Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/42291
Celiza Almarz De Hernandez, 33 OFFICE MANAGER, HIGHLAND GROVE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL EXECUTIVE BOARD MEMBER, REDLANDS EDUCATIONAL SUPPORT PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATION (RESPA) As a younger member of RESPA, I'm a little bit more open to thinking outside the box. I bring a fresh approach. I have helped RESPA use social networking to get members involved. I helped us get on Face- book and revamp our website because it wasn't attracting people. Young leaders have great ideas about doing things differently. For example, in the past we had a member appreciation dinner that was a formal sit- down dinner. Last year we had a barbecue open to families in the park, and it was extremely successful. When I started working for my district seven years ago, I was automatically part of a union, but knew nothing about it until I started having issues with an administrator who was picking on me. My site rep found me crying in the hallway, explained her role and brought the president in. I learned that belonging to a union meant that someone would come to my defense and make sure I wasn't getting bullied. One day my site rep stepped down and asked me to take over. I started going to meetings, and someone mentioned our chapter needed a newsletter editor. I threw my hand in the air and offered to help. I went to the CTA Summer Institute to learn how to do newsletters. Then my president sent me to the CTA Leadership Academy. I was asked to apply for the NEA Leaders for Tomorrow program and didn't realize at first I was competing with other ESP employees across the country. I was one of 20 selected out of hundreds of applicants. That experience was transforming! I did a lot of introspective work on finding out who I am as a person so I could be the leader that I need to be. Just because I'm ESP, it doesn't mean I can't play a leadership role. When other young people see me as a site rep, they can relate. I encourage them to step up and get involved. The sooner the better! Other members can benefit from our fresh point of view. Beckah O'Haver, 26 STUDENT, CSU SACRAMENTO VICE PRESIDENT, STUDENT CTA One of the most difficult things for me is all the negativity that you hear from people right now. You hear that there's not going to be any jobs, or that first-year teach- ers give up, or that it's not the right profes- sion for you. One of the things that SCTA worked on this year was combating that negative dia- logue and looking for ways to inspire the members we still have. We said, "Look, things are rough out there, and it will always be rough no matter where we go. But there's still hope and opportunity out there, and we don't want to give up on the teaching profes- sion." I didn't go into the profession because it would be a job; for me, it's a passion. For some young leaders today, it feels as though we don't always get listened to, even though we have a lot of different and innova- tive ideas. You hear the stereotype that the younger generation tends to be about "me, me, me." But in SCTA, we are thinking about the long term, and some of us have children. I have a son who is 15 months old, and I'm worried about his prospects with so many cuts in public education funding. I would like to see more mentorship by older leaders, bridging the gap between reg- ular CTA and Student CTA. It would give younger leaders more buy-in and older lead- ers some dynamic ideas. SCTA is my best friend. Whenever I feel stuck or can't go any further, I have my friends there to help me. When money is tight, I can look for scholarship possibilities, and when I'm confronted with a problem, I can usually find the answers through my SCTA connection. 24 California Educator / September 2011