Roekel as one of the 5 Regional Vice Presidents of EI.  Dennis will represent the North America-Caribbean Region, a post held previously by former NEA President Reg Weaver.

At 5:15 p.m., SADTU, NAPTOSA, and SAOU will host the Welcome Evening.

This morning the NEA Steering Committee, aka the NEA Executive Committee, met at 8:00 a.m.   NEA Secretary-Treasurer Becky Pringle reviewed with us the proposed amendments to the EI Constitution and Bylaws.  Nothing controversial to report; however, that could change when country delegations begin to bring forward their own proposed amendments.   The Women’s Caucus meets all day today.  It is important to note that in some countries, women are not allowed to be leaders like we are accustomed to in the NEA and United States.  In some countries women must remain silent.  The Women’s Caucus is an opportunity for the women to speak out.  NEA Executive Committee member Joyce Powell is covering the meeting.

President Van Roekel has assigned me to cover the National Union of Teachers (NUT)for this meeting.  If you have been following me on FaceBook, you know that I have represented NEA numerous times across the pond at NUT conferences.  My responsibility is to check in with the NUT Leadership and be a conduit of information.  I am looking forward to re-uniting with my colleagues from the United Kingdom.

Yesterday afternoon, the Higher Education Caucus met.  Executive Committee member Len Paolillo covered that meeting. 

In the evening, the EI North American/Caribbean Delegates met.  It was wonderful to catch up with Mary Futrell, Reg Weaver and my friends from the American Federation of Teachers, the Canadian Federation of Teachers, Central des Syndicats du Quebec, and the Carribean Union of Teachers.  NEA President Dennis Van Roekel and incoming NEA Executive Director John Stocks brought greetings on behalf of NEA.

Early yesterday morning, the NEA Executive Team had a real treat.  We went to Robben Island together.   Robben Island housed the prison where Nelson Mandela was kept.  Words cannot adequately describe the feeling that overcomes the NEA Team as we, together, learned the real history, as told by the local guide, of Nelson Mandela and all that he did.  I am inspired forever by this chance in a lifetime experience. 

I’m now heading over to the Convention Center to sit in on the Women’s Caucus meeting.   Convention transportation has not started yet.  A cab costs R21 (21 Rands, which is about $3.00 US). 

More later.

Day 2 – We arrive at Newark around 6:00 a.m.  Joyce and I immediately go to check in while Irene waits with the rental car.  We successsully check in after the Virgin Atlantic Airline agent tells us that United has booked us with an illegal connection – the agent chirps, you won’t be able to make it to your Cape Town connection in the allotted hour. 

Okay, so when you tell me that I can’t do something, I do everything to prove that yes I can, yes I will . . . and yes I did.

The flight on Virgin Atlantic goes well.  Irene, Joyce and I get bulk row seats in the economy plus section which means that it’s a little roomier than coach.  Whitney, one of the stewards does a fantastic job of helping us and making sure that when we arrive at Heathrow, we are the first off the plane.  We arrive at Terminal 3 and must get to Terminal 1 in 30 minutes because the South Africa Airline doors close.  If you’ve ever been to London Heathrow, you know that the distance between terminals is expansive.  We have to take a terminal bus that seems to runa as slowly as molasses.  We finally arrive at Terminal One.  We run.  We run.  We run.  We barely make the connection! Whew!  I sit by a lovely young lady who lives in San Francisco but is visiting her parents who live in South Africa.  She is on holiday and will visit with her family for three weeks.  She gives me the scoop on the ins and outs of Cape Town.  The steward on this flight clearly ahs a crush on the beautiful young lady, so, we get special attention.  Night falls.  It is time to sleep.  My whole section is quiet – either sleeping, playing video games or watching a movie.  Even the young men traveling on the soccer tour are quiet. 

Day 3 – We arrive in South Africa.   A view of Table Mountain is inevitable as we prepare for landing.   As we wait for our luggage that never came, Joyce, Irene and I talk about how fortuanate we are  — that we made it and that we are in Africa.  We fill out the claims forms and cross our fingers that the luggage will arrive the next day.  We are told by the South African Airline rep that we can each spend $75 US.  We will be reimbursed upon showing proper documentation at the airport.  If my luggage is not here on Day 4, I will have another conversation with the airline rep.

Today I buy a skirt, top, and something to sleep in.  The NEA Executive Committee meets in the morning.   We are the NEA Steering Committee.   The NEA delegation meets later in the afternoon.  A Welcome Reception will follow.  I am anxious to see everyone.

