Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/939681
Spreading the word The journey had a powerful impact on participants. "It was pretty intense. Some people took things very seriously," says Amy Lo, currently studying at Santa Ana College. "It was a good experience for real life. And I now have an understanding of education and the school system." "It taught me about equality, equity and workers rights," said Perez. "I had n e v e r t h o u g h t a b o u t a l l t h e r i g h t s that were earned through unions for workers before. The way that the roles were played was ver y realistic and it was impactful b ecause p eople were passionate and stated facts. People stood on chairs, shouted, and lobbied." " We had a couple members share out responses," says Manzanedo. "They said things like 'This was the most amazing experience of my life' and 'I will never forget this.' " Watts says she met up with two participants at a later CTA conference, who were still talking of how meaning- ful the experience was. Watts is proud of the SCTA Board and the event they pulled off. "I 'm extraordinarily happy that the SCTA Board was willing and able to try new things," she says. " They developed an event that matched their goals, and had a comfort level with creating scenarios and not knowing how they would turn out." S h e t h i n k s t h e r e a r e l e s s o n s t o b e learned from SCTA's successful event, par- ticularly given what may happen following the Supreme Court's Janus d e c i si o n . " C TA m e m b e r s h av e t o b e in o cul at ed [w ith unioni sm] b e cau se th e y ' l l b e inun d at ed w ith anti-union messaging." The SCTA Board met at CTA's January State Council in Los Angeles to debrief and consider whether the event accomplished its goals and what to do next. Many thought the experience was powerful enough to continue. The board next meets at SCTA Representative Assembly in April. Manzanedo, meanwhile, is busy spreading the word about SCTA, ask- ing local presidents for a few minutes at their meetings to talk about SCTA. "My parents didn't know SCTA existed till I joined," she says. "How can they not have heard about it?" Bringing Policy to Life At SCTA Representative Assem- bly last April, the board created an education experience for attendees in two rooms set up like a museum, with quotes from U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and others, along with images and documents. Attendees would pick one of 20 "identities" that would inform their journey through the exhibit — for example, you might be a third-grade student with special needs, or a first-year teacher. Events that occurred along the journey — such as the cutting of federal funds for a school lunch program — would affect your experience. The journey brought policy to life, and was so well received that it became the basis for the Wel- come Summit in the fall. SCTA Welcome Summit participants make lifelong connections as they learn about the teaching profession and their role in it. "It was pretty intense. I now have an understanding of education and the school system. It was a good experience for real life." —SCTA WELCOME SUMMIT PARTICIPANT AMY LO 51 F E B R U A R Y / M A R C H 2 018