Calling on America

by Reg Weaver, NEA President

During the three years that I have been honored to serve as your President, not one day has passed without leaving me with a reason to be proud of NEA members’ skill and determination.

As the nation’s largest deliberative body, our Representative Assembly  (RA) is truly a sight to behold! My pride swells every Fourth of July when I witness the commitment and dedication of delegates to the RA.

This year, united by the theme “Team NEA—Fighting for You, Your Schools, Your Students!” more than 8,000 delegates gathered in Los Angeles. They represented the 2.7 million NEA members across the country who are keepers of the dream that represents the public in public education. Together, they worked to strengthen NEA, public schools, and the opportunities for public school students.

A highlight of this year’s RA was the address from Jason Kamras, the 2005 National Teacher of the Year . He said, “I see the fight to close the achievement gap not as an abstract policy struggle, but rather as a concrete, personal one.” 

Kamras is right. The struggle to provide a quality public education for all children is personal for all of us. If it weren’t, we wouldn’t grade papers on the weekend, dip into our own pockets for supplies, or advocate so hard for the reforms we believe will make every public school great.

Credibility is also very personal. This year, I stressed to delegates that we must preserve professional credibility by insisting upon the professionalism of all our education colleagues. This is critical to educating America’s children and students and maintaining the support of our communities—particularly minority communities. In many ways, the future of our profession and our Association demands that we require our colleagues to demonstrate continued growth and commitment to our profession. One unprofessional, unprepared, or unwilling public school educator causes harm to all, leaving our students, profession, and Association at risk.

It is time for America to make education personal too. That’s why I called on the nation to join with educators in an education covenant that will help us meet the expectations set for America’s public schools. We can’t do it alone. A quality public education for all children and students is a shared responsibility: 

• If the nation calls on us to transform students into citizens who are equipped to make a contribution, we call on the nation for more parental involvement .
   
• If the nation calls for our support of the so-called No Child Left Behind law , we educators call on voters to elect politicians and policy makers who will stand with us in the fight to fix the law and provide it with adequate funding.
   
• If the nation calls for high-quality education support professionals, we call for an end to the privatization  of public school services that raise costs and lower quality.
   
• If the nation wants us to provide lessons that enrich and inspire, we must have adequate funding; smaller class sizes ; and books, labs, and technology that are up-to-date. 
   
• If the nation calls on all educators to give our best to every child, which we will continue to do, we call on the nation to treat us like the professionals we are by providing salaries that are a realistic  reflection of the great requirements, high skill, and invaluable worth of our jobs.
   
• If the nation calls for a qualified teacher in every classroom, we call for better working environments; professional development; and health care, retirement, and Social Security benefits  that are secure. 

Team NEA, as we begin the 2005–06 school year, let’s give the students across this great nation our very best. Together, let us also call on the nation to do its best so that every child will have what they truly deserve—a great public school. Have a great year and know that NEA appreciates you, and so do I.

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