 This afternoon, I will begin my journey to Cape Town, South Africa and Education International’s 6th World Congress.  I am both excited and a bit apprehensive.

South Africa – home of Nelson Mandela.  I am getting chill bumps. Cape Town is the largest city in South Africa, has a vibrant urban culture, and is famous for its beautiful harbour and is backed by its well-known landmark, Table Mountain. The city was also an important centre of the anti-apartheid movement. Many leaders, including Nelson Mandela, were imprisoned for years on Robben Island, the penitentiary island 10 kliometres offshore.

The World Congress is held every 4 years.  It’s governing body is Education International.  The Congress will be held at the Cape Town International Convention Center.  Delegates to the Congress will consider major contemporary issues affecting their organisations, the international teacher trade union movement, and the ongoing struggle to achieve quality public education for all.

While I have travelled out of the country before – Mexico, Canada, London, Berlin – the trip to Africa will be the longest trip that I have ever taken.  I am driving to NEA Headquarters this afternoon and will meet my colleague and friends Joyce Powell and Irene Jones.  We will get some  dinner, go to Dulles Airport together, where we will check in with United Airlines for our 10:02 p.m. flight.  NEA no longer pays for leaders to fly business class.  So, Joyce and Irene payed the money to fly business class, about $2,500 each above regular rates.  I am flying regular class, i.e., the cheap ticket section, but have an aisle seat in the economy plus section – so,  hopefully, I’ll have a little extra room. 

Our night flight arrives at  London Heathrow on Sunday at 10:10 a.m.  after only 7  hours.   Keeping everything in perspective – it will be 5:10 a.m. in Washington, DC.  Joyce, Irene, and I will spend the day in London.  It was Joyce’s suggestion that we break the trip up like this. She claims it will make the flight time seem much shorter than the 20+ hours that it truly is. 

We are due to arrive in CapeTown ~ Monday July 18 at 10:05 a.m.  It will be 4:05 a.m. in Washington, DC.   At our arrival, we will retreive our luggage and then find our pre-arranged transportation to the Taj Hotel, which will be my home til July 26.

Stay tuned for updates.

I h

Thank you . . .

There is truly no place like home.  It’s great to see all of my old friends and so many new faces.

 [Acknowledgements . . . ]

 Good evening!

 The time:   1900 – The Gilded Age

 The place: New York City

 The event:  the founding of the International Ladies Garment Workers Union, ILGWU, by Jewish, Italian, Scot-Irish and Irish immigrants

 The goal:  to unite the various crafts and increase their mutual strength in a rapidly growing industry.

 The challenge:  early resistance from the garment manufacturers with whom the ILGWU collectively bargained.

 Jump to March 25, 1911

 The time:  4:45 pm

 The place:  245 Greene Street, Manhattan, NY

 The event:  the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire

 The tragedy:  the deaths of 146 people ranging from age 14 to 43, most of whom were women

 The result:  the fire at the Triangle Shirtwaist factory is widely considered a pivotal moment in history leading to the adoption of fire safety measures, the monitoring of conditions in factories, and most importantly the transformation of labor code.

 The legislative reform that took place at the state and local level was the direct result of hard working grass root efforts conducted by the ILGWU and other unions…people… just like us.  By 1915, 36 of the laws that were drafted were enacted by the New York State Legislature.  These laws went on to serve as models for other states.  Twenty years after that, Roosevelt’s New Deal passed similar legislation at the federal level with the aid of many of the individuals and unions who were responsible for the overhaul of the New York labor code.   

 Fast forward one hundred years. 

 The time:    March, 2011

 The place:  Alabama, Wisconsin, Ohio, New Jersey, Indiana, Alaska

 The event:  the start of a coordinated effort by political rascals to strip select public worker unions of the right to collectively bargain for wages, benefits, and working conditions along with the free choice of having dues payroll deducted.

 The goal:  to break the back of the public education unions.  What an interesting way to recognize the centennial anniversary of the fire.

 The challenge:  are we going to let them do that?

 So what role can the VEA play in this scenario? 

 We can be instrumental in many areas of representation.

 Solidarity is the first area that comes to mind – it is because of our statements of solidarity, demonstrations of unity, and chanting cries for workers rights that a judge in Wisconsin has declared that Governor Scott Walker’s bill is not in effect and that the Walker administration should not be implementing it.

 The same people who stood in the streets of Madison for a month promising to stop Scott Walker have filed recall papers on Dan Kapanke, one of the state Senators who voted for Walker’s bill.

 In Ohio, Governor Kasich’s bill signing “victory” celebration has been overshadowed by reports of his basement-level poll numbers and a citizen’s veto of the unpopular measure.

