1996 PET STATE
CONFERENCE REPORT
President Hamilton Opens Conference
Billie Hamilton, a small, demure lady with striking white hair and the energy of ten people, was introduced to us by the President of Knoxville’s local, Robert Berry. She described the excitement she felt working with PET members across this state. She has traveled the state of Tennessee introducing PET wherever she found a listening ear from Governor Sundquist to our new teachers-to-be on college campuses. She told us that she has always been received with interest and gratitude.
She has forged ahead with the sure knowledge that, “We are doing what is right and we are making history.”With countless hours and miles behind her she plans an even more vigorous schedule this coming year. She admonished us to remember that we are professionals, and that Tennessee is listening to us. We must all get involved in making a difference from our classrooms to the floors of Congress.
Liability Insurance Coverage Increases to $2,000,000
PET’s excellent legal record and the example of our Texas affiliate has given us the opportunity to raise our liability insurance coverage to two million dollars effective November 1, 1997. Even though the limits of our previous policy were never challenged, with the uncertain climate of the profession today, there is no such thing as too much coverage. If our members were having any difficulty explaining to non-members that ours has certainly been the better policy all along, now there is no room for argument! For all questions concerning insurance, call our insurance specialist board member Bill Murphy at (615) 381-5543.
Two New Board Members for PET...
Robert Berry, President of the Knoxville County Association of Professional Educators is our new PET secretary. He is a dynamic leader is his local, and we welcome his ideas and energy.
Michelle Brewer, also a member of the Knoxville local, is not only our new PET treasurer, but she has been given the added responsibility of director of public relations. Her plate is full, but she comes to us highly qualified for these duties, and we welcome her.
Speaker Dan Schlafer of Cumberland County
In a very tight race to the finish, Mr. Schlafer is running for Superintendent of Cumberland County Schools. He shared his extraordinary story with us and touched every heart at the conference. He was a well known and well liked educator and coach in his county system for years... until the day he prayed over the school intercom for one of his students undergoing surgery for a tumor. The ensuing battle with principal and board members taught him much. To satisfy political correctness, the board, in a close vote, eliminated his position excusing themselves from the problem (they thought). Mr. Schlafer decided to challenge the powers-that-be and the current philosophy.
As an educator, Mr. Schlafer lives by five rules: Listen, Laugh, Learn, Love, and Leave a legacy. He encourages PET members to continue to have the strength of character to do, the courage to stand for our beliefs, and the will to fight for what is right.
Speaker Joy Adams of the Tennessee Alliance for Better Schools
A dynamic speaker, Mrs. Adams gave us much food for thought. She cited several instances of the National Curriculum Reform Acts supporting the new politically correct concept of no right or wrong - decisions by appointed committees for curriculum go uncontested.
One example cited was the recent replacement of the traditional time designator BC (Before Christ) by BCE (Before Common Era), and AD (Anno Domini - the year of our Lord) by CE (Common Era). All textbooks will comply. She warned that the law now allows for the removal of duly elected school officials by the Tennessee School Board if that official is deemed not to be meeting ‘goals’. An example of such a goal might be his/her attitude toward diversity ‘training’.
She feels that there are too many invasive laws that threaten families. She challenged us to read David Hornbeck’s Human Capital, a plan for controlling children through public education from womb to 18 years.
She warned that many of the national school policies were adopted from his writings. She also urged us to read our own Master Plan for TN Schools, 1996 edition and let our concerns and our approvals be heard loud and clear. To order call 615-741-2966. She closed with a quote from the book of Hosea...”My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.
Membership Renewal...
PET Director Walter Jewell, reports a 54% membership growth last year. He expects that number to rise dramatically this fall. He reports that college growth (new teachers joining PET) is especially exciting at this time. He reminded us that we are a grass roots organization with no outside funding. We have had counsel and moral support and brochure help from Georgia and Texas, but no grants to which strings can be attached.
Director Jewel says that we can offer anything that TEA/NEA offers, but the need has to come from the members because we will not fund things indiscriminately without a majority need. It all costs dollars, and we are very ‘Scotch’. He also noted that taking stands on issues or present legislation must come from the members. He emphasized that no resolution committee will decide our lives.
Remember that dues for PET will be $60 this year. That is in addition to whatever your local dues are if you have a local organization. Several locals (Bradley County and Cleveland City) are handling their own membership dues for PET. In such cases you will follow the instructions of your local. Membership renewal letters were sent out before August 1, 1996. If you are in a county that handles its own renewal process, share your extra renewal blanks with non-member friends!
Dr. Bernard Bull Reports on CIEA...
Dr. Bull reviewed for us the benefits of our present PET membership in the Coalition of Independent Education Associations (CIEA). It gives us access to all materials from the other member states. For example, Georgia (PAGE) provided our current membership application forms at no cost to us.
