Everyone running for office can:

Address the Representative Council for 2 minutes on April 2. Reps have a lot of influence with the members as they are most familiar with the candidates.

Write, run, and distribute to the membership unlimited flyers explaining your policy positions. OEA provides information of who to deliver flyers to at each site. And how many members at each site.

Make appointments to meet with faculties at the school sites after school.

In other words: campaign. It works.

The OEA Elections Handbook is adopted yearly. Please submit changes you would like to include.

If anyone was looking tired or sick, it was probably because it was 6:00 on a Friday afternoon, we had taught all week, been up the night before updating our resumes, and at least in my case I hadn’t eaten anything since noon.

This is actually a very good idea you have, if only we could make it revenue neutral, and of course the big hurdle union approval(not). Who better to do these things than a teacher? And even better, a teacher who is a parent. It’s too bad this idea would never get off the ground.

I take exception in your analysis. I was one of the ‘ambassadors’ for my school. What I observed was a lot of hard working teachers who were there because their school sites were closing or converted into the Dr. Smith’s vile idea, Accelerated TSA. It takes a lot of guts to pound the pavement when your site is being closed or you are being consolidated. You obviously don’t have empathy for those who have to go through that. It makes me question your compassion for your students.

Also, I’m part of OEA Leadership. If you are so keen to make/see changes, get of your duff and run for office. What? Too much work? Then maybe you should keep your mouth closed until your willing to put in the work. Maybe that should be your next challenge.

Also, I’d to second what Trish said. Support your fellow teachers at the Board Meeting. I’ll be there. Will Take Responsibility?

1) Last in, first out can be fixed by negotiating contracts which trade pay increases and work conditions (i.e., smaller classes) to increased accountability and end of so-called “tenure”.

2) Tired teachers can either be bought out by retirement packages or paid to do less stressful but still important jobs: Tutoring, counseling, teacher training, etc.

Reality, though: THERE IS NO MONEY. So, we just yell at each other, blame each other.

It seems to me that Take Responsibility makes a good point — there are plenty if folks who have worked hard for 20 years but are now burned out or in declining health, and would like to leave but feel that they cannot, due to retirement and health care issues. I don’t know what the solution is, but it is hard to argue that it is not a real problem

Are older teachers to be fired for not being as attractive or fit or flamboyant as younger teachers?

Sometimes I think older teachers use ageism as an excuse when they are not doing their job. On the other hand, postings like this one should clearly make them paranoid that they are being judged for the simple crime of chronology.