 Alabama survived another challenge from their lawmakers this week, as the U.S. Court of Appeals ruled that teachers could continue to pay association dues through payroll deductions.

 While this is a huge victory, they are not out of the woods yet. The five-page ruling left the matter less clear in regard to payroll deductions for political action committees.

 Nonetheless, this victory has reminded all of us of the power of solidarity and why engagement is so important.

 Yes, Engagement – Now is the time and opportunity to learn from the past, be responsive to the present, and proactive in promoting a better future.

 As one of only five states in the nation who do NOT have collective bargaining and have deemed it illegal, we, in Virginia, have the opportunity to serve as the role model for thinking innovatively, advocating creatively, and working collaboratively to achieve a common goal.

Other states will be looking to us because they have not had to engage members on the same level that we have.  In collective bargaining states, everyone belongs either at full dues with full membership benefits or agency fee payments for benefiting from bargaining representation.  We, on the other hand, have to look our members and potential members in the eyes each year and give them a verbal reason to want to belong.

You have demonstrated these traits and capabilities through your successes that you have achieved despite the obstacles that were placed in your way.  Most notably

• you defeated the 65% solution
• you preserved the VRS pension
• and you fended off tuition tax credits and vouchers…..AGAIN!

I congratulate you.  Please join me in giving yourselves a round of applause.

 This is why engagement is so important – why your voice is so important. This is why we must remain organized here in Virginia.  We must remain ready to act.

 In my travels at the state and local levels, I am frequently asked, “What is the NEA doing for me?”

 I can tell you that we are far better off collectively than separately.

 The time:   the 70′s

 The place: the United States of America

 The event:  the unification of the local, state, and national levels of THE Association

 The goal:  to unite all association levels for the purpose of providing a consistent standard of services and benefits across all geographic regions

 The result:  Unified Services or the UniServ program. 

 In addition to the UniServ program, the joining of the three levels – local, state, and national – strengthened the legal services provided to members and fortified the federal lobbying efforts on behalf of public education and our members.

 Given the current state of our economy and the impact that it is having on school employment, our Legal Services Department is being called on more and more to assist with aiding our members during these tough times and challenging the laws that our opponents are using in an attempt to destroy us. 

 On the federal front, ESEA aka the Elementary and Secondary Education Act aka No Child Left Behind is up for reauthorization.  While it is long overdue, our latest projections indicate that the Senate Education Committee Chair Tom Harkin (D-IA) would like to move a bill through the Senate by this summer.  For up-to-date information and opportunities for advocacy, visit www.educationvotes.nea.org.

 Let us also not forget that born out of the merger between the NEA and the American Teachers Association (ATA) in the 1960s, was our activism for social justice.  When we came together as one organization, school districts in 17 states used court-ordered desegregation as an excuse to dismiss hundreds of black teachers.  So one of the expectations surrounding our merger was that the new NEA would work to protect the professional, civil,  and human rights of ALL educators.   Afterall, employee rights are human rights.

 Recognizing the current anti-public education environment that we are currently in, the NEA is already tightening its belt so that we can work smarter and advocate more efficiently.  We understand that we can no longer be the National Everything Association.  This moment in our history gives us the opportunity to think about our business model and how we respond to assaults on public education.

 In the coming year, while we will continue to provide the core services on which we base our day-to-day work, our strategic focus will be narrowed to two goals:  1) Strong Affiliates for Great Public Schools – we partner with our state and local affiliates to ensure that they have the resources to effectively advocate for students, public education and our members and 2) Priority Schools – our organizational work that will focus on a structured way to help our members and students in schools that are struggling. 

I would be remiss if I did not mention the We Are One events that have been occurring all across the nation this week – events that many of our members have been a part of – there have been teach-ins, vigils, faith services, and town hall meetings.  On April 4, 1968, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  was assassinated as he stood with sanitation workers in Memphis, TN as they demanded their dream: The right to bargain collectively for a voice at work and a better life. The workers were trying to form a union with AFSCME (American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees.  This week, union members, people of faith, and civil and human rights activists, students and other progressive allies are joining with working people all over the country to rally for the rights Dr. King gave his life for:  the freedom to bargain, to vote, to afford a college education and justice for all workers, immigrant and native-born.  The theme for these events:  “We Are One.”  We are one family.  We truly are one people working together to achieve a common goal.  Tomorrow, I will be wearing red with you to show my solidarity. 

 Given all that we have been through in the past several months, I truly believe that when the dust settles, we will have a new kind of an association, a new kind of union in which we will be more organized, more engaged and more vocal about whom we are and why public education – why America -  is better with us than without us.

