I hope you’ll ignore my language mistakes as I’m a little tired tonight. It has been another amazing six days of working to try to move our profession forward. Tonight I decided I should just chill in the hotel for a significant time before bed. This is the first time I have done this in the three years I’ve been actively involved in the National Education Association Representative Assembly (NEA RA). I did it because I felt like it was time to reflect a little on the last three years. As I was siting here I asked myself, “Why do you attend this event?” Just to help me clear my thoughts, I started working through reasons the NEA RA has made me feel overwhelmed in the past.
Every year this event creates a chunk of time away from my family. I know this is a choice my family and I have made but sometimes during the long week you see the parents and children walking around the streets. It makes me smile. They remind me of my two little girls and one big girl. Thank you, my daughters, for allowing me to chase one of my passions at the sacrifice of time together. I know you’re starting to understand Dad is gone, but when I’m gone I think of you everywhere. Not only in the eyes of many of the children I cross, but also in the student delegates that my proud Union sends. My wife, please know, thank you is not enough to show appreciation. You understand the how important this experience is to me. I don’t know if you knew what you signed up for when you committed to me, but you have endured the challenge and allowed me to try to find my place in an organization bigger than any single person.
(Excuse me while I get on a small soapbox for item #2)
The second spot is one I’m still trying to figure out. Recently I have found out that there might be some concern from my members that I’m doing too much work for the state or national and not enough seen for my local. I have always looked at my participation in my local, my state, and my national unions as one in the same. I have worked with, networked to, and planned for representing my local as I attend these events. I hope that I can prove to my local members that these events help elevate not only our profession but also their workplace.
(Takes a small step down from the box, sorry about that spot. Lets get to the good stuff.)
A major reason why I love being apart of the NEA RA is because of how my organization gathers so many members together. Every year I see the red, white, and blue fabric hanging from the ceiling and covering the ground. It gives me chills. I have promised, if that feeling goes away, I’ll not return next year. I always try to sneak in the day before everything starts just too look at the convention floor before all of the people fill the space. The vision of chairs, in perfect rows, ready for over 6,000 people to work together amazes me. I know that one of those chairs will be filled with me, but the rest will be different individuals, all working collectively towards the betterment of our students. I quickly realize I’m working in a place that is bigger than just me. It is bigger than the members on the convention floor. It is bigger than all the educators in the profession. It is bigger than the connections between students and educators or NEA and Unions. This is a decision making body that makes a difference in our society by setting high expectations of ourselves. I wish I could show or express to you the beauty of this room. The air in the room glows with potential towards improvement.
The second reason I have fallen in love with the NEA RA is it give me a chance to not only represent my local (St. Francis), but also my Education Minnesota election district (A). Much like my beautiful wife, when describing my local and district I can’t find words that do justice. The groups I represent are doing great work to improve our communities. These items can often go unseen or unheard, but the work being done is astonishing. Then, I get to come to this massive event and help support our successes and struggles from back at home. The pride I feel as I write this energizes me to brag about our stories we have to share. When networking with my brothers and sisters here, I draw on the experience of my fellow union members. The stories contain life blood of what we represent as a Union. Thank you, members for allowing me the privilege to do work on your behalf.
The third reason I love this event has to do with the many hats we wear as proud Education Minnesota Union members. When we talk about teacher Unions, Minnesota is one of few that can say they’re merged. I have the pride of wearing a hat that says AFT and NEA. Education Minnesota is a Union of 70,000 members. When I’m on this floor, I’m labeled a ‘Union Thug’ of the National Education Association. We represent over 3 million educators. I wish I had the skill to do the math and talk about all the students we proudly work together with. By attending this event, I get to be part of the solution. I work with my brothers and sisters on the floor to put fort an agenda that does what is best for students. On the convention floor, we may not all agree, but we make a decision and move forward. We use lazer focus on improving aspects of their life. I’ve learned, from my experience, that we do this because we’re the only ones who can. We must provide our students with every chance at success. It could be improved focus on learning conditions. It could be better ways to fund their classrooms. It could even be removing outside influences that are away from the classroom but effect their ability to learn. Know that the vision we see, from being part of the solution, is a better tomorrow.
This turned out to be longer than I thought it would be. Today we completed day two, each consisting of over 10 hours, dedicated to the vision we see of our profession. I have always thought it was poetic that this event occurred over the 4th of July because we are working hard on a better learning climate for America.
Thank you to all educators, and especially their families, who allow our organization these days to focus and deliver towards a better tomorrow. I’m going to bed as tomorrow brings another great day working hard on behalf of my member for our profession. Solidarity.
If testing is the solution, the rest of the conversation needs to change.
