September - Tennessee Education Association

Masters of the Game
Bob and Karen Holder boost morale and expertise among
colleagues, garner a statewide membership award
Virginia McCoy, TEA Attorney:
“Don’t Wait to Ask Questions”
In other areas of specialization, attorneys
often change firms and clients. What
motivates you to remain in your position as a
“I spy, I see. I see Delaney
looking at me. Can you line up
for me so we can go outside?”
Sitting on the floor in
Karen Holder’s classroom
at LaFollette Elementary
School in Campbell County
makes us wish we were five
years old, singing about Mr.
Alligator and the apple tree,
climbing a wooden ship and
learning about new animals,
pronouncing new words and
busting out new dance moves,
excited about playtime
outdoors.
told me it wasn’t necessary, that they were members of TEA and
they were fine.”
And so it went on, with a handful of dedicated TEA members
keeping the tradition alive in the county where collective
bargaining and payroll deduction were the exclusive rights of a
competing organization.
“There was a small group of us who saw TEA as a teachers’
group. TEA is what we believe in, so we just hung together and
tried to keep going,” Karen says. “Last year we started moving
up because of the legislative changes. People saw that we had
a lot more to offer. We were on top of things. We have a UniServ
coordinator we can call on, while other organizations don’t have
a person who can connect them with the state. It’s always great
to have somebody you can turn to, and to know that somebody is
going to be here for you.”
Following the 2011 legislative changes, exclusive collective
Karen Holder, CCEA member Chris Honeycutt, who teaches math and
coaches football, and Bob Holder attend the system-wide in-service
day. CCEA set up a “welcome back” table filled with information and
giveaway opportunities.
where education policy is often set in impenetrable school board
workshops. Most of the school board members know him as the keeper
of the scoreboard for high school football and basketball games, and
they usually get an earful whenever Bob gets their attention.
“We’ve been ignored, and we think we’ve had enough,” he says.
“I’ve called the director several times to address our issues. I made
TEA staff attorney for 23 years?
I believe in public education as an essential
democratic institution and in teaching as a
valued profession. To my mind, TEA is the only
organization in Tennessee that is committed
both to preserving public education for all of
Tennessee’s children and to uplifting teachers
as respected professionals.
What caused you to become an advocate for
Virginia McCoy in her office
the rights of public education employees?
by the poster of her favorite film.
Fortuitous circumstances. I was working
as an attorney at the Tennessee Department
of Revenue, and a colleague suggested that I apply for an opening at TEA. My father
worked for Knoxville City and Knox County Schools. My mother’s family is full of
educators, including my great-grandmother, who was the first woman to sit on
Before we enter the bargaining rights were taken away from AFT, and teachers in the
eight to ten phone calls. I left voicemails. On Friday at lunchtime,
the Monroe County Board of Education and my aunt, Jean Black, who is a retired
playground, Karen checks area became more interested in joining TEA.
I told him, ‘Please don’t ignore me. I’m not going away.’ Still, no
teacher and principal from Monroe County who once served as president of her local
under every object in sight to With Bob serving as president and Karen as co-president and
answer. I think I’m going to have to go there one morning and just sit association. When I enrolled in college, I had initially intended to pursue a career as
make sure there are no bees secretary-treasurer, CCEA has stepped up its local communications
on the doorstep.”
a teacher, but was side-tracked by the law. When I was offered a position with TEA,
or other undesirable insects efforts, positioning themselves as experts in teacher and principal
The CTE issue is not the only one being ignored by the local school it seemed like my professional life was coming full circle with the opportunity to
that could upset her crew of
pre-K students. As the kids
frolic, Holder and her teaching
aide make sure that every
child is courteous during play,
managing to keep almost
everyone happy. Then we line
up, go back inside to wash
hands, sing a couple more
songs and, all of a sudden, it’s
Karen Holder (left), Campbell Co. EA secretary-treasurer and
lunchtime.
teacher at LaFollette Elementary School, and Assistant Principal
A few miles up the
Heather Smith, also a CCEA member, talk with Holder’s pre-K
road, Karen’s husband Bob
students in late August. On the cover: Karen Holder shows her
holds court in his wellness
youthful spirit on the playground; Bob Holder teaches health and
health class at LaFollette
wellness at LaFollette Comprehensive High School.
Comprehensive High School.
His students have just received
the folders with an assignment to be completed by Friday.
“If you don’t do it, you get a zero,” says Bob in a no-nonsense
tone he has perfected over decades of teaching, coaching and
stints in management at Frito Lay and Burger King.
Witnessing Bob and Karen in their teaching roles, it’s no
evaluation, grievance process and collaborative conferencing
efforts.
As of this writing, Bob is the only teacher in the county who
has grieved his evaluation results. He tells his colleagues that he’s
not afraid of being a turtle without a shell, with his neck sticking
out.
