Local Leader Comes A Knockin' On Door Of Letter-Writer

By Beth Adelsen
Vice President
Kenosha Education Association
Reprinted from KEA GLUE newsletter

Like every public school teacher, I have learned to become very thick-skinned when I read “Letters to the Editor.” Teacher and public school bashing takes place in those letters often enough that I have learned not to take it personally or to heart, but a letter in the November 17 Kenosha News made it impossible for me to ignore.

“I never expected to change his mind but I did want him to know that this union leader and public school teacher is not some nameless, faceless person ... ” ------------- Beth Adelsen

After reading about the usual criticism of teacher’s salaries, the usual support for vouchers, merit pay, and basing all student achievement on their results on a standardized test (as if no other means of assessment occurs the other 34 weeks of the school year), I read the last sentence in the letter: “Union members want respect - earn it by dumping your union leaders.”

Hmmm... I could have ignored this letter as I do the others, but this was personal. Gulp! Now I am a union leader, and this letter writer, who isn’t even a member of my organization, who has never been to my classroom or seen me working with my students, who knows nothing about my work as an advocate for public education and public education employees, just told all my members to “dump me.”

So I figured it was just as well he find out who I am.
It was a cold and blustery Sunday afternoon (after the Packer game, of course) when I knocked on his door. His wife was kind enough to let me in after I explained that I wanted to talk to her husband about the letter in the paper that morning.

When I introduced myself, I made clear my name, who I was, that I was a 6th-grade teacher at Mahone Middle School, a product of Kenosha’s public schools myself, and, the reason I was there: I was the vice president of the Kenosha Education Association, and he was telling my members to dump me, and I was a little puzzled by that.

First off, he made clear that he wasn’t referring to dumping KEA leadership but rather WEAC leadership because he was unhappy with how the statewide job action vote was portrayed in the media. I did explain to him that the media has considerable license in how they portray events, that the WEAC vote was actually independent of the governor’s election and that the vote was about having a statewide meeting to discuss possible statewide job actions, not necessarily a strike, but I did agree with him that the timing of the WEAC vote was less than ideal.

I told him I was glad he wasn’t referring to me specifically in that letter, but I also said he was welcome to come to my classroom any time.

To his credit, he spoke with me about a half an hour in his kitchen, and he did listen when I explained to him that one reason why public education costs (as compared to private school costs) are so high is because of special education requirements and what needs to be done by law to meet the needs of those students.

He listened when I explained to him how the QEO law has placed wage caps on teacher salaries since 1993, that teachers are the ONLY public employees in the state that have wage caps imposed on them, and that the high costs of health care have eroded teachers’ abilities to get any salary increases, especially in various districts around the state where teachers have taken pay freezes and pay cuts to maintain benefits.

He also listened when I told him that the union supports diversifying how we pay for education in Wisconsin and not place so much of the burden on the property taxpayer. I pointed out that I had a mortgage and paid property taxes too.

I also reminded him that while he doesn’t have children in public schools and still pays school taxes, I may never (and hope not to) have a fire at my house, but I still pay for the firefighters and am glad to do it.

In addressing the issue of competition, I pointed out that higher wages and competitive benefits attract more candidates for teaching positions. (I know this is done in the private sector. Look at how much money companies will pay their CEOs!)

I explained to him that, regarding the issue of merit pay, I could have one outstanding group of students one year, who would make great gains on standardized tests and make me look really good, while the next I could have a significantly more challenging group of students that may not do as well, not because I am not a good and capable teacher (as I could have been the year before) but because our students are so unique.

He also listened when I explained to him that many of our students come from families where they are not even read to as pre-schoolers, as compared to other children who come from homes where books are everywhere, where they visit libraries, and they are read to every night. When those children start school, they are in vastly different places, and to expect those children to learn and progress at the same pace is not really fair to the children or to the teacher responsible for educating them.

He and I ultimately ended up agreeing to disagree. I never expected to change his mind, but I did want him to know that this union leader and public school teacher is not some nameless, faceless person, and I certainly wouldn’t appreciate being “dumped” in any context.

I appreciate his willingness to speak with me, and I did tell him that I am always glad to have the opportunity to talk with members of my community who do not always think as I do because it broadens my perspective (and, I might add, assists in my debating skills). I must admit (and I am sure that he will be the first to tell you) that I did not have an answer to every concern he brought up ... but I will next time.

In closing, I ended my Sunday by writing a thank you note to the author of a “Letter to the Editor” from the previous week. His name was Joseph Madrigrano, Jr., and his letter was titled, “Teachers deserve more respect.” After my Sunday afternoon conversation, I wanted to make sure he knew how much I appreciated a positive letter in the paper about the teaching profession.

Posted December 13, 2002