www.votesaunders2010.com/Featuring Candi Peterson, Blogger in residence &
candidate for WTU General Vice President
Click our flyer to enlarge
One X is all it takes- Vote Saunders Slate!
Nathan & Candi- We've been working for you all along !
IF YOU NEED A DUPLICATE BALLOT for any of the following reasons: you did not receive a ballot, the ballot package is not complete or your ballot has been lost, damaged or spoiled - Please call Maria Landhi, American Arbitration Association @ 800-273-0726
In addition to calling AAA, please email thewashingtonteacher@gmail.com to let me know if you don't receive a ballot.
20 comments:
I really like the slogan, we've been working for you all along, because I know it's true.
The points in your program mean you are declaring war on Gray and Henderson. No one will support the union if all it does is seek a rollback and union protectionism of jobs and even higher salaries.
You should have something in your platform about doing something for the Children. You have nothing like that.
Hopeful Pessimist, You are so far off the mark. This flyer doesn't say that at all. You sound like one of the Rhee-bots.
I guess the pessimist doesn't understand this is a flyer distributed to WTU members explaining some of the top issues teachers have and encouraging them to vote the Saunders slate in our local election. Wasn't it Rhee's job to do something for the children? After all she got paid 275 grand and the best she could do was lower test scores and increase the achievement gap. Why don't you hunt her down and get our money back.
To Anon. and DC Teacher: It just struck me that all five of the bulletized/checked points on the flyer are teacher-centric ones, and mostly seeking to reverse recent events. Teachers want higher pay? The ironclad security they used to have? No pesky Impact evaluations? Rehires?
I understand your sensitivity to the common teacher-bashing, but it would not be surprising if pushing for these five points earns teachers more derision, lack of respect, and justified criticism.
You will have much better union leadership with the election of Nathan and Candi. But if you want to turn back the clock and just rebuild protectionism, while shunning responsibility for the education you can accomplish in the classroom, the new mayor, city council, parents, and Joe and Sally taxpayers are going to push back. The new mayor will be neutered, figuratively speaking, of course, if he allows WTU to have its way. The general public, including those who voted for Gray, believes that teachers have had their way far too long -- and look at the state of DCPS education.
DC teacher -- it is not the money paid Rhee, but the money teachers get that is a far bigger number to worry about. To make fun of doing something for The Children is rather unbecoming for an educator, and just invites more criticism of well paid teachers.
While I WILL be voting for Nathan and Candi, I noticed that the flyer is focused on teachers' job security and pay, too, like Hopeful Pessimist. He/She is not off the mark.
I would like the campaign to also focus on "good for kids/fair to teachers" or something like that.
One of my priorities is ensuring a quality education for ALL children while including teachers as stakeholders. Maybe the campaign can emphasize that teacher-bashing is not healthy for children.
The good for kids and fair to teachers slogan belongs to Randi Weingarten of AFT who mostly sold out NY and DC teachers. I would encourage you to not use this slogan.
I certainly hear your comments. I hope people understand that our platform is much more extensive than what can be placed on a flyer or in the recent WTU publication that went out to union members which only allowed 150 words.
If you have been reading this blog for any period of time you should know that I as well as Nathan Saunders have always been advocates for teachers, school personnel, students and schools. To suggest that we are declaring war on Gray or Henderson is disingenuous. I encourage all to check out our campaign website @ www.votesaunders2010.com/ but also if you are really interested read some of my previous entries dating back 2 years on this blog.
There is a lot to be done but as teachers and school personnel- we must first reclaim our voice in this reform debate and be at the table to advocate for 'best practices' while demanding fair compensation and the right to due process for all.
"There is a lot to be done but...we must first reclaim our voice in this reform debate and be at the table to advocate for 'best practices' while demanding fair compensation and the right to due process for all."
Well said, reasonable and fair, Candi. But teachers should know there are many involved stakeholders who will react strongly to push back teachers thinking only of themselves. The flyer does come across that way (I will scan the other material you cite).
Many of us believe teacher compensation is about as high as it is going to get or needs to be. Further, the recently executed contract is not a negotiable item; it will stand for its legal duration. The teacher vote for it was overwhelming.
