Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/939681
because they felt it does not foster enough connection between and among people. " When we came up with ideas, it was 'No workshops!' " says Manzanedo. "Mem- bers felt they were being lectured at. We wanted to move away from general sessions with a guest speaker." Th e we ekend summit includ ed s om e n e c e ssar y activities: Relationship-building. Participants were separated from people they knew, so they could forge new con- nections. SCTA Board members, with the exception of Manzanedo, were not introduced as such till the end of the event, so they could be considered regular members and new leaders could emerge. rough various exer- cises, individuals learned about each other and forged tight bonds. "It made me realize that in school we sometimes for- get to learn about our students, and that could change everything," said Krystal Perez, a student at Sacramento State University. "When we allow students to feel safe, they are more open to learn." Exploration of biases in education. Participants discussed disparities in student outcomes, and how, since the American public education system was origi- nally meant to serve certain groups, inequities have been addressed over time with add-ons instead of rethinking or revamping the entire system. Students participate in various exercises designed to break the ice and forge tight bonds. The journey en, the summit program turned to unionism and the potential impact of the Janus v. AFSCME case currently before the U.S. Supreme Court (see page 38). Participants were all given the same scenario: You're a poor college student who can't take out any more loans. It's critical that you have a job to pay for school and support your family. And good news — you just got a job, cutting triangles for a corporation. Now, go to your new employee orientation. Participants headed off to one of four different "corporate headquar- ters," where their "boss" laid out job expectations, such as no talking and no cellphones, and tardiness would result in not being paid. en, for purposes of the journey, 10-minute periods became a workday (with six minutes of work and four minutes off ), and conditions became increasingly challenging. Some bosses were mean and belittled workers; others set high quotas for number of triangles cut; others supplied faulty scissors, inadequate templates, etc. Bosses could make workers work overtime without pay. A "big boss" came in to put pressure on the local bosses. Cards that would affect individuals were randomly distributed; for example, one card indicated that you cut your hand, but since you can't quit or leave, you had to cut with your other hand. SCTA organizers had no way of knowing how the journey would progress, and indeed some participants grew angry. But all "employees" eventually found their working conditions unacceptable and talked of unionizing. All four groups ended up forming unions the first day of the program. Student CTA Members: About 1,300 Benefits: Members receive $1 million liability insurance, which covers them when they work with students as a requirement for a class or program; discounts to attend CTA conferences; network- ing with other aspiring educators; sponsorship and volunteer oppor- tunities to SCTA events and some CTA conferences Board: Members are elected for one-year terms Social Media: Facebook.com/StudentCTA 49 F E B R U A R Y / M A R C H 2 018