President's Viewpoint
Educators All!

WE can't spell "respect" without the letters E-S-P.

Can we talk? About something that many folks within our Association prefer not to talk about? It's no secret that, in America's public schools, education support staff often are consigned to second-class status. In most school districts, our ESP colleagues are undervalued, underpaid, and often overlooked.

These are the hard realities. But when these same ugly realities rear their heads within our Association and in interactions among NEA members, we must not tolerate this.

This month's NEA Today reports on successful efforts by ESP members to rally support for their local public schools. As these stories from Oregon and New Jersey make vividly clear, our Association is strongest when teachers and education support staff work shoulder to shoulder--and when we speak up with a united voice.

Bear in mind that education support personnel are far more likely than teachers to live in the community surrounding their schools. They are more likely to reflect the community's racial and ethnic make-up.

And in addition to being education support staff, they are also lay leaders in their houses of worship, coaches in youth athletic leagues, activists in local civic associations. They are respected adults, often with special standing in their communities.

Don't misunderstand me. As a teacher for a quarter century, I respect teachers' primacy within the classroom. Likewise, I believe that teachers must take the lead in organizing their schools for academic excellence.

My point is simply that our ESP colleagues also serve on the front lines. They are typically the first people that students and parents see upon entering a public school. They are there when a student needs a sympathetic ear or a helping hand. And they are often hard at work, assisting teachers, long after the school doors have closed for the day. In short, they are fellow educators who deserve respect no less than teachers.

More to the point, does anyone seriously believe that we can achieve excellence in our schools without the participation of the entire staff of educators--including the 40 percent who call themselves education support personnel? Of course not!

This is why our ESP colleagues need more than respect. They need access to high quality professional development. They need to have time to confer and plan with their colleagues. And they should be given a realistic opportunity to continue their education.

Most urgently, ESPs need our support in their struggle for better pay and benefits. It is appalling to think that many support staffers are paid so little that their sons and daughters qualify for free or reduced-cost school meals. Likewise, it is unacceptable that many have no job protections or due process rights.

I was a social studies teacher, not a math teacher. But I know successful organizations are about addition, not subtraction. We are strongest when we embrace a larger, broader, more inclusive vision.

On that score, it bears remembering that we are not the National Teachers Association. We are the National Education Association. And we all are more effective as a unified team.

There's an old-fashioned word for this unity. It's called solidarity. And there's an old-fashioned glue that makes solidarity stick. It's called mutual respect. As teachers and support staff, we are united in our commitment to children and public education. Let's also be united in our commitment to each other.

Comments? You can E-mail Bob Chase at BobChase@nea.org. If you would like a response, please be sure to include your name and NEA local affiliate.