President's Report 2006-2013

"Reflection Log"  2006-13

Wow, I'm sitting here thinking about what to say as outgoing President of Springfield NEA, looking back through the archives, and I realize that I could never have predicted what has happened over the past seven years. There simply is no way to summarize succinctly, but I'll do my best.

First, let me say that this has been the most excruciatingly wonderful job I've ever had - representing the amazing education professionals in our district. If anybody has the time (ha, that's a good one) to go back through the archives of this blog - all the way back to 2006 - when I was putting up all the nice pictures and graphics - you could see for yourself the myriad of issues and topics that we've covered along with some historic "firsts" for Springfield educators . . . and that doesn't even count the thousands of emails and calls that were sent and received.

Thank You!

I can only offer what seems like an inadequate Thank You to all our members who responded with words of encouragement and who stepped up to circulate petitions, keep me abreast of issues, and disseminate information to colleagues. It may not seem like it, but we've actually developed quite a network for the exchange of information since 2006. This blog, alone, has tallied 35,000 hits from teachers, community leaders, board members, administrators and education professionals across the district and state - but the vast majority of hits and comments were from you and your colleagues.

Political Misrepresentation and Accountability

I've had the great pleasure to meet literally hundreds of individual teachers in our district. Sometimes the circumstances were very difficult - hotline calls, student discipline, reprimands, formatives, disagreements with administrators - but I'm more convinced than ever that the professional educators in our district are among the finest anywhere.

We happen to be in the profession at a time that is rife with politically-charged attacks on teachers and public education - a time when our own state representatives have sold out to larger political interests and routinely push prefabricated "reform" bills at their behest. And they do this while blithely ignoring the effects of poverty on the lives of children - something we see every day in our classrooms.

Teachers, meanwhile, are held to the highest standards of accountability, while being undermined by those whose only accountability seems to be toward the entities who fund their campaigns. Until our own elected officials are held accountable by us, and the parents whose children we serve, it will only get worse. So, yes, we have unapologetically been involved in exposing bad legislation and supporting candidates who would actually represent the human beings they are elected to serve.

And there's not enough space here to talk about the continuing folly of gauging the effectiveness of teachers by analyzing standardized test scores. Education theorists gush over the inherent wonderfulness of Common Core - the next wave of standardized assessments coming in 2014 - but there is still a gaping disconnect when it comes to recognizing and rewarding effective teaching. Relationship building and the fostering of creativity and trust are still the cornerstone of effective teaching, and  those traits will never be adequately measured with standardized tests, not even the new and improved Common Core variety.

Sticky Dots and Flip Charts

By far the most significant change in our district over the past seven years has been the establishment of collective bargaining for teachers, counselors, librarians, school nurses and school secretaries. Yes, some people have a real aversion to the concept, but I would submit that those folks are frozen in a mindset that ignores the huge differences between big private sector union bargaining in 50's and 60's and the good faith bargaining that is going on in our district in 2013.

Teachers recognized a few years ago that holding a compensation meeting once a year to affix sticky dots to flip charts just wasn't getting it done. In those days, the administration chose representatives for a short meeting or two, and everything was pre-determined, bordering on insulting. There simply was no avenue for discussing improvements to working conditions beyond random complaints. With the support of our members, SNEA sought a more effective exchange of ideas and proposals to replace the old top-down model - and, in the end, the district was receptive to the idea.

The underlying question at the core of the collective bargaining process between SNEA and the district has been . . . What can we do together to make things better for teachers and students? And the process, even for those who don't want to admit it or are too busy to acknowledge, is working rather well. For all our disagreements with the district when these changes were first being discussed, the board and administration actually deserve a great deal of credit for wading through those tough beginning arguments and working to establish Springfield as a model for the rest of the state.

Our Association, Our Community

So, I'm just about out the door, wrapping up seven years as President of one of the most active and responsive local associations in Missouri. And beyond the serious office cleaning in my near future, maybe I'll have the time to further reflect on all the work we've done together. I will forever treasure the friendships that came with this job. Thanks to all of you for supporting me and our association's work. I hope you have felt that the support has been mutual in every way possible.

Kittilu Maxson, who is teaching her students at Wilder today, will take over as SNEA President by the end of this month. She will be a terrific president . . . fresh from the classroom, where she has faced many of the same rewards, issues and travails that we all know and love. Kittilu has been heavily involved in decision-making for our association over the past seven years and beyond, so I have no doubt SNEA will keep moving forward without a hitch.

Thanks again for helping me along as a leader and for all the amazing work you do for the kids. Our schools are the glue that holds our community together, and nobody knows our community better than those of us who work with the children . . . and I mean all the children. That knowledge, in and of itself, is empowerment - and Springfield NEA is our collective voice. I believed that when I started this job, and what I've seen as president over the past seven years has provided affirmation.

Keep up the great work.

Ray