Are Unions professional? Historically, unions have been linked to blue collar workers, laborers if you will; and white collar positions are non-union, highly professional positions. So, it’s not too surprising that teachers are not considered professional when affiliated with a union. However, I do not feel that unions are completely to blame for the non-professional association with teaching.
It doesn’t bode well when teachers are having relationships with students, becoming pregnant by students or coaches in the schools pushing their athletes so hard that they collapse or die due to heat exhaustion, or deprived of water as part of their conditioning for the sport they are playing. As Lyndsey outlined in her presentation during class these events are sensationalized in the media and the punishment does not always fit the crime. In some, the cases are dropped because the parents want to protect their child from the media circus and the teacher goes on to teach another day (“passing the trash”), in another school system or the state system for reporting these crimes are not structured to keep track of the offenders and there is no way of knowing about the true crime committed.
Teachers have a huge responsibility when they go into the profession. Not only are they responsible for the education of those students they are also responsible for the safety and well-being of those students. I believe teachers in the past have been considered professional and given the respect associated with the position; however, when teachers are publicized in the media as predators they have become that diminishes any respect which the profession may have been given. Teachers are in a position of power. They are looked to on many levels by students and when that teacher crosses the line and takes advantage of a student they do not deserve the respect to be called professional.
As presented by Jenny, Unions were established to provide a voice to those who needed the support of an organized group to address poor working conditions or ill-treatment of workers by management. I doubt that when unions were established there was any thought given to situations, such as, teachers taking advantage of their students for them to address how best to handle it or to put in a contract how misconduct of a teacher will be treated; hence, the development of House Bill 190. This bill is an attempt to protect students and to communicate to unions the education system will not tolerate misconduct by a teacher(s).
As mentioned in the Edweek article, “The Power of Progressive Thinking”, unions and school administrators need to collaborate with another to come to an agreement on how to best serve the students and teachers. They need to come to together to improve the safety and teaching of students.
Unions can only be as professional as the people holding the position in the profession.
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I agree with the ED Week's statement you posted. It is SO important that unions and school administrators collaborate with one another. The most important part of education is serving our students. We can not serve our students if we don't have quality teachers teaching them. You would think coming together to figure out how to best serve the students would be a priority.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, "what is best for the students" is not always the question that some teachers first ask themselves. I discussed this issue with my dad recently (he has worked in both private and public school settings) and he told me that there was an obvious difference between meetings at the schools. Generally, in the public school meetings it seemed that the teachers were more focused on what certian proposed changes would mean for them and their personal agendas, not necessarily how they might impact their students. I'm under the impression that this focus was due to the presence of the unions, which are not a part of the private school setting.
ReplyDeleteYes we are professionals and yes our job does not stop once we step outside the doors. But there is a need to understand that we want to have lives too. Unions came about to better the work conditions for every one in a work force. Yes, I do ask myself what is for the best of my students. But at some time a line needs to be drawn for teachers to have their time. We give and give constantly and ask for little in return. If a union is there to make work conditions better for me and at the same time improve the qualifications required to teach, then I believe that unions are great for teachers.
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