Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/1208082
#OurVoiceOurUnion #WeAreCTA For our full social media directory, see cta.org/social. facebook.com/wearecta @WeAreCTA youtube.com/californiateachers @WeAreCTA WeAreCTA L E T U S K N O W W H A T Y O U T H I N K . We accept signed email and letters; we excerpt user posts from CTA social media platforms and californiaeducator.org. Content subject to editing for clarity and space. Photos must have permissions. Opinions expressed by writers are not necessarily those of CTA. Editor@cta.org; #WeAreCTA STEAMed Up As a music educator, I am dismayed that CTA has not yet recognized that STEM has been altered to include the arts and now is recognized as STEAM (regarding stories in the December/January Innovation Issue). As of 2017 STEM was changed to STEAM because even the most scientifically-minded teachers and educators recognize the need for Arts to encourage the other side of the brain. JENNIFER K AMBEITZ East Side Teachers Association Editor's Note: We generally defer to how individual educators describe their STEM/STEAM work and have used STEAM in past stories. We'll be more proactive in offering STEAM as the standard reference. CalSTRS and Fossil Fuels As a CalSTRS member who cares about the future of my pension, as well as the future of our planet, I strongly disagree with your story "Dialogue or Divest- ment?" (Dec./Jan.). CalSTRS claims that its efforts to reform the fossil fuel indus- try have borne fruit, but they have given no evidence for this claim. The story claims that getting out of fossil fuels would be financially dangerous. Yet a recent study by Corporate Knights showed that CalSTRS lost $5.5 billion by being in fossil fuels for the last 10 years. There is no reason to believe that the industry's next 10 years will be better, as climate disruption intensifies. California and Australia are suffering unprecedented fires due to climate disruption, and we are in the midst of the greatest mass extinction since the end of the dinosaurs. Yet this story supports continued funding of self-destructive fossil fuel explo- ration and extraction. CalSTRS should have divested 10 years ago. If it had, it would be $5.5 billion stronger. Engagement with the fossil fuel industry will not turn those companies into something they never were or will be. It is time for CalSTRS to take our money out of fossil fuels. ROGER HALLSTEN Albany Teachers Association Editor's Note: Our story does not support fossil fuel exploration and extraction. It reports on CalSTRS' and CTA's current positions and fiscal responsibilities. The story notes that several CTA chapters or their executive boards have called for divestment. The Courage to Act Thank you, Kris Bertsch-Rydell, for stepping up for the students ("Vindicated and Validated," this issue). It is not easy to do what you do. It takes courage to keep the school board accountable for their actions. They are elected officials who should represent the voices of their communities. SILVIA D. R AMIREZ CTA/NEA-Retired Corrections In "It Really Is Rocket Science" (Dec./Jan.), we misstated Jorge Perez's title: He is an assistant professor at College of the Desert. In "Revitaliz- ing a Language — and a People" (Dec./Jan.), we misspelled educator James Gensaw's name in several photo captions. We regret the errors. 5 F E B R U A R Y / M A R C H 2 0 2 0 U P F R O N T