Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/40928
How the president sees it Unions serve as the underpinnings of our democracy Unions, especially unions tied to public education, help uphold the American Dream and the middle class. T his summer, 40 Delaware del- egates attended the July NEA RA—one of the best overall RA's that I can recall. Later this summer, DSEA Vice President Mike Hoffmann, Treasurer Karen Crouse, and I had the chance to meet with several hundred state affiliate leaders from across the country. The conversations at both events centered around state gov- ernments trying to balance their Frederika Jenner is looking forward to visiting every local before the end of December, and talking to as many members as possible. budgets on the backs of public edu- cation. We listened to our union brothers and sisters from states like California, Florida, Montana, Tennessee and Maine. What we saw and heard touched us deeply. It also made us pay attention to how much less threatening it feels here in Delaware. A few observations come to mind: They have it bad, and that ain't good. We have it pretty good. We had all better work together to protect what we have. Like me, you may be fed up with 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 the national rhetoric, the callous and intentionally misdirected blame placed on educators and other public sector workers for an economic crisis that has nothing to do with teachers, or bus drivers, or librarians. It is no accident--if they focus the conversation on reducing workers' rights and changing edu- cational practices, then they don't have to talk about the real causes of or fixes for the great recession. Fortunately, this has not been much of the conversation in Delaware. In the union world, an injury to one is an injury to all. However, it may mean more than that. An attack on our union values, tradi- tions, and privileges endangers the futures of all of us. It is not hyper- bole to state that it is unions, but especially unions tied to public edu- cation, that help uphold the American Dream, the middle class, and serve as the underpinnings of our democracy. I am not alone in my beliefs. But, all is not lost. We still have each other. We still form and func- tion as a UNION. We value every member and every member is valu- able to the well-being of families and to our students' success. I never lose sight of this truth. What can members expect from the DSEA leadership team? In this age of education reform, it is sometimes hard to stay on track, to keep our attention on priorities and core values, to not be distracted by news reports and unwarranted Leading the way. . . T his month we salute Ariel Hardy, a second grade teacher at Bancroft Elementary School in Wilmington (Christina School District.) She is currently one of two Association Reps in her building. She also was a delegate to the DSEA Rep. Assembly, and attend- ed her first NEA RA this past summer. Last spring, she partici- pated in the Women's Leadership Training Program at NEA's Mid- Atlantic Regional Leadership Conference. Why did you become involved? I want to work in and for a system 2 September 2011 DSEA ACTION! attacks, to focus on the fix rather than placing blame, and to stand up for what we know is good and true and right when it comes to our chil- dren and public education. During our recent DSEA Leadership Retreat, Mike, Karen, Mary Jo, and I chose to focus on two big goal areas for the coming months: • Leadership Development Quality leadership, meaningful relationships, and clear communi- cations are valuable assets. • Improving Communications We are looking at ways to connect with members, to engage emerging leaders, and to meet the needs of current leaders. Additionally, we are committed to: • Continue to advocate on behalf of the education and health profes- sionals we serve, as well as in sup- port of public education, for all of our students, and in recognition that great schools make great com- munities • Appreciate the value and contri- butions of each and all of our mem- bers, and • Move forward with important governance and legislative goals that strengthen and improve our schools, and the lives of our mem- bers and their families. where ALL the components of edu- cation can work in unison to create a better future for everyone. What do you think is your local Association's biggest challenge this year? • Motivating members to be more active and aware of the insanities that are taking place in our field. • Utilizing the RTTT (Race to the Top) money in an efficient manner that will help the students and com- munities we serve. • Finding ways to keep effective teachers in the classroom and giv- ing them the supports that are needed, not to mention financial compensation that is long overdue. • Seeking a way to unite the Union, the Administration, the School Board, and the Parents --- we are all reaching for the same goal. I do have one particular, personal goal. I want to visit each of our 40 locals during the first 100 days of serving as your president. Please do not hesitate to speak with me if I am in your neck of the woods! There is power in a union. Frederika Jenner President frederika.jenner@dsea.org Check out Frederika's blog, Does experience count? at http://does experiencecount.wordpress.com. Learn more about your new DSEA president on page 4. www.dsea.org