Saturday, June 28, 2014
As a teacher in a public school my ears often perk up when I hear about high stakes testing in schools and tying tests to teacher evaluation. Our students and educators feel many stresses when it comes to testing. In the 8 years I have been teaching the process of using tests as some form of reflection on our teaching abilities has only become more scrutinized year after year. I do not accept this as a quality solution, however, if societal and political entities continue to accept and force high stakes testing upon students and educators, it is time teachers come to the table with some solutions.
If high stakes testing is the only solution (and it doesn't seem to be going away anytime soon), then other factors must change in order to use testing effectively to move education forward. I’m a teacher, not a research specialist. My thoughts are my thoughts and are here to help provide a perspective to move forward and change the conversation.
If we are going to accept testing as the solution we must change the pressures.
Built in time for supportive conversations toward student and educator improvement. We must look at the results of the testing and create time for educators to work together to improve their practices. At the same time, teachers, parents and students need to be able to talk and have critical conversations that can improve student’s performance. All of these conversations must be done in a way that no party is feeling punitive, but instead is creating a supportive conversation with the ability to move everyone toward their future goals. Open conversations are vital to the educational process and must be extended to the testing realm.
Eliminate the high stakes feel for the sake of students AND educators. Educators need to be able to harness and hone their practice through some form of trial and error. It might not be a great thing to hear, but sometimes educators fail. When I make a mistake, I’m not proud of it, but I learn. Public education must build an environment so that a single test performance will not be used against students and teachers, but can be used as an opportunity for growth. Creating a high stakes system does not benefit any party involved. By allowing teachers to challenge and practice their curriculum, we allow them to examine the results of the year by comparing testing numbers in a way focused on both student and teacher growth and improvement. Using a Gordon Ramsay approach of pressure during testing, does not help anyone improve in a manner that creates quality classroom environments.
Test results must be used as tools, not awards for any party involved. This is truly the reason why I do not want to completely dismiss testing. There is some value when we use it for the correct reasons. Use the testing results as a way to build toward future results. We must create constructive feedback systems that allow for growth by students and educators. Also, by doing this we create an environment where teachers are more supportive to the idea of sharing ideas. When the competition is removed from testing scores, we can knock down the walls in our classroom and do what is best for students.
If high stakes testing continues to be legislated, then teachers must continue to operate with testing as a centerpiece to their classrooms. I'm asking politicians, school board members, superintendents, building administrators, and community members to change the conversation and create environments that actually support learning from test results. If we don't, we will not reach the outcomes we strive to achieve.
(Thank you very much Mrs. Glenn Morehouse Olson for helping edit it up.)
If high stakes testing is the only solution (and it doesn't seem to be going away anytime soon), then other factors must change in order to use testing effectively to move education forward. I’m a teacher, not a research specialist. My thoughts are my thoughts and are here to help provide a perspective to move forward and change the conversation.
If we are going to accept testing as the solution we must change the pressures.
Built in time for supportive conversations toward student and educator improvement. We must look at the results of the testing and create time for educators to work together to improve their practices. At the same time, teachers, parents and students need to be able to talk and have critical conversations that can improve student’s performance. All of these conversations must be done in a way that no party is feeling punitive, but instead is creating a supportive conversation with the ability to move everyone toward their future goals. Open conversations are vital to the educational process and must be extended to the testing realm.
Eliminate the high stakes feel for the sake of students AND educators. Educators need to be able to harness and hone their practice through some form of trial and error. It might not be a great thing to hear, but sometimes educators fail. When I make a mistake, I’m not proud of it, but I learn. Public education must build an environment so that a single test performance will not be used against students and teachers, but can be used as an opportunity for growth. Creating a high stakes system does not benefit any party involved. By allowing teachers to challenge and practice their curriculum, we allow them to examine the results of the year by comparing testing numbers in a way focused on both student and teacher growth and improvement. Using a Gordon Ramsay approach of pressure during testing, does not help anyone improve in a manner that creates quality classroom environments.
Test results must be used as tools, not awards for any party involved. This is truly the reason why I do not want to completely dismiss testing. There is some value when we use it for the correct reasons. Use the testing results as a way to build toward future results. We must create constructive feedback systems that allow for growth by students and educators. Also, by doing this we create an environment where teachers are more supportive to the idea of sharing ideas. When the competition is removed from testing scores, we can knock down the walls in our classroom and do what is best for students.
If high stakes testing continues to be legislated, then teachers must continue to operate with testing as a centerpiece to their classrooms. I'm asking politicians, school board members, superintendents, building administrators, and community members to change the conversation and create environments that actually support learning from test results. If we don't, we will not reach the outcomes we strive to achieve.
(Thank you very much Mrs. Glenn Morehouse Olson for helping edit it up.)
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