Teaching is a work of heart

I had a chance to meet and greet our excited new DCPS teachers last week during their 3-day New Teachers Orientation. Every year this event makes me remember the time when I was new in DCPS, I did not get this kind of orientation because I came in during the middle of the school year.

It is a challenge working in a very political environment in the midst of education reform. My advice to my colleagues:

- do not fall prey to victimization,
- read your WTU-DCPS contract to know your rights,
- be aware of the issues affecting your job,
- cooperate and have a good relationship with everyone in your school community, and most importantly,
- focus on what you are expected to do as highly effective teachers.

Please remember that we are not victims of our jobs, we picked our jobs. Pessimism is a dangerous road that leads to anger, frustration, self- righteousness and all that is harmful to the children whose lives we continue to influence daily.

Teachers make a difference. This job is reserved only for those willing to rise to meet all of its many challenges, to give ourselves completely and give some more.

I am currently reading this book, I feel my battery recharged and ready to get back to work tomorrow!...

Teachers ROCK!!

An Open Letter to AFT from a WTU Member

I believe that it is imperative to get the truth to the public about the recent issue on the WTU internal elections of officers. As a person of integrity, I do not compromise what is right. I believe it is about time for all, most importantly the WTU members (including new teachers) whom we serve in this union, to know the truth and the facts about our WTU Executive Board, to know where we stand and what we stand for. In a few months from now we are going to elect our WTU officers, we need to be smart in choosing strong teacher leaders for office to represent our educators, we cannot afford to make the same mistakes as WTU did in the past,  and we want to do it right this time.

Members are very concerned...I am posting here on my blog a WTU member's open letter to AFT-

Sincerely,

Maria Angala, NBCT
WTU Vice President of Special Education

*************************

I am disappointed and infuriated by the recent decision by AFT to usurp the Executive Board and President Parker's right to establish a timeline for the elections and move them up. For them to move them up during the beginning of school is irresponsible. All union officials should be focused on the New Teacher's orientation, as well as supporting teachers and trouble shooting problems caused by the many new principals in the first few weeks of school. This of course is not a problem for self-serving campaigners who are more worried about their election to office rather than the members. Nathan [Saunders], who is willing to campaign outside of the meeting for fired teachers and unplaced excessed teachers, instead of helping out inside, will not be affected by this.

I was considering running on a slate, but have been put at a great disadvantage. I am not willing to sacrifice my duties to my teachers and students during the beginning of the year to campaign for a position in a local that can have its authority usurped whenever it benefits the national organization or when the national disagrees with what the local is legally doing. The E-Board had the right to set the timeline for the elections once AFT delayed them. It didn't make sense to have them over the summer or the beginning of the year. AFT's opinion on how long is too long is exactly that - an opinion. Once the timeline set forth in the constitution could not be followed, it was the E-Board's responsibility to set the new timeline. Campaigning for an election is time consuming and difficult at best. I take AFT's disrespect for the time that I commit to my school and teachers at the beginning of the year personally. The Election Committee's maneuvering to set the election timeline is unprecedented and pure politics. It should be called exactly what it is, political maneuvering.

Teachers who are no longer on the payroll should not have a vote, period. Once the timeline was delayed, the teachers that could have voted became irrelevant. In AFT's words "As this essentially 'restarts' the clock..." At a minimum, only current WTU members who were eligible on June 30 should be allowed to vote. However, this disenfranchises, rather than includes, all of our new members coming in this month. How does that sound to them? We want you to be a member, but because the union f-ed up and couldn't even hold an election, we are holding it now, but we don't want you to have a voice in the leadership of a union that you are now a member of.

Also by ruling that the e-board had the right to withhold Nathan's salary, but that the timing was unfortunate, so give him his money- is political beyond belief. If Nathan wanted his salary, he could have simply reported what he was doing to the president and the e-board. He chose not to do that. Has he started being accountable to the president or the board? I don't care what it looks like politically. There is a political solution for what it looks like politically - the membership could vote the current board and president out. AFT could have let the membership decide on that one. Our teachers are being accountable more than ever before. What kind of example does this set if the Vice-president refused to be accountable to the president or executive board.

I fear what would happen if Nathan and Candi [Peterson] would get elected. In my opinion, they are old fashioned confrontational bargainers with a need to associate with the truth only when it benefits them. They are aggressive and just plain not nice people. It has been my assessment that they would rather strike and demonstrate than find a solution. They represent everything that was wrong with DCPS and WTU when I came on board 10 years ago. AFT's decision only helps them and it makes the e-board and President Parker's decision which is thought out and methodical, look suspect in some way.

George [Parker] is not perfect, but he is not politically motivated. He is motivated by what is right for students and teachers - to a fault - he is too busy doing the work of the union that he doesn't toot his own horn often enough. The people that know George know that the timeline was based on inclusiveness - both in not having the elections during the summer when many teachers are gone as well as including our newest members, respect for our time during the beginning of the year, and accuracy of the membership roles. The logical teacher members understood this.

