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San Clemente, CA, United States

Sunday, August 12, 2012

My Union 3.18.2012

This is a topic I seem to be writing about more and more often these days.

My union.... The California Education Association.  Yeah, "that" union.... The Teacher's Union.

My initial disclaimer is long winded but worth revisiting.   For the great bulk of my 19 year career, I have very much disliked most of what my union has done and has stood for.

I have disliked working in a profession where I am paid based upon how long I've been doing this job, not based upon how well I do it.  I have disliked the fact that I was never allowed to negotiate my own contract.  Given that math teachers are in tremendous demand and that there are hundreds of available elementary school teachers, is it not reasonable that the mathematics position merits a higher pay than the other?   Maybe I'm not "more important", but I am certainly more scarce.

My dislike grows to hatred when I think about my union's overly liberal politics.  A microcosm of this is the recent Proposition 8.   Prop 8 here in California was the bill put to the public about same-sex marriage.  My union decided to spend 2.2 million dollars to run an advertising campaign in support of same sex couples.  While personally I don't care what people do behind closed doors, WHAT THE HELL IS MY UNION DOING SPENDING MY UNION DUES ON THIS??????  Why should we take a position at all?  Why are we spending even one nickel on a social issue when we should be spending all of our time and effort trying to figure out how to best educate kids and provide great teachers with reasonable compensation.  GRRRRRR   Every time I think about Prop 8 I get angry.

All that aside, I am so very glad I am a member of my union, and I am so grateful for what it does for me. 

Thank you for protecting me from those who want to close public schools and privatize education.  I can't imagine they are in it for the money.  Nah...  Thank you for protecting me from the roar of the media that I, as an experienced teacher, should be fired to make the way for a younger, more vigorous teacher.   I could NOT be more tired of hearing how all of us older teachers are simply mailing it in and biding our time until retirement while the younger teachers, many of whom cannot find jobs, have so much more energy and access to newer/better teaching practices.   To this I say, Horseshit.   I will only speak for myself, my department, and my school when I say the absolute best teachers are the ones that have been doing it for awhile.  Energy?  I challenge anyone to match the energy of our experienced staff.  On average, our experienced staff is way more energetic, way more reflective, way more innovative and  have way better outcomes.  People have a misconception about our young staff. 

Back in the day, new teachers didn't make enough money to live, so we all took all the available jobs on campus.  We coached 2 sports, chapparoned all the dances, signed up for Saturday SAT proctoring and grabbed extra classes when available.  Now?  These guys are making over 50 grand a year and very few of them are doing more than teaching and going home.   Young, vigorous, energetic with all the latest teaching strategies?  I'm not seeing it. 

I seemed to have digressed.  Thank you Union for allowing me to keep doing what I do as long as I do it exceptionally well.




Friday, August 10, 2012

The Dark Side

It's happening.

In each of the past 20 summers I've had as a teacher, I've really enjoyed the first couple weeks of summer vacation.  Then, I want school to start.  I have so loved doing what I do that I spent most of my summer vacations wishing I were in the classroom. 

Until now.  I'm not thrilled with the idea that summer will soon end.  I'm really not looking forward to dancing this dance again.  It isn't as if I dread the thought, I'm just ....blah...which is a far cry from who I have been.

My mind drifts to where I never thought it would drift....School Administration....Principal.   I've got my Administrative/Principal credential, having taken the classes years ago.  (primarily to earn graduate credits to maximize my salary)  I never really intended to go that route.  I always saw myself spending my entire career in the classroom. 

Back in the day, we called administration "the dark side."   Now, not so much.  Back in the day, it was a little more...us v. them.  It seemed a greater divide. 

I find myself surfing the classifieds for Assistant Principal/Principal jobs.