Letters to the Editor ...

Compensation is real reason behind national certification

Editor:

The REAL reason more Washington teachers are getting their national board certificate is because the professional certificate in this state is a joke, and people realize they can get Washington to pay them for their national certificate then move somewhere with actual living wage pay. Here is the short version of my husband's and my story.

We graduated from Seattle Pacific and University of Washington, respectively, in 2002 and 2001, in music education and worked for Seattle Public Schools. After I was RIFed, we moved to Chicago to pursue our master's degrees at Northwestern University (which at the time we were still being told we could use for professional certificate status in Washington). When we decided to move back to be close to our families two years later (we are continuing the master's studies in NU's summer program), not only did we each have to take a $5,000 pay cut to move back to Washington, but we were told the classes we took are useless, and we need to enroll in the Pro Cert program only offered by universities in Washington, which sounded very much to both of us like a scam to force teachers to help support the universities in this state.

As a result, I enrolled in WSU-Vancouver's Pro Cert program, and my husband has decided to do National Boards. I wish very much I had chosen his path because the "bookend" classes you MUST take (which cost $1,000 a piece), were an insult to my intelligence and professionalism. I found non-directly insulting that one woman in my class who had 20 years experience in another state was being forced to take this class as well. What exactly about her was not professional enough? That she doesn't know enough about the WASL?

My conclusion from this experience is that young teachers in Washington are figuring out that staying in Washington on a long-term basis is not smart, but they can get National Boards paid for by their district. Then when they get tired of being paid like crap, they have the option to move somewhere else in the country.

Tina Beveridge
Longview EA

'Creative maladjustment' needed

Editor:

Teachers have always had to struggle with the daunting task of balancing the demands of the system with the needs of individual students.

Successfully walking this fine line has sometimes been referred to as "creative maladjustment," and is essentially the art of teaching. Rigid, high-stakes assessments like the WASL effectively cripple the ability of teachers to practice this art in the best interests of their students, especially the most needy and the non-traditional learners.

In his book, The Big Picture, Dennis Littky writes that "nobody is measuring whether schools are developing healthy human beings. Ask people what they want for their children, and they will answer that they want them to be happy, to show a love of learning, to be respectful, to be kind, to have real skills, to make a contribution to the world."

Good teachers, in conjunction with families and community members, are able to produce these results when given the freedom and support to do whatever needs to be done. Martin Luther King Jr. said that "Human salvation lies in the hands of the creatively maladjusted." Let's not unnecessarily tie those hands we so desperately need!

Jim Strickland
Marysville EA

Stick to the basics: my paycheck

Editor:

I remember it wasn't long ago that the WEA refused to buy winter coats at Wal-Mart for children with the money donated to them on principle because the union disapproved of the retailer's low-paying jobs. I remember, also, how petty I thought it was to think that way when the kids needed good quality, cheap coats! Now I'm thinking about how frustrating it is that the union can't seem to get basic health care paid for by the districts for substitute teachers (and other itinerant staff). If my union would stick to the business of trying to get the best deal for the educational staff, maybe it wouldn’t be so expensive to run it. Who is paying for the lawsuit that the WEA now is fighting in the Supreme Court?

Even though my dues are quite small, they could be helping me get health insurance rather than being used to fight battles not immediately relevant to my pocketbook.

Barbara Lyons
Seattle EA

 

Write us!

We encourage members of Washington’s public school community to share their views. Signed letters from WEA members and staff will be printed on a space-available basis. Letters should deal with an issue of interest to WEA members; personal attacks will not be published.

To submit your letter, please send e-mail to lwoo@washingtonea.org and include "Letter to the editor" in the subject line, or send U.S. mail to Letters, WE-Washington Education, P.O. Box 9100, Federal Way, WA 98063-9100. Please include your name and your local education association's name, plus a daytime phone number for verification.

Letters should be limited to about 350 words; publishing decisions rest solely with the WEA and submissions may be edited for space. Letters and guest editorials reflect the personal opinions of individual members and do not necessarily reflect WEA's policies or goals.

Reach WEA Editor Linda Woo at lwoo@WashingtonEA.org, via postal mail at WEA, PO Box 9100, Federal Way, WA 98063-9100; phone 253-765-7027 (or toll-free outside Seattle-Tacoma: 800-622-3393 ext. 7027); or fax 253-946-7612. We welcome story ideas, letters to the editor and suggestions for improving WE-Washington Education, or WEA Online.