Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/1017146
T H E R E I S P E R H A P S no higher compli- ment for educators than to have a student go into the teaching profession — unless it is to have their own children follow in their footsteps. Many CTA members brim with pride w h e n o n e o f t h e i r f a m i l y b e c o m e s a teacher. One of those is CTA Board member Gayle Bilek, a middle school music and l anguage ar ts t each er for 36 years and a member of the Temple- ton Teachers Association in San Luis Obispo County. Her son Steven, a mem- ber of United Teachers Los Angeles, now teaches math, science and technology at Paul Revere Middle School in Brentwood. "I didn't encourage Steven to go into teaching, but he grew up attending Polit- ical Involvement Committee meetings with me at CTA State Council," she says. Those meetings may have influenced him to study political science and work on campaigns for several years. After that and a stint at being a substitute teacher, Steven Bilek was sold on teaching. "I think one of the reasons I ended up in the classroom is because my mother a n d o t h e r t e a c h e r s c l e a r l y s h o w e d a passion for what they did ," he says. "Feeling the energy in a classroom when my mother was teaching was very excit- ing for me as a child, and it's something I try to carry into my own classroom." Gayle jokes that her son's entry into teaching may be hereditary. "His dad was an elementar y teacher and principal , By Dina Martin All in the Family Multiple generations take up the teaching profession " It was the impact of my mother's work that influenced me. I saw how much she cared and how much she loved it." — Amy Quarcelino, Brawley Elementary Teachers Association Theresa Quarcelino with her children Lee, president of the Holtville Teachers Association, and Amy, vice president of the Brawley Elementary Teachers Association. 64 cta.org CTA & You