Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/437906
ISEA Communiqué • isea.org December 2014/January 2015 3 OPINION Our job over the next five months while the Iowa Legislature meets is to make certain our political leaders understand the power we have … Be powerful. Use your considerable power in ways that will directly impact our students, our schools and our profession. December 2014/January 2015 – Vol. 52, No. 3 The ISEA Communiqué (ISSN 0019-0624) is published seven times a year (monthly except July & August; plus combined in October/ November, December/January, and April/ May) by the Iowa State Education Association, 777 Third St., Des Moines, IA 50309, 515-471-8000 or 1-800-445-9358. $3.87 of membership dues is for a year's subscription; for nonmembers, the annual subscription is $10. Periodical postage is paid at Des Moines and additional mailing offices. Postmaster: Send address corrections to ISEA Membership Records, 777 Third St., Des Moines, IA 50309. Advertising: To advertise, contact Charles Lapham at 515-471-8000 or email clapham@isea.org. ISEA makes no representations regarding advertised products or services that are not endorsed by ISEA or NEA Member Benefits. Duplicate mailings? To stop duplicate mailings to the same household, contact Kimberly Hupp at 515-471-8000 or email khupp@isea.org. President: Tammy Wawro Vice President: Mike Beranek Treasurer: Tom McLaughlin NEA Directors: Ray Feuss, Joshua Brown Executive Director: Mary Jane Cobb Editor: Mike Wiser Editorial Assistant: Charles Lapham Visit us on the Web at isea.org We all have a different idea of what it means to be powerful. In wrestling, a powerful wrestler uses the double leg takedown. The move controls an opponent from a standing position by grabbing both legs and moving the center of gravity in order to take them to the mat. In politics, the majority party is powerful. They control the debate. The majority picks the bills that filter through the various committees and eventually make it to the chamber for a vote. Even artists are powerful. Maya Lin, the Chinese American student artist who designed the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., met controversy with her design because it was unconventional and because of her Asian heritage. She stood firm and defended her idea before the U.S. Congress. Today, we have a powerful tribute to our veterans. So, what does power mean in our profession? It is powerful to be an educator. Some of the students are on IEPs, others need just a little direction and some are well into advanced lessons, but they all depend on you. You used to have more time to plan with your colleagues, to use in-service to help prepare and to keep up with the latest classroom innovations. Now, it's harder. Days are structured from the top down and jam-packed. Still, you somehow find time to keep up on the latest innovative lessons, technology and news. That is powerful. You know a third of your students come to class hungry. You also know they cannot focus on an empty stomach, so you keep a bottom drawer filled with granola bars to give students a little energy boost as needed. That is powerful. You are effective, potent, influential, and you have great authority. Unfortunately, we don't always act as if we have power. Why? Because we do not equate what we do in our everyday lives with power. We do not relate the herculean tasks we accomplish in our efforts to ensure a safe, healthy and successful environment for our students regardless of their ZIP code with power. We have the power to affect lives. We have the power to make students better, stronger, more hopeful and more productive. We need to remember that. We truly shape their futures. Our job over the next five months while the Iowa Legislature meets is to make certain our political leaders understand the power we have. We must talk, in real terms, about what happens in our classrooms. Is your classroom overcrowded? Make time on that Saturday morning while you are running errands to stop by a legislative forum and share your story with local legislators. Is your school day jam-packed with no time for planning or preparing? Write an e-mail to the legislators who vote on school funding this year. Share with them the specific issues of what an overbooked schedule looks like and how this affects students in your classroom. What will be cut in your classroom if Supplemental State Aid is not passed this year? It's time we use our power to share our real stories. Be powerful. Use your considerable power in ways that will directly impact our students, our schools and our profession. We have much to share and our leaders have much to hear. If we don't say it, the other side does. And, if we don't recognize how powerful our profession is, then who will recognize it for us? A recent national poll commissioned by the National Education Association gave public school teachers a positive approval rating of more than 70 percent. The public supports our profession. Don't let anyone tell you differently. Imagine what we can do when we step out together and tell our stories in real terms? Imagine the mountains we can move when we feel how effective our power can be? Be powerful this year with your voice, your emails, your presence and your leadership. Be Powerful by Tammy Wawro, ISEA president, twawro@isea.org - 9 - 9 - 9 Untitled-2 1 11/16/09 7:33:41 PM - 9