 So, my friends, where do we go from here?

I know that past Association successes have been the result of grassroots efforts at the state and local level.   This means YOU.

 I know that now more than ever it is critical that the local, state, and national associations come together in partnership to present a united front.  This means US.

 I know that now is the time to strengthen our voice, make strategic use of our stories of reality, and provide true commitment to preserving public education and our rights for our students, our union, and our country.  This means EVERYONE.

 As we move forward and address the current and future critical issues, I know that by working together – local, state, and national associations- we can ensure that our voices are listened to by the public and acted upon by the policymakers.  I know that we can and will get through these rough times and make positive things happen for our students, public education, and our members who serve them both.

 Thank you and let’s make this one of our best conventions ever!

As I get ready to return home today – after what will be a very busy but  fun morning facilitating the hearing on the Commission for Effective Teachers and Teaching as well as delivering a presentation about NEA Read Across America, I reflect on the reality of what’s going on in the education profession.

The local, state, and national association partnerships are more critical than ever as we manuever through the current era of radical education reform.  It has recently been stated that the opponents of public education are already writing their news article to say that we in public education have failed.  I refuse to accept that as a final judgment.

As we approach MLK, Jr. Day and think about the service that educators give, I hope that every educator who reads this blog will tell the stories of reality going on in their classrooms, school buildings, bus barns, and campus sites.  I hope that everyone tells the stories of the great things going on in their school setting.  We all have very powerful stories to tell – please share them.  Let the public know. 

I love working on behalf of our members.  I am hoping to get re-elected to the NEA Executive Committee and I am asking for your support.  Working together, we can make positive things happen for our students, public education, and our members who serve them both.

Working together, we can change the story by telling our stories. 

Tell your story.

How you view it is how you pursue it.

As we maneuver through this era of attacks on public education and educators; a lagging reauthorization of ESEA; and more letters being thrown into the alphabet soup  – RTTT, SIG, and i3; it is more critical than ever that we present a unified front, with grassroots mobilization, strategic use of our stories of reality and success “on the ground,” and a true commitment to get this right for our students and for our country.

So how are we going to pursue it? 

Well, that depends…how do you want to view it?

Do you want to succumb to these attacks, allow competitive funding to run amok, making educators the scapegoats by reducing our worth to student test scores - OR -  Do you want, like Dr.  Yong Zhao challenged the Associaiton, to RISE – resist, inform, strategize, and energize our members and the public about what’s really needed for ALL students to be successful?

November 18, 2010, I had the opportunity to hear Roger Wilkins give a public lecture at the University of Mary Washington.  When he spoke about public education, he stressed:

• the need for our nation to invest in ALL schools  to ensure that ALL students have the same opportunity to a quality education;
• the participatory requirement that the WHOLE village be involved in educating the ONE child;
• and that public education has become a struggle of access and opportunity — the civil rights issue of  our day.

He also stated that instead of waiting the three years as defined in the RTTT and SIG timeline, the opponents of public education have already concluded that we will fail.    They are already writing our epitaph.

I, for one, refuse to accept this conclusion as a final judgment.  Throughout my Association career, I have always promoted efforts for US to lead the transformation of public education, always understanding that it must be a collaborative effort – both internally and externally.   We must cultivate new partnerships within the community, and we must leverage the resources and expertise at all levels of our Association – local, state, and national  – to be the strong leaders history has called us to be at this moment in time.  When I work with our local leaders in our Priority Schools throughout this country, I am always reminded that the most important group of people involved in resolving education issues is the local with the power of its individual members.   

So I invite you to join me in creating a REAL education revelation starting with “How we view it is how we will pursue it.”

I am seeking re-election to the NEA Executive Committee and I ask for your support.  Working together, we can make ANYTHING happen!

Thank You!

Much is at stake on  Tuesday November 2.   In addition to the policies that will be addressed by the new 112th Congress, the  midterm elections on Tuesday are a referendum on President Barack Obama, who began his term two years ago with control of both the Senate and the House of Representatives.   The new Congress will most likely address polices that impact the economy, high unemployment, the budget deficit,  health care, and public education.

The Week Ahead is significant.  Because I am a public school educator, I will focus my comments on public education.  Is public education where it should be in America?  No.   Will change in our public education system that was designed to accommodate a citizenry of the 1950′s era happen overnight?  No.  Are the education unions trying to address transformation of public education, internally and externally, in a progressive and realistic way?  Yes. 

