Our Union Code of Conduct that should be hanging on every BTA bulletin board at each site helps us see what it takes to promote solidarity. Instead of seeking what is good for me personally, I should seek the common good. Instead of criticizing a colleague to any third party, I should deal directly with the colleague when problems arise. We owe a fellow teacher that courtesy, just as we would want to be granted that courtesy in return. This is not to say that we are always going to be in total agreement. The opportunity to debate as well as respect minority viewpoints is always available to us in a democratic institution such as our Association. Yet, we must strive to reach consensus in order to observe and support the majority mandate of our union. By keeping our focus on what we can accomplish together, through solidarity and mutual respect, we can avoid the temptation to let the rising frustration of our jobs divide us and diminish our strength.
In this current crazed educational climate of high stakes testing and teaching to the standards, it is imperative that we do not let the stress of it lead us down the path of divisiveness. Solidarity and the voices of reason and compromise must prevail if we are to maintain parity with District management. To let divisiveness set in would not only compromise our effectiveness as a union, but would allow the center of attention to be taken away from what is most important in allowing us to do what we do best…teach all children to achieve their full capabilities.
I think a useful metaphor is found in "Lessons of the Geese": As each goose flaps its wings, it creates an "uplift" for the bird following. By flying in a "V" formation, the whole flock adds 71% more flying range than if each bird flew alone. The lesson we learn is that teachers who share a common direction and sense of community can get where they are going quicker and easier because they are traveling on the thrust of one another.
This is what the Burbank Teachers Association is about. The union is not some separate entity that works independently of me and you. There is no "them" that makes us strong but only strength and unity of "us."
Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the BTA, I hear the call? It is you, and he and she and me – it is nothing less than the collection of "all."