ISEA

ISEA Communiqué • isea.org June 2023 3 June 2023 – Vol. 60 No. 7 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 Kimberly Knight at 515-471-8000 or email kimberly.knight@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 the membership department at 515-471-8000 or email isea.membership@isea.org. President: Mike Beranek Vice President: Josh Brown Treasurer: Kelly McMahon Senior NEA Director: Rachella Dravis NEA Director: Sara Earleywine Executive Director: Mary Jane Cobb Editor: Mike Wiser Editorial Assistant: Kimberly Knight Visit us on the web at isea.org Cover designed by MikeWiser OPINION The Iowa State Education Association membership, governance and staff fully understand the role you play. We know how important it is to recognize and honor a job well done at any one specific moment in a year, and we strive to honor your work throughout the year by advocacy and representation. Appreciation Week not enough by Mike Beranek, ISEA president, mike.beranek@isea.org Each year, there are celebrations or recognitions built into the calendar that remind us to demonstrate and express our sincere gratitude for a job well done. The dedicated staff in Iowa's public schools certainly do deserve their rightful place on a calendar schedule, however, these individuals should also be the recipients of our gratitude every day. We all have witnessed attacks on our profession. These attacks are well developed, purposeful and mission-driven with the intent to create a permanent class system, a workforce unaware of its rights and an educational system that inflicts a minority belief system on most children who attend our schools. As Iowa educators prepare each night to provide a high-quality experience for their students the next day, the barrage of negative commentary has a chilling effect on the work they were trained to perform. A week's celebration on a calendar is not enough for society to honor and respect the jobs that are being performed. What I see in our public schools My travels this year have led me to every corner of the state. Thousands of miles later, I am left in complete awe of the high-quality public education happening across our state and the dedication that educators have for their students. At every level of our system, I have witnessed students actively engaged in the process of learning. All components of our public school system are striving to provide learning opportunities that will move our communities, state, and country forward. Our public-school doors are open to all children who call Iowa home, and they are taught the truth. They see themselves in the books they read. They understand the adults in their lives are dedicated to helping them grow and thrive. Iowa's education professionals are working to establish safe and open environments that allow for creativity, critical thinking, problem- solving, self-reflection and self- discovery. The foundation for our future A free public education for every child is the foundation of our society. A foundation that relies on all of us to build upon the mortar of past principles and beliefs of those who understood that everyone deserves a chance to succeed. That foundation and those who crafted the system enable Iowa's public schools to be among the best in the country. The Iowa State Education Association membership, governance and staff fully understand the role you play. We know how important it is to recognize and honor a job well done at any one specific moment in a year, and we strive to honor your work throughout the year by advocacy and representation. We all must continue to show support through the work we do as educational professionals. Of course, we must and will engage with our students, but it is also our responsibility to engage with nonmembers, our communities, and elected officials. Take time for yourself Summer is upon us; hopefully there will be time to recenter, reflect and rejuvenate for each of us. But we must also reach out to our colleagues and thank them for what they did this year and wish them well on their path forward. Specific celebrations will occur on a cycle, but there is no cycle for the gratitude we must demonstrate to others and to ourselves.

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