The Common Ground Over Chaos bus tour rolled into Rochester on Thursday morning for a day filled with discussion, dialogue and candidate pledge signings. Also joining the bus tour at the stop was National Education Association President Becky Pringle.
The morning began with a discussion with local school-related professionals. SRP leaders spoke about the need for improved working conditions, training and support. Several of the local leaders shared stories of members being physically assaulted on the job.
“I’ve got members being punched in the face, bit in the stomach, scratched,” said Lisa Bailey, president of the Association of Greece Central Educational Professionals. “And the district says they need to be trained. But there isn’t any training for aides.”
“We may not be in a classroom, but we’re often the first line of defense for students, parents, adults in deescalating,” said MaryJean McQuilkin, president of the Spencerport Central School Office Personnel Association. “But we don’t get any training in de-escalation. The training piece is absolutely essential.”
NEA President Pringle shared that the problems members were facing were not just a local issue, but something that has been seen nationwide. Now, she said, the focus needs to be on getting schools and students the mental health supports and funding they need. “Everyone, the families, not just the kids, went through trauma. And now we, the educators, are expected to fix that trauma.”
But still, progress is being made. SRPs highlighted the work of NYSUT advocacy in getting a bill signed that enacts uniform toileting and diapering regulations across the state. “I wanted to say thank you to NYSUT for the toileting laws that the governor just signed,” said Angie Rivera, president of the Rochester Association of Paraprofessionals. “We have members who are helping children in first and second grade who are working with kids who are not toilet trained. And now we are all working under the same regulations, thanks to NYSUT.”
At a roundtable later Thursday morning, President Person and President Pringle hosted other local education leaders and two legislators, Democratic State Senator Jeremy Cooney and Republican Assemblymember Josh Jensen, to highlight the importance of working together and finding common ground.
“Education is one of those issues that is not partisan,” said Sen. Cooney. “People believe that public education has to work no matter what your political affiliation is. We have a duty to our teachers, our students, and our communities to fulfill our promise to be better.”
“For me, the things that are in this pledge, this was easy for me to sign because this is already the way that I believe public service should be done and how my constituents want to be represented,” said Assemblymember Jensen. “It’s okay to disagree but it’s important to have respect for one another.”
“If you want to see democracy the way it is supposed to be, look in a high school classroom,” said Mike Modleski, president of the Victor Teachers Association. “We all want to make the world a little better, and we can disagree without being enemies. I wish adults could come in and see that happening in a classroom.”
Teachers also spoke about the impact that heated political rhetoric is having on their classrooms during this contentious election season. “I try to get students to understand the issue and get informed about the issue before they decide where they end up,” said Stacey Burnett, president of the Gates-Chili Teachers Association. “We try to teach some of that digital citizenship and literacy, what is a credible and unbiased source and what isn’t.”
“We really talk about what you want and what you believe in,” said Kate Sadler-Dobosz, president of the West Irondequoit Teachers Association. “What do you want in the world when you grow up, what are the rights you are looking for? That’s something we try and instill at the elementary level. What do you want to see in schools, in our streets and our neighborhoods.”
The roundtable also discussed the topic of cell phones in the classroom, and the push by NYSUT to enact bell-to-bell restrictions on the devices throughout the state. “If we can give kids seven hours a day, free from this technology, I think we can give them a bit of their childhood back,” said President Person. “We have evidence now, concrete evidence, that this works and discipline referrals go down and morale is better.”
“There’s a huge education piece for parents and students about the effects of cell phones and the algorithms behind them,” said Jill Humphries, president of Geneva Teachers Association. “I really think we have to couch it in the idea that it is affecting their mental health, it is affecting their learning. They are a true distraction.”
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