“In our school we haven’t had any training in evaluation. I filed
the grievance because I knew what to do, and that’s what I share
with our members.”
Bob is also doing battle with central office on behalf of area
career and technical education teachers, who have been recognized
as such at the state level but have not received classroom supplies
or compensation for their CTE workload.
“There’s been some harassment and denial of representation,”
Bob says. “We have CTE teachers who have retired and have not
been compensated for teaching CTE.”
One of CCEA’s new members who joined last spring has taught
CTE for 18 years, but was never paid as a CTE teacher. According to
CCEA’s estimate, these teachers are due between $1,000 and $1,500
a year in additional salary.
“When you take into account their retirement, Social Security
wages, that makes a big difference. We know 15 former teachers
authorities. Bob says the grievance he had filed on July 15, 2012, was
accepted and signed by his evaluator, yet he has received no response
from central office. With a few days left to file with the school board,
Bob is considering
submitting a copy to the
“We’ve been ignored, and we state board of education.
think we’ve had enough... I’m
Having raised three
children and innumerable
going to go there one morning students who learned in
and just sit on the doorstep.”
their classrooms, Bob and
Karen say they have their
work cut out for them to
further solidify CCEA.
Recently, they worked on the Association’s constitution, and
sought members who will work on the local’s Facebook and newsletter
outlets to help push information about the coming evaluation
changes and collaborative conferencing updates.
TEA District 5 UniServ Coordinator Jason White says the lack of
information about evaluation and grievance is partially due to the
fact that the state made last-minute changes in July, when many
school officials were on vacation.
“It’s hard to fault the local school system because the state is
represent public school teachers and employees.
Why should one join TEA today?
TEA supports public education, public school teachers and employees, and is one of
the few education organizations in Tennessee that is willing to speak truth to power on
Capitol Hill.
Why should one not be afraid or ashamed of joining TEA?
If you aren’t afraid or ashamed to be part of your profession, you shouldn’t be afraid
or ashamed to be part of the pre-eminent organization in the state that represents and
supports the members of your profession.
What are the flaws in comparing public schools in the United States to schools in
China, Finland or other countries?
I would be very happy if Tennessee was comparable to Finland and what the Finns
have accomplished in public education. But Tennessee and Finland aren’t comparable,
because the characteristics of the populations, the public support for a social safety
net, and the approach to producing a trained teaching force are very dissimilar. Plus,
Tennessee’s current leadership simply isn’t committed to providing Tennessee with the
kind of education system to which the Finns have committed for their children.
What’s wrong with trying to run public schools like a business?
You can’t send a bad batch of blueberries back to the supplier. You have to make
blueberry ice cream with whatever blueberries you happen to have on hand.
Among the many things you wish your clients did differently, what are the most
wonder that the Campbell County Education Association had a who will be involved. Last spring we brought it all to the director.
fixing the plane in mid-air,” he says.
common mistakes or oversights?
stellar year, garnering a 30-percent increase in membership, the He promised that something would be done, but it hasn’t. The
With a new, three-step grievance process in place, Bob and Karen
1. Not keeping good documentation.
highest in the state, in spite of the fact that their county is the paychecks still don’t reflect any changes.”
are hard at work helping members realize that they have options that
2. Not seeking assistance early enough in the process.
only one in Tennessee dominated by the American Federation of
At one point last year, Bob says he and a fellow teacher
could positively impact their evaluation results.
3. Not observing professional boundaries with students and colleagues.
Teachers.
accidentally witnessed grades being changed live on a school
“I’d say 50 percent of teachers in our system have never even
What is your advice to TEA members for this school year?
Karen, who has been a TEA member for 38 years, recalls
arriving in Campbell County two decades ago and being asked to
join AFT.
“I’d been told it would be a good thing to do because they were
the main bargaining unit,” says Karen. “I was encouraged to join
system’s website. The officials denied it, yet at the end of the last
school year one teacher’s paycheck was withheld for 15 minutes,
presumably due to grade discrepancies. “It was an embarrassing
situation,” Bob says.
A 13-year member of TEA who began his teaching career in
looked at their scores,” says Bob. “Because it was sent out in an email,
there are two passwords. Some teachers don’t understand the impact
that evaluations can have.”
In a county where many teachers and students don’t carry cell
phones or have Internet access at home, one-on-one communication
Don’t wait to ask questions if you are having issues or concerns. Knowledge is
power, and TEA members have access to incredible amounts of information, resources
and guidance, particularly through the TEA website, the UniServ coordinators, and
legal services.
AFT, but a couple of friends of mine with whom I’d gone to school 1976 in Coffee County, Bob sets an example of bravery in a county
is king, and Karen and Bob Holder appear to be the masters of it.
4 September 2012 5
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