When Max Fischer was a new teacher he shied away from the teacher union. Today, he is vice president of his local. It is with good reason -- a handful of good reasons, as a matter of fact -- that he says he will always be an active member.
Max W. Fischer |
On a cold Monday morning in March some decades ago, the news spread rapidly through my building. The school board had held a clandestine weekend meeting -- minus its most outspoken member, who also happened to be the biggest supporter of teachers -- at which it eliminated 25 teaching positions from the next year's budget. As building rep for my teachers' association as well as one of those 25 affected teachers, the association leadership informed me early Monday morning about what to expect.
I was still surprised by the method the superintendent used to deliver the news: As I stood in front of my fifth grade class, he entered the room and announced he had some vital information for me. Since I knew what he was about to say, I politely excused myself and retrieved another teacher to serve as a witness. With every hair of his crew cut standing at attention -- not to mention 34 pairs of ears attached to my students -- he announced my position would be cut. Then he excused himself and slid out to continue his Monday morning greetings.
UNION MEMBERSHIP: PART OF MY PROFESSIONALISMIronically, during my first three years of teaching in another district, I had never joined a teacher association or union. As a beginning teacher in a conservative, rural area, I felt that I could save the dues money and that there wasn't any real advantage or need to join.
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In my first year in a more urban setting, I decided to ante up the requisite dues; I was promptly appointed building representative by my new colleagues.
In light of the March fiasco, my timing could not have been better. Not only did association officials prepare me for the hatchet the superintendent was wielding at the board's behest, they promptly convened a plan of action to help deal with the board's secretive plot. At a special Sunday board meeting the following week, the outcry from the public and teachers in attendance sent the board into retreat. The covert reduction in force (RIF) was rescinded and negotiations eventually were undertaken to construct contractual language that would dictate the conditions under which future RIFs would be legitimately commenced by the board.
After that brush with a capricious board action, I was spurred to be part of the negotiation team that ironed out the next contract, including the RIF language. Subsequently, over the past quarter century, I've been a building rep, contract negotiator and, currently, vice president of my association. I view my association membership as part and parcel of my professionalism.
NEW TEACHERS OFTEN SHY AWAY FROM UNIONS
I've noticed over the past decade or so that many of my younger colleagues seem to shy away from union membership, just as I did during my first three years in the profession. While younger members are often reticent when union issues arise, I urge them to become active in the affairs of their association. While some feel teaching is the ultimate profession of self-sacrifice, experience has taught me that all teachers need to give some regard to protecting their backsides. I believe there are a handful of reasons all teachers should be active participants in their local associations or unions:
Are teacher unions perfect? Certainly not. I am not in blanket agreement with my national union, whose perspective on various social issues doesn't agree with my own. There are also times when my views run counter to those of other teachers within my local association. Democracy is not a homogeneous endeavor. However, I always will remain active in my local association. I will work to help determine its course and assist other teachers. And I will communicate concerns to state and national leaders through my designated liaisons to those positions. I will actively participate in the one organization that promotes and uplifts the causes of active teachers. When, as individuals, we divest ourselves from our respective unions, the entire organization atrophies and the welfare of our profession suffers. It is the collective strength of the association that fights these battles and maintains the course for us so we can do what we do best -- teach.
A teacher for nearly three decades, Max Fischer currently teaches seventh graders the marvels of ancient and medieval history. A National Board certified teacher in the area of early adolescence social studies/history, Max has authored nine resource books for teachers in the fields of social studies, health, and math. You can read a previously published article about Fischer: Simulations Engage Students in Active Learning.
Article by Max Fischer
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