Public Education in America is a
civil right – a promise of equal educational opportunities no matter race,
religion, or ability. It is tuition-free and a commitment to high standards and
high expectations for all students. Public education is a benefit to society,
our future, and our security. However, public education is under threat. There
is misplaced blame, neglected responsibilities, and accountability falsehoods. In
this Educational Apartheid we face the dismantling of the system that helped
propel this country to its greatness. As future educators and future societal
leaders, we are the ones who are
going to take back our schools and our professions. We are the generation that is going to make the change - to be the change. We believe that we can and we do
it with great pride, passion, and courage. As Student PSEA members, we not only
enact positive change for our schools and our students, we join together and help
create movements.
(Student PSEA Executive Committee at the Leadership Retreat at Seven Springs Mountain Resort)
Seth Godin
defines a movement as “an idea that spreads with passion through a community.”
It is passion that transforms an idea to a movement. It is passion that makes
people want to discuss and share an idea, and it is passion that inspires
people to exert incredible amounts of energy on behalf of a cause. Movements
offer a means of finding comfort and purpose in a world that has become
increasingly disconcerting. This year, Student PSEA is moving in a new
direction. We are becoming advocates for what it is we believe in, and we will
move others to join in our ignited passion. The first movement we will take
part in is the NEA Degrees Not Debt Campaign, a campaign with a focus on
college affordability and student loans. This is what directly impacts us as
students. This has meaning and value to members of Student PSEA and the National
Education Association Student Program. Degrees Not Debt information will be
coming to you through the Student PSEA Spotlight video in early November,
directly after the elections. The “Week of Action” is November 11th-18th,
2014.
(Student Delegates of the NEA/RA in Denver, CO, sporting their Degrees Not Debts shirts)
Our future belongs to movements.
There is so much that needs to be fixed and there are issues that need to be
addressed. Our hard truth is that if there is no organization forced to
advocate for public education in the state capitols of this nation, our children
and schools will suffer. We, Student PSEA members, are the advocates of today
and the future.
(Lauren Williams, Victoria Rodriquez, and Ashley Muscarella)
I am proud to be the student
president because I am guiding our organization through a transformation. Our
state student coordinator, Christopher Clayton, presented to the Student
Executive Committee this past weekend. Now, I am going to share it with you.
“You cannot help men permanently by
doing for them what they could and should do for themselves.” –Abraham Lincoln
Politics is
part of our every day lives, whether a student or a professional. Politics are
about how we navigate, move and maneuver. There are two types of leaders,
transactional and transformational. Let me break it down in its simplest form -
a transactional leader does for others, while a transformational leader empowers
others to do for themselves. Student PSEA is moving away from transactional politics.
We are more than just electing leaders, setting policy, and holding a
conference. We do more than vote, campaign, and give money. Politics is
transformational when it understands others interest and values, connects the
current reality with interpretations of the past, and when it builds power
through action. Student PSEA members are going to be agents of action and
reflection. Are you in? Will you be an activist of Student PSEA or a leader? An
activist takes action, is willing to participate, speaks out on an issue and
showcases his or her strengths. A leader moves
people to action, encourages others
to participate, encourages others
about their own issues, and showcases
another’s strengths. In this
transformational year of Student PSEA we are taking action, leading movements,
and building a better future. I am happy to have you on board!
-Lauren Williams
Student PSEA President
