THE NEA FOUNDATION NAMES LAE MEMBER AS FINALIST FOR PRESTIGIOUS NATIONAL AWARD
EAST BATON ROUGE ASSOCIATION OF EDUCATORS MEMBER CRYSTAL WILLIAMS GORDON TO BE HONORED AT AWARDS GALA IN WASHINGTON, D.C.
LAE member Crystal Williams Gordon, who teaches biology at Broadmoor High School in Baton Rouge, will receive $10,000 and recognition as one of the nation’s top educators at the NEA Foundation’s Salute to Excellence in Education Awards Gala this month.
“Crystal is a model teacher, member, and a true asset, not just to the association, but to her students,” said LAE President Debbie Meaux. “I cannot think of a more deserving candidate for this honor.”
The NEA Foundation Awards for Teaching Excellence recognize and promote excellence in teaching and advocacy for the profession. The awards are presented annually at a gala in Washington, D.C., which attracts more than 800 national leaders from the public education, philanthropic, and business sectors.
“Crystal has been selected for this award by her peers because she has attained the highest teaching standards, as shown by her exemplary instruction, advocacy for the profession, attention to diversity, leadership in professional development, and engagement of parents and community,” said Harriet Sanford, president and CEO of the NEA Foundation. “Honoring her is our way of thanking her and all the public school educators she represents.”
In addition to this recognition, students and educators at Crystal’s school have produced a special video that will premiere at the awards gala.
Gordon was nominated for the award by the LAE after winning the association’s annual Teacher Image Award in 2014.
The NEA Foundation will live stream video of the event on its website (https://www.neafoundation.org/pages/neafoundation-awards-gala/), so that Crystal’s students, peers, and family can join in the celebration. The event will be broadcast live on February 13, 2015, at 6:30 p.m.
The NEA Foundation and the National Education Association jointly present the awards with support from NEA Member Benefits, the Horace Mann Companies, the Pearson Foundation, Promethean, and California Casualty.
FROM THE PRESIDENT'S DESK
Debbie Meaux, President
Over the next few months, I will visit several cities across the state asking education employees, parents, and community members one question: What immediate actions need to be taken in order to ensure that every Louisiana community has the public schools it deserves?
It’s all part of the NEA’s nationwide Ask an Educator campaign, where I, along with other state presidents and NEA President Lily EskelsenGarcia, will visit cities in order to foster discussions among educators and community members.
So far, I have spent some time in Monroe City. I visited several public schools there and spent an evening with parents and school employees. In my discussions, I heard a number of concerns—everything from pay issues to dissatisfaction with class sizes to concerns about too little preparation and resources to ready students for the PARCC tests. I spoke with educators about the redundancy in required training for certified, university-trained Pre-K teachers. I also heard about the dire need for smaller class sizes and the importance of having paraprofessionals in elementary school classrooms. I heard stories of how Monroe City’s support professionals are living with below-poverty wages and are dealing with a lack of materials needed to perform their jobs; how schools are understaffed, causing custodians to have to do more than their fair share of the work needed to maintain safe and sanitary facilities. A major concern for many, both certified and uncertified, is keeping our schools violence free. In light of the many school tragedies over the past 15 years, school employees everywhere deserve to know that their work site is secure.
These were just a few of the many concerns expressed by Monroe educators.
The LAE will use the issues that our members identify as important to craft legislation, decide positions of support/opposition on other pieces of legislation, and give testimony, both in the legislature and at BESE. In addition to driving our local efforts, all feedback gathered from our statewide tour will be sent to NEA leaders, who will use the information to also craft positions and legislation in Congress geared toward improving and strengthening public education nationwide.
As the 2015 Louisiana Legislative Session approaches, I hope you will watch your email closely, as well as your local, state, and national publications for any call-to-action alerts asking you to contact your legislators and congressional representatives. The NEA recently issued a call for members around the nation to email members of Congress asking them to support the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) with a provision for gradespan testing (testing once in elementary school, once in middle school, and once in high school). Additionally, leaders of the LAE have asked members to email the members of the Act 240 Accountability Subcommission via Capwiz requesting their support on six proposals to improve the COMPASS evaluation system. It is my hope that you will answer these calls-to-action.
There is truly power in numbers. Legislators, members of the BESE, and other advisory committee members do listen when large numbers of public school employees unite to carry a single message. Never doubt our power to influence our own fate.
Once again, I thank you for your commitment to Louisiana’s children. I look forward to working with you in the coming months as we continue our advocacy efforts for our public schools, teachers, support professionals, and students. Stay motivated and strong! Your hard work does not go unnoticed!
In Solidarity,
Debbie Meaux
SERVICE MODEL VS. ORGANIZING CULTURE IN THE LAE
By Jonas Barriere
As all education professionals in Louisiana know, our public school system has changed a lot over the past five years. Public schools in Louisiana are in disarray; issues such as funding, charter schools, vouchers, SLTs, evaluations, and testing are just the tip of the iceberg. In order to address this myriad of issues, the LAE needs to make some changes, which is why the association, in coordination with its 68 locals and the NEA, is undergoing a change in structure. For years, the LAE has focused on building a “service model” association dedicated to serving member needs. This year, our focus will be to move toward building an association that advances student and educator success at the local, state, and national levels. This new structure will be focused on building an organizing culture in Louisiana.
Service model organizations focus on satisfying members’ needs and demands through direct staff or organizational support. This type of model is great for correcting problems and supporting member success on a case-by-case basis. It was an effective tool for the LAE for years, helping us to become the largest association for professional educators in the state. Service model organizations are effective in administering a well-organized organization; however, the model tends to eliminate any grassroots organizing for structural or permanent change, such as the issues mentioned above.
It has become increasingly clear that the LAE and its many locals are facing more universal issues every year. Whether it is a national, state, or parish government, educators across Louisiana are facing issues that cannot be solved on an individual basis.
These issues can only be addressed through a sustained, grassroots organizing effort, led by Louisiana public school workers from all levels—hence the need to change our culture and get into organizing mode.
Transitioning to an organizing model will help the LAE and its local affiliates achieve lasting and structural success on issues that face all educators, schools, and students. If, as an organization, we wish to address issues such as Common Core, evaluations, compensation, job security, student success, discipline, paperwork, time to teach, etc., we need to come together at all levels and across all disciplines. Only through a sustained organizing culture will we be able to create meaningful change for our students and our professions.
The move from a service model to an organizing culture is not an easy one. It will take the coordinated time and effort of LAE members from every school and every parish in Louisiana. It is a big lift to bring such a diverse group together; however, if we do not band together now, we may not be able to realize our vision of a more fulfilling education for our students and better working conditions for us and our colleagues. When we are able to collectively achieve success on the issues most important to our schools, we will have created a better educational environment for all of Louisiana.
What will you do to help organize your school? Please contact [email protected] to let us know!
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