Why vote November 2?    If you care about public education, you will note that  “Waiting for Superman” and the week long NBC airing of Education Nation are obvious indicators that educators are under attack like never before.  We must stand up and say NO MORE to those who are demonizing our public schools and the employees who work in them.  Your vote is important and will make a difference.  What’s at stake?  1) The new Congress will reauthorize No Child Left Behind.  Can NCLB get any worse?  Yes.  Can it get better?  Yes.  Who can make a difference?  You.  2)  There are politicians who want to privatize Social Security and raise the retirement age.  Diverting Social Security funds to private accounts will expose the retirement security of thousands  of educators to the volatility of the stock market. In between grading papers, working to ensure that your school meets AYP,  and PTA meetings, do you have the time and expertise, to follow the stock market and make appropriate adjustments in your market choices?  In some states, social security is not an option and the union continues to fight for Social Security Fairness and the repeal of GPO/WEP.  3) Retirement security is under assault – because of state budget deficits, many educators have not had any salary increases for the past three years.  These are just a few reasons why supporters of public education need to ensure that we are electing to office those politicians who will support public education and not tear it down. 

What’s the data look like?

Senate: Thirty-seven seats are up for election of which 19 are currently held by Democrats and 18 by Republicans. In the 100-member chamber, Democrats control 59 seats to 41 for Republicans.  House of Representatives: All 435 seats are up for election to two-year terms. Democrats now hold 255 seats to Republicans’ 178, with two vacancies. Republicans look set to surpass 218 seats to win the majority away from Democrats. Republicans, who need a net gain of 39 seats to retake the House and 10 seats to capture the Senate, are expected to swamp Democrats in a tidal wave of voter anger over the US economy and unemployment, which is near 10 percent.  If Republicans take the House, Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi—technically the third-highest US elected official—would lose her post to a Republican, most likely House Minority Leader John Boehner.  In both chambers, the majority party determines what and when legislation is brought to a vote and chairs all committees. 

Governors: Elections in 37 states, of which 19 are now held by Democrats and 18 by Republicans.  Key governorships up for grabs include California, Florida, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Texas.  Political party control of governorships and state legislatures takes on national importance in 2010 when states’  U.S. legislative districts are to be redrawn. The party in power has the authority to set district boundaries to favor its candidates in elections for the next decade.   The process can be used for partisan aims, changing the political composition of districts to shape election outcomes, or in some cases erasing a district entirely.

Ballot Measures, Initiatives & Referendums:  There are  dozens of ballot measures and in itiatives in more than 25 states that specifically with public education.  The ballot measures span critical issues such as funding of education and other public services, repealing class size limits, public employee retirement benefits and workers’ right.

So much is at stake.  Please exercise your right to vote on November 2.  The answers are clear.  The choices are yours.  You can make a difference. 

Image by ginnerobot via Flickr

NEA Super Week was September 26-October 2.  Super Week culminated with participation in the

One Nation Working Together March at the Lincoln Memorial.  Being in the midst of thousands of proud union members from across the country was quite a dynamic experience.  Each NEA member was given the task of signing up 10 volunteers for the NEA Priority Schools campaign.  I am sure thousands of names were collected for the volunteer list.

My good friend and supporter Bob Hicks celebrated 41 years of teaching service in early October.  I was happy to accompany VEA Vice President Meg Gruber to the retirement festivities, which were held at Indigo Landing in Alexandria. 

Then there was a NEA Priority Schools visit to two schools in Marysville, WA.  For more information about my experiences at Totem Middle and Tulalip Elementary ~ http://www.talkpriorityschools.org/2010/10/06/transformation-tour-marysville-wa/#more-68 .  Being “on the ground” at Totem Middle and Tulalip Elementary confirmed my belief that NEA can and must play a major role in turning around low performing schools. 

Following the Priority Schools visits, I had the awesome opportunity to present at the Release Time Presidents Program Conference on October 6 with my Executive Committee colleague Paula Monroe.  We did a 90 minute session on the State of the NEA (hot topics) and the Roles and Responsibilities of the Local President & UniServ Director. 

I made a campaign stop in Kansas City, MO, where the NEA MidWest Regional Minority Leadership Training was held.  My time there was enjoyable.  The mock RA was quite an experience. 

This weekend, I am in our nation’s capital as a participant in the NEA Bylaw 3-1(g) Fall Policy and Planning Meeting.  I am planning to make another campaign stop this weekend but this time in Tampa, FL, where the NEA Southeast  Regional Minority Leadership Training is being held. 

Yes, things are hopping, and in a very good way. Whether it is campaigning or doing the work of our organization, I simply love being with our members and those who care about public education. 

I love what I do.