Together, working through our union, we can ‘reach, teach and inspire the students’

In a video message, WEAC President Ron “Duff” Martin welcomes educators back for another exciting school year and encourages them to continue their outstanding work on behalf of the children of Wisconsin.

“The work you do as public school educators is incredibly important, and I know that you give it your all. We make sure that every kid gets a great public education,” he says.

“WEAC is listening to our members, to educators all across the state. We’re spending time in classrooms, we’re spending time in communities, and we’re coming up with solutions that will help make the job more enjoyable for our educators but more importantly to make sure that everyone thrives in our public schools. 

“This school year, WEAC invites you to be part of the solution. Join our family, the WEAC Team, so that we can reach, teach and inspire students. Wisconsin educators, welcome to a new school year!”

weac.org/Join

Waukesha’s Sarahi Monterrey honored with WEAC’s Excellence in Education Award

WEAC President Ron Martin on Tuesday presented WEAC’s Excellence in Education Award to Waukesha North High School Teacher Sarahi Monterrey. The award was presented at the end-of-the-year staff meeting at Waukesha North.

“Sarahi has done some tremendous and phenomenal things not only with her students and her community but has also been a tremendous advocate for public education and particularly the teaching profession,” Martin said.

“Thank you to all the phenomenal educators across our state that every single day are doing all these wonderful things to change the lives of students,” Sarahi said. “That’s really what it’s all about – making sure that all students have an opportunity to a quality education.”

Sarahi has already been named Wisconsin’s High School Teacher of the Year, and Martin said the WEAC Excellence in Education Award is in effect WEAC’s own “Teacher of the Year” Award. Fourteen excellent educators from across the state were nominated for the WEAC award, and four were selected as award recipients: Ben Grignon, a high school Menominee Indian culture teacher; Joanna Rizzotto, a South Milwaukee alternative learning coordinator/teacher; Sandra Kowalczyk, a Sun Prairie school reading specialist; and Sarahi Monterrey.

A committee of three past NEA Foundation Excellence in Education Award recipients from WEAC reviewed the four WEAC award winners, ranking each in professional practice, advocacy for the teaching profession, attention to diversity, community engagement, and leadership in professional development. It then selected Sarahi as WEAC’s Excellence in Education nominee to the NEA Foundation. She will go on to compete with representatives from other state unions, and four individuals will be selected to receive the Horace Mann special recognition and a $10,000 award. One finalist will receive the NEA Member Benefits award and a $25,000 prize.

Spotlight on Locals: Siren Education Association

WEAC Vice President Peggy Wirtz-Olsen (center, right) and WEAC President Ron Martin (back, right) present Polly Imme (center, left), President of the Siren Education Association, with the WEAC Strong Local Affiliate Certificate at the WEAC Region 1 Learning and Growing Conference in Eau Claire. They are joined by (left to right) Aspiring Educator Autumn Tinman and Siren Education Association members John Tinman, Andrea Meyer, Sheryl Stiemann, Cadi Whyte, and Jill Tinman.

By Peggy Wirtz-Olsen, WEAC Vice President

Siren Education Association President Polly Imme said, “We have a small local in one K-12 building which is conducive to good communication and easy access to leaders. Our members are unified in our commitment to our students and recognize the roles for WEAC and NEA to assure that we have access to due process in the event of conflict. We rely on WEAC and NEA for professional development opportunities, updates on current educational policies, and information at our fingertips to keep us up to date on educational issues and trends nationwide.”  

Jackie Eggers, special education teacher, told me, “Our school in Siren is about camaraderie. People care about each other.  We want to stand strong together; that’s just who we are.”  

“Up until the last three years, we saw a high turnover in administration, which made school life frequently difficult due to conflicting expectations during those transitions. We struggled with top-down leadership and a lack of free expression and communication that took several years to overcome and culminated with a clear resolution to flip our board. Our local was committed to making life for our educators better, and we found ways to do that,” Polly shared.  

“When I started teaching in Siren, I was invited to join the Siren Education Association right away. I felt welcomed as I walked through the door, and I felt like I was given the option to join and be supported by my colleagues. I have always felt that if I needed help or support or answers, my union was there for me. It is why I stay a member,” Jackie said.

According to Polly, “Some of our successful initiatives include peer education and support surrounding Educator Effectiveness through work nights, funding for RIF books for our elementary students, sponsoring scholarships annually for students entering the field of education, and most recently sponsoring our members’ adult children in Aspiring Educators.   We currently sponsor students from UW-Green Bay (Autumn Tinman, pictured), UW-Stevens Point (Riley Anderson), and UW-Lacrosse (Emily Stiemann).”

