Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/68725
How the president sees it One school year later teacher. I could be ready at any minute to step into a classroom and take up the reins of teaching again. However, I sensed that my teaching career was behind me when I did not struggle with my colleagues to prepare final grades and progress reports last fall. It was always a challenge for me to pull together all of the scores and pertinent infor- mation in order to reach a single data point that fairly and clearly represented the academic progress of other people's children. It's not as simple as it may seem from the outside. So, in one year's time, what stands out for me? F Union matters Unus pro omnibus; omnes pro uno. One for all; all for one. or the first year in forty years, I did not teach school. I still identify myself as a Millennials deserve our attention I was born in 1950. My views of President Jenner reflects on what has stood out for her the most this year. Stay connected with her at www.does experiencecount.wordpress.com. Individual members pledge to sup- port the group; all members of a group support each of the individ- ual members—a simple and ancient creed. It's easy to become a group mem- DSEA ACTION! (USPS 010111 ISSN 01995413) is the official publication of the Delaware State Education Association. ACTION! is mailed 7 times a year, (September, October, combined Nov/Dec issue, February, March/April, June and July) at DSEA headquarters located at 136 E. Water St., Dover, DE 19901. Telephone: 302-734-5834, or toll-free: 1-866-734-5834. Our Wilmington office may be reached by calling 302-366-8440. Subscriptions are included in membership: $2.32 a year for teachers and $1.19 a year for ESPs. Subscriptions are $5 per year to those ineligible for membership. Periodical postage paid at Dover, DE 19901. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to DSEA ACTION!, 136 E. Water St., Dover, DE 19901. President FREDERIKA JENNER Vice President MIKE HOFFMANN Treasurer KAREN CROUSE NEA Director MARY JO FAUST Exec. Director HOWARD WEINBERG Editor PAMELA T. NICHOLS Program Assistant SUSAN W. KELLER ber. However, it requires something more essential to act, to take part, to contribute more to the group than a membership fee. The more engaged and active our member- ship becomes, in each of our locals, as well as in DSEA, the stronger and more effective each group will be. Every single contribution is worthwhile: every phone call, every gathering, every committee, every vote. It all adds up. It all counts. public education are definitely old school. My four decades of experi- ence leave me in a decidedly differ- ent place than my much younger colleagues. I am very interested in what our under-35 educators think and have to say. I am dedicated to reaching out, listening closely, and creating pathways for them to lead- ership. Was there a profound differ- ence in perspectives back in the 70's? Did my senior colleagues do the same for me? Labor-management collab- oration can be advanta- geous and worthwhile However, it must be carefully managed: partners who are more or less equal; relationships that are not hierarchical; decisions which are built from the ground up, not handed down; shared interests as the primary focus; narrow agendas that are exposed; and everyone has the option to slow down or step back when need be. As colleagues have reminded me, the term collab- oration has a negative connotation. While we may choose to collaborate, I never want DSEA to be seen as a collaborateur—think Vichy govern- ment, WWII France. Leading the way. . . T his month we salute Shirin Skovronski, a school counselor at Newark High School. She began in 1989 as a mathematics teacher. She is a building representative and Liaison Committee Chair in her building. Her union activi- ties are too numerous to list here: "If the union needs my support," she says, "my execu- tive board knows that all they have to do is ask me." Why are you so involved in the Association? Our union is there to protect us only if we support one anoth- er in the union, so I make it a point to make union work a priority. 2 May/June 2012 DSEA ACTION! Some of the current vernacular makes me cringe This includes: recruiting the best and brightest educators; failing schools; bad teachers. Don't get me wrong. Improvement is needed. In some cases, a total overhaul may be called for. However, we have allowed national rhetoric and ed reform to dominate the education conversa- tion of Delaware for the past six to eight years. It has reached the point where too many people are con- vinced that the only good things happening in local community pub- lic schools are the snazzy, unique, "innovative" programs that attract Super Star attention. These deserve commendation and replication. Some of my best friends are Super Stars! However, you and I know that there are plenty of everyday good things to be recognized and appreci- ated. There is not one school in this entire state that does not have good things—even great things—happen- ing for kids. Great schools make great I believe that professionals should be involved in their profes- sional organizations, so I am also an active member of DSCA (Delaware School Counselor Association). What accomplishments as a leader are you the most proud of? There are times that I have had to stand up to the administration in our district to protect the rights of my teachers, and I feel proud of that. We all believe that we do the best job that we can do, and we want this to be a better world. By showing such pride in our profession, we can help our com- munities understand that we did not choose this career because we hoped to make a lot of money, but because we saw the richness in the potential of our students. communities You'd better believe it. This is the basis of a worthwhile DSEA cam- paign. I visit an unbridged island in Maine during the summer. Without its island school, this place would be doomed. The school is the life force of the community. No school? No families with children. No young families? No growth. I have recently heard several edu- cation leaders in this state refer- ence school improvement in terms of STRONGER SCHOOLS. I like this—a lot. Language matters. This sounds more supportive, less dis- paraging, and still conveys the need to push ahead; to go from strong to stronger; to go from good to great. I love this DSEA job. I also love having the opportunity to share my observations with DSEA members. You might want to check out my blog. I'll continue to comment over the summer at www.doesexperi encecount.wordpress.com. There is power in a union. Frederika Jenner President frederika.jenner@dsea.org www.dsea.org