We receive constant updates from other member states about what they are doing in the legislature. Training, primarily from Texas, guides are now available to us as soon as we are set up to use them.
At meetings we have gained valuable insight from other people’s success and failures. An example would be, how to raise money from business sources, courtesy of South Carolina.
We can pull things from E-Mail that are used in other states, and we are able to share speakers for conference, etc. Last year we had Dr. Doug Rogers from Texas, and Dr. Barbara Christmas from Georgia, and Dr. Ron Crain from Missouri to speak at our state conference. They came at their own expense.
PET has in turn helped Florida in starting an alternative to the NEA.
Membership totals equal POWER. State Legislators and U.S. Senators are impressed by numbers because they represent votes. CIEA and CEAFU (Concerned Educators Against Forced Unionism) representatives met with the House of Representative Committee on Economic and Educational Opportunities on July 25 and 26, 1996. Dr. Bull was our representative and our voice was heard.
CEAFU has a staff of lawyers that we can “borrow”if the need arises.
The mission statement of CIEA encourages every state that has as independent organization to assist its neighboring states in beginning independent organizations.
J.C. Bowman on Government Relations
Mr. Bowman began his report with this statement: “People say that we need to find common ground. In PET, we are common ground!”
He outlined our support of the academic freedom bill, and the introduction of the driver’s license bill with the behavior clause attached for students.
He explained that our support of the state teachers’liability insurance bill was to take the worry of lawsuits off the backs of all Tennessee teachers.
He spoke of his work with Jim Boyer on the 25 year teacher retirement bill. It is still alive and still a good possibility. TEA has offered resistance for reasons of their own. He continued to update us on Goals 2000 which he described as a vast, expensive social agenda to which states are being asked to voluntarily submit. States are allowed to use these funds 'provided they are pursuing systemic restructuring, and progressing toward the national education agenda set forth in Goals 2000.' He suggests that a careful reading of these goals will cause families and educators to call for a repeal of this program.
PET's Internet Site to Expand
If you haven't seen PET's World Wide Web page yet, check out http://www.cdc.net/~pet. PET was recently contacted by the State of Tennessee and asked to participate in "The Spirit of Tennessee" train exhibit in the 200th Birthday Celebration that is now traveling across the state by train. Look for PET as one of the sites on the Internet Exhibit on the train.
PET will be expanding Internet Services with a new Site this fall that will include Autoresponders to give people instant feedback via email. Watch our current site for more information.
PET members in Bradley, Polk, and Hamilton Counties can receive special rates for full internet access through WingNet, an ISP in Cleveland. To receive the special rate of $17.95 a month for unlimited use, you must identify yourself as a PET member and ask for PET's special rate. For more info call 559-LINK.
Chaplain’s Corner
In 1642, The Old Deluder Satan Act was a defense tactic passed by early English lawmakers to insure that all citizens would learn to read from the scriptures. There was a fear that illiterate people would have no defense against tyranny, or even understand that tyranny was if they could not read the scriptures. These wise leaders concluded that children taught to read from the scriptures would have an excellent grounding in reading as well as moral decision making. This would also insure a strong pool of leadership potential in later years. These men were building for the future - building on the basic concept that the Lord’s word is our best lesson and our best guide.
We have strayed far afield in this nation’s schools to the point that we cannot even ask our God publicly, in humble prayer, at the beginning of our school day, to guide us in preparing good and honest citizens and leaders. The children cannot have this example from us. Those legislators who have chosen to take this privilege from us must be reminded that “The philosophy in the school room in one generation will be the philosophy of government in the next.”We are commanded to acknowledge our Creator in all things, and God will not be mocked.
Editor’s Notes
* In the year 2000, all Tennessee school board superintendents will be appointed. Are we beginning a dangerous precedent by throwing out our duly elected officials who must show just cause before all the people why they are qualified to make decisions for us?
* We regret the passing of Olan Isbell. Olan first learned of NAPE from an advertisement in Education Today. He was a leader in the establishment and growth of the Association of Professional Oklahoma Educators. At the time of his death, Mr. Isbell was serving as the executive secretary of the APOE and as the region 5 director of NAPE. Mr. Isbell was at our meeting in Chattanooga this past summer. He was a pleasant man with the same vision for the future as PET. His presence will be missed, but the work he has done in Oklahoma will be remembered.
* The PET conference has always been a sharing time for educator experiences in and out of the classroom. We would love to share some of these tales with our readers. To begin, we would like to ask particularly for vacation ‘tales’from our teachers to be shared in our fall newsletter. Jot down your funny, harrowing, exciting, impossible, or wonderful summer experiences, and we’ll write them up for all of us to enjoy. Write to: Editor of Teacher's PET, Carole Collier, 284 Todd Rd., Cleveland, TN 37323.
Copyright 1996 PET
Page last updated Aug. 1, 1996