Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/45838
How the president sees it You have to pay attention T tion: How do I see it? (1) From a different per- spective I have discovered that once you step away from the classroom, once you leave the school, once you are no longer among teachers and other day-to-day educators, you start to lose some of their perspective. I guess this is not really surprising, but, it isn't much comfort either. The good thing is that I realized it. More honestly, though, it has been brought to my attention abruptly and forcefully in recent weeks. I hear you. Do not allow me to dis- count your perspective. It's the one that counts most. On the job for just seven weeks, Frederika Jenner thinks about the vari- ous perspectives moving from the class- room and local union, to the state level. (2) From a broader perspec- tive This is good. I need to be especial- 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 ly tuned in to the depth and breadth of DSEA membership. The public often refers to an entity like DSEA as "the teacher union." I'm a teacher. I think like a teacher. However, we chose long ago to include other education-related pro- fessions like state nurses, school custodians, school secretaries, para- educators, food service workers, psychologists, librarians, and bus drivers. I have always felt that we are all richer for this. However, none of these groups has the same needs or experiences or expecta- tions as the others. So, ya gotta his feature has long been titled, "How the president sees it," which begs the ques- think big. Ya gotta think inclusive. Mostly, ya gotta pay attention. (3) From a "big picture" perspective As the figurative and literal leader of DSEA, I have to be able to see the bigger picture. I have to be able to move my vantage point out- ward from state affiliate president to both local and national situations and issues. I need to be able to imagine at multiple levels: individ- ual, grade, group, school, district, county, state, regional, and nation- al—maybe others. I need to use the telescope from both ends—scanning both narrowly and widely, zooming in and out. (BTW: If I go to one more conference or ed reform meet- ing and hear the phrase "the need to take the 30,000 foot view," I'm going to scream.) (4) From a maternal per- spective This is tricky. And, I don't want to worry anybody, but I recognize a certain desire to nurture and pro- tect. I never wanted to be a teacher—I wasn't one of those kids who lined up dolls to play school. But, when I came upon teaching in college, it apparently fulfilled a need to take care, to organize, to make things work and go smoothly. Leading the way. . . T his month we salute Kathy Young, a third grade teacher at North Dover Elementary School in the Capital School District. She's been working in education for 29 years. An icon in CEA, she has been an Association Rep. and CEA's Membership Chair for twenty years. Why did you become involved? I became involved when anoth- er teacher asked me to help out as a building rep. The school was large enough to need two reps. As I became involved in the Association, I realized that this As a local president, I felt and responded to the same needs. (5) From a UNION perspec- tive I'm union and proud of it. My union affiliation and appreciation was instantaneous and strong. Probably started with political activism as a teen-ager, and anti- war and civil rights activism in col- lege. So, by the time I got to my first teaching job back in 1972, I was primed and ready. My dad worked as an engineer for DuPont. He held a different view of unions until he started to see things more from our perspectives. Let's just say that he was re-educated. If you want to know more about how I see things, visit my blog ? I am compelled to share my views. Check out posts on myths about tenure, on student attendance issues, childhood pover- ty, LIFO, ed reform, public educa- tion, student discipline, and more, all at . Frederika Jenner President frederika.jenner@dsea.org What do you think is your local Association's biggest was a good way to share the con- cerns of the teachers in my school. What accomplishments as a leader are you the most proud of? I am most proud of the job our Executive Board does in recruiting new teachers at our New Teacher Recruitment in August. It is truly a team effort. We attend the District New Teacher Orientation and always have a great response. We usually recruit at least 90% of the new teachers on that day. Now that our district has Agency Fee, we have increased our membership sig- nificantly. I would like to see at least 95% of our teachers as Association Members. challenge this year? Fully understanding and imple- menting the Partnership Zone at Dover High School, dealing with the many issues of Race to the Top, and the new challenges of DPAS II. What about our biggest challenge at the state and/or national level? At the state level our biggest challenge is still Race to the Top. "In the perfect world at work…," Teachers would be able to teach students without the many demands that are placed on them outside of the classroom, and stu- dents would come to school ready to learn. 2 October 2011 DSEA ACTION! www.dsea.org Does Experience Count http://doesexperiencecount. wordpress.com