Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/1522302
facebook.com/wearecta @WeAreCTA youtube.com/californiateachers @WeAreCTA WeAreCTA #WeAreCTA For our full social media directory, see cta.org/social. Eliminate the TPA I'm a long-time, highly successful California educator, and I find the Teaching Performance Assessment [TPA] to be a complete insult to the profession I love. It proves nothing and acts only as a deterrent to stu- dents who might otherwise become teachers. I became a teacher 27 years ago by completing the credentialing program at CSU Chico. Require- ments included completion of student teaching and coursework. I became aware of the TPA in 2021 when my own child entered the CSU Chico creden- tial program. I have heard that the TPA's purpose was to demonstrate teaching standards. However, all I ever witnessed was extreme stress, feelings of confusion and failure, and utter disappointment when scores came back with comments that made absolutely no sense. I support the elimination of the TPA. WENDY HAMASAKI Western Placer Teachers Assn. Editor's note: CTA is cosponsor of SB 1263 (Newman), which would eliminate TPAs in California. Take action and learn more at cta.org/tpa. Autism Acceptance I'm a proud autistic educator. Thank you for including the neurodivergent infinity sign and the term "acceptance" instead of "awareness" [Autism Acceptance Month, April/May 2024]. Both choices affirm pride in autistic identities and should be common. [But] using statistics from the CDC contributes to the mis- conception that autism is a disease. Autism is a neurotype, or brain structure. You can compare an autistic brain to an allistic (non-autistic) brain the same way you compare an Android to an iPhone. Different hardware, same purpose. [Most] autistic people use identify-first language over per- son-first language (autistic person, not person with autism). The reasoning is that person-first language is only ever used for illnesses, not for aspects of identity. I recommend Autistic Self Advocacy Network and Autistic Women & Nonbinary Network [for] those wishing to learn more. They are run by and for autistic people and advocate for disability rights through an intersectional lens. TARA FAY United Teachers of Richmond W e l c o m e t o O u r S p e c i a l I s s u e ! Summer is the perfect time to celebrate and reflect on our incredible organizing campaigns and victories from the past school year. Our tremendous organizing, mobilizing and victories are worth our reflection and recognition — not only for posterity, but also for lessons learned and best practices as we move forward. This #UnionStrong issue celebrates the gains we made in 2023-24 and looks to a brighter future where our students, educators and communities have fully funded and fully staffed public schools in every neighborhood across California. 3 S U M M E R 2 0 24 U P F R O N T #Union Strong S P E C I A L I S S U E 2 0 2 3 – 2 0 2 4