I hope that AFT will consider how their actions enable the vocal minority who are destroying our union and what it stands for.

Steve Aupperle

Instructional Coach

Truesdell Educational Center

9.20.10 VICTORY UPDATE!!

On the WTU INTERNAL ELECTION


The WTU and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) have successfully reached an agreement that will end WTU litigation regarding voter eligibility and timeline for conducting the WTU elections. The WTU Executive Board is in agreement with the AFT Executive Council’s decision and order to conduct the WTU internal election under the conditions as agreed in bringing WTU’s litigation to closure. Members will soon receive an election schedule and timeline from AFT Election Administrator Al Squire. We thank you for your patience as we successfully achieved a resolution to this issue.

No arms, no legs...no worries!!!

We all have a disability of some kind; all are lacking in one way or another. Saul has an injury to his leg. What if his personality was deformed? How much worse if his soul was lame? Preachers or teachers look for the good in all of us. (Bless them for doing so.) I don't see a cripple. I haven't met anyone yet who isn't handicapped in some way. So what's the big deal? Don't hide your deformity. Wear it like a Purple Heart.

Thanks to my cousin, Marian, for sharing this video on Facebook...

Justice to Filipino Migrant Teachers

Dear Filipino Teachers,

Kayang kaya basta sama sama! May our colleagues in Louisiana be the model of strength, unity, and courage for those who are still voiceless...

Joint Press Release

August 5, 2010

Filipino teachers file class suit vs oppressive recruiters

Filipino migrant teachers in Louisiana today filed a class lawsuit against Universal Placement International (UPI) and its Philippine based partner, PARS International for various offenses ranging from racketeering, human trafficking, extortion and mail and wire fraud.

Hundreds of Filipino migrant teachers who are working under H1-B visa and are deployed in several school districts in Louisiana are represented in the class action lawsuit. The plaintiffs are spearheaded by the Filipino Educators Federation (FEF) of Louisiana , a group formed to organize the victims of the recruitment agencies and pursue efforts against these same agencies.

Also named as respondents in the complaint are Lourdes “Lulu” Navarro and Hothello “Jack” Navarro of UPI, Emilio Villarba of PARS International; UPI’s law firm Silverman and Associates and lawyer Robert Silverman; and the East Baton Rouge School District and three of its former and one current officers.

The lawsuit arouse from the illegal and highly exorbitant amount that were charged to the Filipino teachers. The recruitment agencies were never transparent and always seemed to come up with additional payments. When teachers attempt to complain or question the policies of the agency they were threatened to be sued or fired or deported back to the Philippines . Aside from the illegal charges, the teachers were intimidated to sign lopsided contracts.

During a press conference held to announce the filing of the suit, a press statement was read by Ingrid Jomento-Cuz, FEF President. “We never imagined that an oppressive racketeering trap was laid before us. Universal Placement International or UPI and its Philippine-based conduit, PARS International, created a non-transparent scheme that starts with earning your trust, then proceeds with a series of payment collection laced with subtle intimidation and then followed through with fraud, coercion and open extortion. We were herded onto a path, a slowly constricting path, where the moment you realize that something is not right, you were already way past the point of no return.”

“This oppressive scheme of UPI and PARS wouldn’t have been totally successful without the knowledge, tolerance and support from individuals who acted on behalf of the School System. We cannot deny the fact that they cooperated with the recruiters or failed to object to actions that they knew were highly questionable if not downright illegal.”

While the East Baton Rouge School District was named as one of the respondents, Jomento-Cruz underscored that they have no animosity against their current employer. “We would like to make it clear that we harbor no ill will towards the Louisiana School System… The new superintendent has paid attention to our concerns and has closely monitored the problems we have encountered…Let me also use this opportunity to declare once again that we continue to have a strong commitment to our students, and will continue to serve the district for we believe that the actions by some individuals within the EBR School District do not represent the values of the institution and the people of Louisiana.”

“The exploitation of migrant workers is an ongoing and a growing problem here in the US . This lawsuit is again another arena of battle to expose these entities that are out to exploit migrant labor. PM joins the call for stronger legislation that will ensure the protection of the rights of migrant labor.”, said Ian Seruelo, US Liaison officer of the Partido ng Manggagawa (PM Labor Party)

According to the FEF statement, the objective of the legal action “is to ensure that these exploitative practices end now. We do not want this to happen to any other teachers who come here from the Philippines or anywhere else. And we can not stop these oppressive schemes unless everyone involved understand that they cannot simply look the other way when they encounter abusive practices by recruiters.”

Representing the Filipino teachers is a legal team assembled by the Southern Poverty Law Center and American Federation of Teachers (AFT). AFT and Louisiana Federation of Teachers (LFT) have been instrumental in the struggle of the Filipino teachers. In the Philippines , PM and the PSLINK labor confederation are assisting the teachers’ efforts.