The school year has ended and it’s time for rest, relaxing, pool time and plenty of naps during the day. NOT! The summer time is when educators catch up on the things they don’t get to do during the school year. These may include professional development opportunities or reflecting upon and changing their curriculum. Just recently, thousands of educators from across the country attended the NEA Convention in Orlando, Florida.
For me the NEA Convention is a time to meet colleagues from across the country and swap stories while collaborating to make positive changes to public education. It’s also a great time to rejuvenate my passion, desire and commitment to continue my advocacy for students and public education. Imagine a convention hall full of educators, sharing stories about education in their states. My eyes were opened, my ears were busy and my heart broken as I heard story after story about the struggles in public education.
Educators from all over the United States are facing budget shortfalls, over-testing of children, large class sizes, bullying in the workplace and low salaries accompanied by weak benefits. Here are just a few examples of the kinds one might overhear at the NEA conference:
Though much of the dialogue seems negative; there is a light at the end of the tunnel: WE WILL NOT GIVE UP! WE WILL NOT GIVE IN! WE WILL CONTINUE TO FIGHT FOR OUR CHILDREN! It is imperative, now more than ever, to stand up for our children and to take a stand against those obstacles in our way. Educators are in this profession because we love what we do, and because we want to make a difference in the life of a child. It’s certainly not because we will be rich when we retire.
On July 16, the dream for taking back our profession was realized when the Senate passed the “Every Child Achieves Act.” Educators spoke and the Senate listened. This bill, though not perfect, is significantly better than NCLB. Three exciting improvements include:
•Providing more opportunities for all students, while identifying and helping to close opportunity gaps;
•Reducing the high-stakes associated with standardized tests, so students have more time to learn and teachers have more time to teach;
•And empowering educators by giving them a greater voice in decision making.
This is great news! This victory for our children and public education was won because educators finally stood up and said 'ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!' Educators sent 216,000 emails and made 15,000 phone calls to congress. Twenty-six thousand people signed petitions. They posted 32,000 tweets about getting ESEA right. There were 2,000 face-to-face meetings between members of Congress and NEA officers, board members and general members. And, there were 367,000 views of NEA’s site: www.GetESEAright.com (Anyone can get on this site and join the fight).
I am inspired by this recent victory. When educators stand together, remove the fear of retaliation and make their voices heard, CHANGE HAPPENS! I am encouraged that one day very soon the funding so desperately needed for our schools will return, class sizes will decrease, workloads will improve and children will not fall through the cracks, educators will speak LOUDLY and never fear retaliation, salaries & benefits will improve for all public education employees. This WILL happen. Educators, parents, students, community members, School Board members, central office staff, and legislators…can all be a part of this positive change for our children!
Riley O’Casey is a local educator who teaches middle school social studies. She is also an active member of the Prince William County Education Association.
This column is the opinion of the author and does not necessarily reflect the views of Bristow Beat, its editors, writers or sponsors.
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