Jackie shared with me, “When I started, part-way through the school year, we were able to work through the complexities of Educator Effectiveness. Both my colleagues and district administration were helpful and supportive as we navigated the process.”  This important collaboration is made possible because of the advocacy of the Siren Education Association.  

Polly’s advice to other locals is, “Approach every new person offering them the benefits and support of the association, listen to every member’s thoughts and concerns, and work diligently to have open dialogue with your administrators. Our work is a two-way street and takes honesty, respect, and trust.”

Jackie shared a belief that is clear and quite refreshing: “In Siren, we put people first above all else.” 

Thank you to the Siren Education Association and congratulations on your WEAC Strong Local Affiliate designation.  

Read all of Peggy’s ‘Spotlight On Locals’ columns at weac.org/Spotlight.

NEPC issues ‘red flag warning’ on personalized learning initiatives

So-called “personalized learning” programs are proliferating in schools across the United States despite “many red flags” as to their effectiveness and the motivations behind them, according to a new report from the National Education Policy Center.

The NEPC says these “personalized learning” initiatives are “fueled by philanthropic dollars, tech industry lobbying, marketing by third-party vendors, and a policy environment that provides little guidance and few constraints.”

“The implementation of personalized learning via digital platforms raises several significant concerns as it outsources decisions about pedagogy and curriculum to unknown programmers,” the authors write. “In doing so, it allows opaque algorithms to generate consequential educational decisions and hands over key school and teacher functions to third-party technology vendors.

“These features create a situation in which: the reality of the digital educational process belies advocates’ pervasive rhetoric; the technology disables or sidelines professional teachers; students and teachers lose privacy as data is collected and sold; and, public education effectively becomes privatized education as control moves away from local education professionals to assorted business interests.”

The authors recommend that schools and policymakers pause in their efforts to promote and implement personalized learning until rigorous review, oversight, and enforcement mechanisms are established.

“Our analysis reveals questionable educational assumptions embedded in influential programs, self-interested advocacy by the technology industry, serious threats to student privacy, and a lack of research support,” they write. “Despite many red flags, pressure to adopt personalized learning programs keeps mounting. States continue to adopt policies that promote implementation of digital instructional materials but that do little to provide for oversight or accountability.”

The report notes that “many well-intentioned educators are attracted to and enthusiastic about the child-oriented promises held out by various approaches to personalized learning. Unfortunately, our analysis suggests that these educators’ good intentions and hard work are likely to be overwhelmed by the corporate march to dominate the personalized learning landscape.”

It continues: “In terms of pedagogy, the digital products that corporations market as an integral part of personalized learning can undermine the ability of educators to provide students with engaging and educative school experiences. Such products subtly subvert teachers’ ability to control their classroom pedagogy, moving pedagogical control to vendors and programmers — thus, in effect, privatizing consequential educational decision-making.”

Read the entire report:

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Read a summary in The Journal:

NEPC Issues ‘Red Flag Warning’ on Personalized Learning — THE Journal

A new report from the National Education Policy Center has suggested that the concept of personalized learning has been productized by technology companies in ways that ‘can put important educational decisions in private hands and compromise the privacy of children and their teachers.’

WEAC members help create safe and supportive school communities

The latest Department of Public Instruction ConnectEd newsletter highlights the work of two WEAC members – Verona language arts teacher Nate Campbell and Rice Lake school social worker Joshua Morey – to create safe and supportive school environments for LGBTQ students and staff.

“In Verona,” Campbell said, “we believe that every child must be successful. My work with the GSA (Gay Straight Alliance, also referred to as Gender Sexuality Alliance) is supporting the efforts of students who are LGBTQIA+ and their allies to feel safe and successful in school.”

In Rice Lake, Morey serves as a GSA advisor for the high school and middle school GSA clubs. Because of the GSA’s efforts, every RLASD staff person, including custodial, food service, teacher, aide, administrator, and all new hires, receive training regarding gender and sexuality inclusive practices. “RLASD staff regularly use our students’ preferred names and pronouns and respect students’ rights to facilities and activities that align with their identities,” Morey said.

Read more:

Safe and Supportive School Environments for LGBTQ+ Youth

We all know how important it is to keep kids healthy, safe, supported, and encouraged in school. However, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) students are 50% more likely than their peers to have been bullied at school or online in the past year.

The Department of Public Instruction will host the Creating Safe and Supportive School Communities Social and Emotional Learning Symposium June 19-20, at the Stevens Point Holiday Inn Conference Center. Find out more.