“If we want to be a force for good, then coming together in this association is the best way to do it,” said former UEA president and current NEA Vice President Lily Eskelsen as she addressed more than 100 UEA leaders and staff attending the 2011 Summer Leadership Academy. Eskelsen was the keynote speaker, kicking off the two-day conference at Zermatt Resort in Midway. The event agenda included speakers, workshops, entertainment and opportunities for state, local and UniServ leaders to interact and share information.
“What we have goes beyond race, religion, politics, gender (and) nationality,” Eskelsen said in her opening keynote address. “You and I are part of that brotherhood and sisterhood of advocates. We see our schools as more than a place of employment…that school becomes our cause.”
Eskelsen conveyed information about attacks on public education in other states and what she described as a “sophisticated, national, coordinated, secretive campaign” to discredit public education and its advocates, including teacher unions. She urged educators to become involved and passionate about fighting for the education profession and also for the needs of students and their families. “I am convinced that celebrating who we are is our best defense in this time of attack. Have the courage to be proud of what you do,” she concluded.
(View Lily Eskelsen’s complete address to the UEA Summer Leadership Academy here)
UEA President Sharon Gallagher-Fishbaugh shared findings from recent focus groups with parents and grandparents of Utah K-12 students. “The purpose of these focus groups was to determine the perceptions Utah parents have of Utah public schools and the Utah Education Association,” she said.
Key conclusions from the research showed that parents want more accountability for the resources given to public schools and that the role of the UEA in the education process is not generally recognized or is misunderstood. Gallagher-Fishbaugh said she viewed the research as “a unique opportunity to change the conversation around who we are and what we do as an organization.”
“As educators who belong to our local, state and national affiliates, we must be more vocal about our successes and be ready to hold one another to high standards,” she said. “It is not time to be meek and quiet. It is time to educate, celebrate and elevate.
