“The
difference between a politician and a statesman is that a politician thinks
about the next election while the statesman thinks about the next generation.”
–Hillary Rodham Clinton
Policy
changes can move slowly and impact people – including our students and teachers
– for years while we learn about actual consequences to well-intended
mandates. For those of us used to the
crazy pace of the classroom, the geologic-timing of governmental response can
be frustrating. (Although, to be fair,
if policy change happened quickly – that would have its own set of
consequences.)
Here in
Washington State we have what is termed “citizen legislators.” In general, while the “salary and time
required for the job” significantly limits who can serve, it is also “difficult
for legislators to obtain and maintain outside employment.” According to the Washington Citizens’
Commission,
(Washington) state legislators typically spend about 70% of a full-time
job. Although their income from legislative work is greater than that for
(other types of state) legislatures, it is usually not enough to allow them to
make a living without other sources of income.
According
to a 2012 National Conference of State
Legislatures survey,
Washington state elected officials have average annual salaries of $42,106. If
we take the “70% of a full-time job” figure at face value, this means our
elected officials are in jobs that would average annual salaries of … wait for
it… $60,151.
Wow. Why would someone do such a difficult,
important job for such paltry compensation?
I mean – the complexity, the stress, the 24/7 public element of the
position…it sounds so…so much like…TEACHING.
Clearly,
both members of political and educational professions must work from a reserve
of passion and dedication, and not omnipotence.
Understanding that they are dedicated, what is the best way for these
folks to learn about your day-to-day professional issues? From YOU.
You and I must engage our citizen legislators and be the teachers we
claim to be. Educate our
representatives.
One
recent example of this occurred in Eastern Washington. My colleague Dr. Lambert, from Whitworth
University, and I convened a panel of student teachers, mentor teachers, a
supervisor, and professors to teach our area senators and representatives about
the new exam required of preservice teachers, the educational Teacher
Performance Assessment
(edTPA). One of the legislators left with this
comment, “This was one of the best events of this type I have attended.” Others agreed and thanked us for the format, which
was a bit different than what they usually experience. Instead of asking them to come with all the
answers, we invited them to come with questions while we supplied the
“testifying panelists.” Every
participant seemed grateful and expressed a desire to work further on the issues
together. I feel great confidence that each of these
legislators is going to the state capitol with a much better understanding of
what is happening in this area of the profession and will move purposefully
toward action that supports quality teaching and learning.
We
felt proactive. We felt like we had been heard.
We did not wait up in the tower, sighing with our head in our hands,
hoping that someone would come ask us about the issues of the day. We refused to gripe… and then sit idle. Understanding that communication is our duty
as good citizens and educators, we felt good as we partnered with our citizen
legislators.
We
educators always have our eye on the next generation, and so do our
legislators. How can you help our
well-meaning citizen legislators to become better informed about our
profession?
Suzann
Girtz, Ph.D.
Asst.
Professor
Teacher
Education
Gonzaga
University, Spokane, WA
