Nori Burkhardt
Talbot County Education Association
10/20/06 - 8:50 a.m.
Hi there to all of you out in MSTA land!
So far (now granted it is only Friday morning) the convention is terrific! There was a President’s Reception in the Sunset Room (oooh la-la… so fancy schmancy sounding) last night. It was absolutely beautiful—a nice bay breeze billowing across the dock as we all were socializing and schmoozing. The jazz band, The Marsha Meekens Project, was smooth and soothing. It was wonderful to see President Clara Floyd right at the door greeting guests with her warm inviting smile. If only some other Presidents had the charisma that Clara does (think high ranking officials in the Federal Government—not NEA folk).
I had several resources for my annual people-watching expedition—it is always amusing to see what some people look like after one too many glasses of wine! I also got to meet delegates and local presidents from all over the state (insert your name here…) and hear personally from some of those people campaigning for positions within the Association. The cool thing about talking individually with candidates is that you can really see how they function on a person-to-person basis for judgment rather than use their public speaking skills as a determining factor (trust me…for a few it is a BIG difference!).
This morning we had a hearty breakfast before caucus (YUMMY!) at the Princess Bayside. Thank you Tami for keeping the meeting brief!!!!! No one likes meetings that go on too long, especially teachers. The downfall—Susan, my local VP of teachers, gave me more raffle tickets to sell! I’ve already bought $20 myself, and sold another $20, what’s next—a used Buick? Just kidding Susan… I’ll sell them somehow.
Okay all now that you’ve heard my early ranting, I’m off to check out the plethora of vendors and get some free stuff before we go into the first voting session.
10/20/06 - 12:00 p.m.
Howdy fellow MSTAers!
Session 1 is over and it was definitely an interesting experience! Reg Weaver, NEA president (as if you didn’t already know), was the keynote speaker!!!!!!!! I always look forward to his column in NEAToday, and I was not disappointed. Despite his hectic travel schedule, he made it here for us and was extremely motivating. (Plus he said “do do”, I still have the mentality of 10th grader-it helps build rapport with my students, yeah that’s it really!) In context, “…too many people talk about what we don’t do, not what we do do.” His speech had several memorable quotes (enough to fill this page and probably several others) “Give us the resources we need and we will be successful!” “If they can’t learn the way we teach, then we need to teach the way they learn!,” and my personal favorite, “When it comes to the funding of the education of American Youth, be like Nike and ‘Just Do It’” He was a very charismatic speaker. I just really wish that we could get the public to understand the sort of things that we as educators have to deal with…Reg is preaching to the choir with us. Maybe we could go on tour this summer like an arena rock band….opening for Bruce Springsteen…. NEA President Reg Weaver…and the crowd goes wild. (Yeah, right!)
In other news, I did get a chance to see a few of the vendors. Some of the little sample products they give out are absolutely remarkable (the travel hair brush/compact/sewing kit is by far my favorite!)
10/21/06 - 8:30 a.m.
Geez La-weezy Peasy—Seacrets was so much fun!
If you weren’t there then you missed out on an awesome experience. The band, Kustom Blend, was terrific (even my husband, an amateur music critic and notable ‘pain in de ass’ thought so). It was really neat to see so many MSTA folks in a different light—I’ll tell you there were a few that can really dance. (I’m sure you all saw my crazy dance, I was a few “Dirty Bananas” deep by the end of the evening.) I definitely got my money’s worth! The music was good, the drinks were great, and the food was plentiful! (Don’t forget the wonderful company—I love you Brad J, Tami, and Susan, you guys are pretty cool, too.)
After Seacrets, my husband and I drove down to the inlet and went to an arcade and played Skeeball—OC is really cool for that! Where else on the shore can you play Skeeball at 11 at night?
Needless to say, the alarm went off way to d*** early this morning! I’m still in good spirits though. I made my first official motion this morning during the East Caucus which felt awesome because it passed unanimously! Too bad it was a position of no position, doesn’t really mean a whole lot, but I did make my voice heard.
Ok all, I know that you would like to hear my play-by-play all day, but I need to make some time to hit the vendors before Patricia gets all of the free stuff. I want a couple duck whistles and one of those nifty flower-shaped highlighters—plus I need some CHOCOLATE to keep me going during the morning session! I’m already on my 3rd cup of high-test and it still hasn’t kicked in yet.
10/23/06
Glad to be home ... yet not quite so glad to be back at work. Now don't get me wrong — I love discussing education, I love advocating for change — not only in my own classroom, but in classrooms in the state (and even in the country if you catch me on a good day), I love advocating for my students, I even love teaching those little _________ (fill in your own affectionately derogatory term here); it is those hassles attached to teaching that I don't enjoy coming home to, especially all the grading I completed on Sunday night. I refused to bring any to the convention — thank goodness too because Saturday's afternoon session was LONG!
I was excited to come back for the afternoon — O' MALLEY was everything I hoped for, as always. Several of the shore delegates, along with yours truly, got a nice photo op with Martin and Anthony ... yeah that's right we ARE on a first name basis :). I will email the picture to the good folks over at MSTA as soon as I get a copy and scan it. (My poor friend has not jumped into the world of digital photography yet.) In case you are wondering, and I know you are — yes they are both just as attractive in person, and no that is not why I am voting for them. I'm not a political activist or analyst — I just know that O'Malley has made several positive changes for the Baltimore area and he doesn't give me that sketchy politician vibe that I see clearly written over so many candidates' faces. I look at many candidates and I sense their apathy; many don't seem to realize that their ‘paperwork' does truly affect the lives of their constituents on a daily basis. Over the few times that I have personally met O'Malley and discussed his policies within a group, I have always observed genuine interest and concern about how his decisions affect the day-to-day lives of Marylanders. (I was also impressed that he was knowledgeable about issues specific not only to the Eastern Shore, but also to only Easton . He knew candidates names and backgrounds, and how those candidates have helped or hurt Easton residents.) So, I've digressed somewhat, the point is that I feel extremely confident in my choice for governor.
The rest of Saturday afternoon wasn't quite as invigorating as O'Malley's speech, but interesting nonetheless. We had 7 new business items on the agenda to discuss. Sometimes the political process can be quite mind-numbing. Though there were several moments when I wanted to stand on my seat and shout ‘Get a clue!' or ‘I expect more listening from my students!', I do now understand why I occasionally see politicians on C-SPAN sleeping during session. I knew my vote on most of the issue before the debate on the floor began — the debate usually only furthered my point.
I'm glad I do not have to do this type of work frequently, but give me a party at Seacrets and a free hotel room for the weekend and I can put up with some voting ... ahh, politics in action :).
Adieu my loves, I have now wasted too long of my planning period. I have procrastinated too long and have 4 more classes of A Midsummer Night's Dream packets and essays to grade before tomorrow. If you are interested in helping, or would like to hear more of my rants on education and life in general, please drop me a line, otherwise I'm going back to being the relative recluse I once was ... geez, I love alliteration.
