Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/61011
How the president sees it Take pride in the profession I have been DSEA President for seven months; I was a class- room teacher for 39 years. Teaching has been my life-long career and a prized profession. I never left teaching for the allure of school administration, education policy, or law school. Teaching ful- filled personal and career goals. As president of DSEA, I still consider myself a teaching professional. This profession means a great deal to me and to my colleagues. We do not take our sense of commitment lightly. In my current role, I look for ways to strengthen, enhance, and elevate the profession. This goal involves huge investments of time, effort, and money. It's an obligation that cannot be diminished by short- President Jenner reflects on what should be a national priority – identifying, recruiting and training top high school students as future teachers. 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 term or simplistic remedies. Together, we will do what it takes to ensure that every Delaware student has qualified, caring, committed teachers. I know how it feels these days to be a teacher. Like many educators, I have felt the sting and embarrass- ment of criticism and fault-finding. I have fought down the anxiety from citing educators as the cause of the student achievement gap, high drop-out rates, and, in a recent report, even a danger to national security. This is a lot to heap on any one group. The pressure can be enormous and stakes are high. It isn't easy being in schools or classrooms these days. But, I don't allow my angst to get the better of my over-riding sense of pride and purpose as a teacher in a system that for decades offered hope, solace, knowledge, and empowerment to all who come through those school doors. There are important concerns that require attention • We are looking for meaningful, practical, positive ways to identify, recruit, and train top high school and college students as future teachers in American public schools. (While I agree with the principle, I cringe at the message that we need to attract the "best and brightest" to teaching. I've always thought: What am I? Chopped liver?). • We'll work with experts in higher education to review, evaluate, and possibly retool teacher preparation programs, and offer better support for our newest teaching employees. • We support current efforts to pro- vide more focused and tailored training to classroom evaluators so that observation and evaluation skills are constantly refined. I'm interested in the suggestion that even the most skilled, veteran teacher could benefit from special- ized coaching to hone particular skills. We welcome anyone to our cho- sen profession who is serious about a dedicated career as a teacher. However, Teach for America (TFA) is an issue that moved me to re- examine values attributed to good schools and effective instruction. Leading the way. . . T his month we salute Patricia Selby, a one-on- one 5th grade paraprofessional at the Delmar Middle School. She worked in the corporate world for over 20 years in Information Technology. She began her cur- rent position this past fall. She jumped right in, attending the ESP Conference last fall, the Women's Leadership Team pro- gram and the NEA Mid-Atlantic Regional Leadership Conference this past January. And, she served as a delegate for Delmar E.A. at the recent DSEA Representative Assembly. 2 March/April 2012 DSEA ACTION! There are TFA corps members in Red Clay, Christina, and NCC Vo- Tech schools who are members of DSEA. It is difficult to talk about TFA without seeming to malign these individuals. What I take exception to is TFA's premise, its plan, and its message. I object most to the program's de-professionaliza- tion of teaching. Professions uphold experience, in-depth train- ing, and qualifications documented by degrees and certification. Beyond that, where is the long- term commitment, and dedication to a career— defined as "a profes- sion for which one trains and which is undertaken as a permanent call- ing." If school improvement is our col- lective goal, then how can the hir- ing of graduates with eight weeks of training and no genuine class- room experience be seen as a solu- tion? If teacher retention is an issue, how could we institutionalize the hiring of well-meaning but possibly less than committed candidates to teach for a mere two years and then move on to bigger and better fields? How does a predictable turnover of teachers help students in our prior- ity schools? If we are committed to cutting costs or using current funding effi- ciently, how could the extra $10,000 per corps member per year—above and beyond regular teacher salary and benefits—be a worthwhile investment? TFA members do not have the Why did you become involved? I live by the belief "To whom much is given, much is required." and that it is my duty to be involved and make whatever impact I can. If not me, then who? What do you think is your local Association's biggest challenge this year? Increasing membership and get- ting everyone engaged. In the perfect world at work, … …we can see evidence that every administrator, educator, parent, and student is making a collabo- rative effort to ensure every stu- dent graduates. Everyone is work- ing together and all students are embracing learning." lock on youthful enthusiasm, moti- vation, or smarts. I saw that last August again and again in the sev- eral hundred new teachers hired to do their best in Delaware schools across this state! Hang in there. Take pride in your deep commit- ment to the success of every child you teach. I stand proudly by your side. There is power in a union. Frederika Jenner President frederika.jenner@dsea.org Check out her blog, Does Experience Count? at http://does experiencecount.wordpress.com. www.dsea.org