Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/348932
AEA Advocate x Fall 2014 17 WE ARE AEA! • WE ARE AEA! • WE ARE AEA! • WE ARE AEA! that were involved did a heck of a job. We went from a board that was very, very slanted against us, 4 to 3, to a board that was – within a year – 7-0 in our favor and has been ever since that time. It's a collaborative board that realizes collaboration is a healthier way to do business than antagonism. And we've made great strides ever since. Education Votes: How do you make time to be so involved? (Laughs). Here I am, on vacation, answering the phone. I don't sleep as much as I should. I try to live pretty hard, work pretty hard, play pretty hard, and I try to make enough time for family and fun. But it's always a balancing act. Quite honestly, 40-50 evenings every year are dedicated to canvasses or calls. But it is a passion. And trying to share that out is now one of the greatest jobs ahead of not just me, my whole association. And trying to build those alliances will help. Education Votes: What would you say to an educator who is not politically involved? It's just, I think, common sense. Public education in America is contentious very often. In Arizona, it can very often feel like it's unending conflict. In my own district, we're doing pretty well with a sympathetic board and a reasonably sympathetic and cooperative superintendent and administration. We've got some good people involved, and so our own front yard is probably a little bit healthier now because of all of our action. In Arizona at large, it can feel more like a war zone. What I would say to people – whether it's fellow educators or my students – is that you're only as strong as you act. It can be tough in this situation to be brave enough to act and to not fear the consequences but to strive forward with some kind of confidence, and usually action is rewarded by some more security, some more respect. So I would say get involved. It takes some bravery, it takes some patience, and you find more like you. Build those alliances, build that inter-association – inter-district connectivity – and we will achieve a whole lot more together. So I would say, "Join up." Education Votes: Why should the delegates choose you for the 2014 NEA Political Activist of the Year award? I'm not sure that they should. How would I know compared to all the work that other educators do? If I have something, I think it is that inter-association vision. And I mean that in a lot of ways. Phoenix Union is not a wall-to-wall association. Our classified employees, bus drivers, security, cafeteria staff, front office staff, et cetera, they belong to our classified employees association. And all the certificated non-administrative employees, the teachers, librarians, nurses, social workers, et cetera, belong to our classroom teachers association, assuming that they are members at all. So working with our classified partners, we've cemented relationships that in the past have been tattered and have made them healthier. And we're now doing that with other associations across the city of Phoenix. We're trying to spread that success story, and we have had some success. I've got colleagues in nearby districts that are seeing teacher raises; they're seeing even the adoption of a professional agreement. And so I think that if I have any talent, it is in trying to further that vision of inter-association, inter-district connectivity, increase the size of our front yard and help to turn Phoenix and even Arizona into a more education-friendly environment. So my strength might be that connectivity. Do I deserve an award? I don't know. I just know it's important work. Education Votes: What are the best ways for members to get involved in activism online? I've always said eyeball-to-eyeball and voice- to-voice actions are a whole lot more powerful. Online engagement is important. Social media are important. And I think it's really clear that a lot of younger teachers are more interested in that kind of stuff. But it's not just the online – I mean, you can have a Facebook page, or you can have a website, and you can put out e-mail asks for walks and phone banks, but I think in the end, as important as online stuff is, I think we'll always come down to human beings talking to each other pretty directly that motivates people to get involved. Old-fashioned conversations and direct contact are probably Continued on page 31