And if you want to go to court on other issues, you should notice the records of the superior court and Federal District judges who will be involved, as well as the case law confronting you. It will be ugly, costly, not gain you anything, and in fact, give rise to a tidle wave of sentiment against overly self-concerned teachers. Take care not to be so confrontational; it will not pay off in dealing with Mayor Gray or the citizen-taxpayers.
I am not a teacher and don't have any kids in DCPS (yet). But, I have a lot of respect for educators because both of my parents were teachers. And as a DC resident who is planning to start a family soon, I have been following education reform closely the past few years. I have enjoyed reading this blog to get the other side of the DC ed reform story (you can't get the full picture from the Post).
My humble opinion (which I realize I am offering without anyone asking for it, lol) is that the Union will make a far more powerful statement if you focus less on issues like teacher compensation and the IMPACT evaluation. There has been growing discontent (and in a lot of way undeserved disrespect) with DC teachers. People are far more apt today than ever before to blame teachers for the state of DCPS and teachers are painted as greedy and unwilling to be held accountable. Rhee's camp capitalized on this perception and used it to make a national issue of teacher unions.
I am not suggesting you need to stand down from your platform and I am not suggesting that the Union should not be aggressive in its pursuits, but my mother always taught me that you should "never give them a reason". I feel like this flyer and materials like this give people a reason to blame teachers and will only bring about more problems in the long run. Please take the classy route and don't stoop to the level people are expecting you to.
I wish you the best with your election and I hope you are not offended by my comment. I am hopeful that with a strong Union working in concert with a reform-minded DCPS Central Office, an inclusive Mayor, and hopefully a more invested parent population, we will finally start to see long-term victories in education to mirror many of the individual successes teachers have had over the years.
Candi,
Do you know if and when there will be a court case regarding the 2009 probationary teachers?
This may not be the most popular comment but I think that people are forgetting what the Union is here for, the union is here to protect the rights of it's members. Teacher's have been under attack for the last three years and have lost a lot of rights and a sense of security. We do care about the children and that is a fact but understand what the job of the Union leadership is charged to do. Prior to this crazy new contract teachers have gone without a raise even cost of living for over three years. I wonder how many of you that feel we focus too much on money went without a raise in your jobs for three years. Thousands of teachers have been fired and disrespected in the process. I personally want leadership that is going to look out for my best interest and I will do my job which is to make sure the children are being taught and taken care of in the school. I know that Candi and Nathan understand their job and they have my vote and full support.
@Classic:
You're right. The purpose of a union is to look out for its members' needs.
That being said, many people haven't had pay raises in three years. If you haven't noticed, we're still pulling out of a very bad recession. The union needs to walk a fine line. Highlighting teacher pay (and job security) as issues won't attract the kind of attention the union wants. The schools are still under mayoral control, and Gray will follow the voters.
In the end, tax payers, students and parents are stake holders in the DCPS. Teachers, administration and staff are employees.
I think Gray won't ignore teachers interests. Teachers are voters too.Many volunteered in his campaign, many teachers contributed donations from as far away as Illinois to see Gray win. He has already voiced some concerns about the Rhee administration not rehiring laid off teachers who were fired due to the deficit and biased IMPACT evaluations.
I am confident in Nathan and Candi as the "SMART CHOICE" for the WTU Administration in 2010. DCPS Educators need a voice for justice, due process, respect, job security and strong leaders who will uphold the rights for all members.
Clearly, Nathan and Candi have been working all along for our WTU members. It is our duty to vote for the "SMART CHOICE" and elect the Saunders Slate.
Enough is Enough! George MUST GO. He "SOLD OUT" the WTU as a RHEEFORMER!
The parent is correct as well as Classic. The problem is people including teacher union members do not understand the purpose of a union and how they fit into the equation e.g. employee, manager, business owner, or third party. To some extent this also explains the difference between George vs. Nathan and Candi. George was more than willing to give up the hard earned union benefits as he was clearly convinced by Rhee. I am sure he did not understand the struggle for union benefits. It speaks to the question of whether he knew the role of the union and the role of Rhee/DCPS. Rhee did her job superbly on Parker. I think she would have had a much more difficult job with Nathan. It is not surprising Nathan is the best academically qualified candidate for the position of WTU President. Nathan’s Harvard/National Labor College/ University of Baltimore studies in Law, ethics, and Negotiation indicate he knows a lot more than George Parker. Nathan is way smarter and teachers know what it is like to be smarter than your principal. Certain WTU office personnel told me Nathan went nuclear more than once over the teacher rights sale Parker has been carrying on for years. Nathan has been on the money in retrospect so many times and so has Candi.
Davis/Washington are two downright hateful women spewing rumor, garbage and trash all about the WTU. They have always been “know it alls” who can’t help anybody. Liz Davis has never won a citywide WTU race (she has tried 9 times) and for good cause. She is a fitting partner for Emily Washington who sat on the new contract negotiation team with Parker and “sold out” teachers. Emily Washington claimed Parker did it. Investigate Liz Davis background and you find she and George Parker ran on the same slate as President and Vice President respectively. They could not win together and split while blaming each other for their mutual shortcomings. So there you have it.
I am voting the Saunders Slate because teachers have to say “Never Again- George Parker” and “Never to Liz Davis.” The Saunders Slate is the only way to vote.
Let us not forget how Emily sold out the teachers at Luke C. Moore.
Candi, I am a WTU member. I haven't decided who to vote for yet. I can tell you, though, that there are teachers in my school who I would never let teach, or even babysit my children. I don't want their job security to be strengthened. Job security for all teachers is your number one campaign issue. For that reason, shouldn't I vote for someone else?
The Washington Teacher's Moderated response to What is a teacher to do?
Thank you for the inquiry. Rightfully, our number one campaign/platform issue is to Overturn Unfair IMPACT Evaluations because based on our targeted research, this is flawed model which directly related to the senseless loss of jobs and the weakening of job security.
Our team affirms the belief that every child deserves a qualified and competent educator in the classroom, however, we question the unfair use of an evaluative tool which has not been tested for its own reliability or validity. I know we would agree that minimally- a new, man-made evaluation instrument-still "under-construction" and being “tweaked” each observation cycle, should have been piloted before it was used to make critical decisions regarding the continued employability of career and novice professionals.
Employees are not hired by teachers or the teachers union and therefore, we will not take responsibility for the failure of management to screen, interview or critically evaluate their potential hire. We will not take responsibility for management’s inability to provide needed mentoring and support for the novice teacher who, as research suggests, is likely to leave within the first three years of their teaching career. Our administration will take on the responsibility of negotiating and implementing a program which demands the systematic oversight and programmatic implementation by management,
of research-based instruction for teachers to ensure the best possible outcome for children and students once that employee is hired.
Our administration possesses the essential elements to effectuate the change needed for teachers in DCPS, so don’t hold on to your ballot too much longer because in a couple of days, your voice won’t be counted in the change we need. Again, thank you!
Candi Peterson
The Washington Teacher blogger in residence
Candidate for WTU Gen. VP
The Washington Teacher's Moderated response to What is a teacher to do?
Thank you for the inquiry. Rightfully, our number one campaign/platform issue is to Overturn Unfair IMPACT Evaluations because based on our targeted research, this is flawed model which directly related to the senseless loss of jobs and the weakening of job security.
Our team affirms the belief that every child deserves a qualified and competent educator in the classroom, however, we question the unfair use of an evaluative tool which has not been tested for its own reliability or validity. I know we would agree that minimally- a new, man-made evaluation instrument-still "under-construction" and being “tweaked” each observation cycle, should have been piloted before it was used to make critical decisions regarding the continued employability of career and novice professionals.
Employees are not hired by teachers or the teachers union and therefore, we will not take responsibility for the failure of management to screen, interview or critically evaluate their potential hire. We will not take responsibility for management’s inability to provide needed mentoring and support for the novice teacher who, as research suggests, is likely to leave within the first three years of their teaching career. Our administration will take on the responsibility of negotiating and implementing a program which demands the systematic oversight and programmatic implementation by management,
of research-based instruction for teachers to ensure the best possible outcome for children and students once that employee is hired.
Our administration possesses the essential elements to effectuate the change needed for teachers in DCPS, so don’t hold on to your ballot too much longer because in a couple of days, your voice won’t be counted in the change we need. Again, thank you!
Candi Peterson
The Washington Teacher blogger in residence
Candidate for WTU Gen. VP
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