We’re all frustrated!

I’ve written before of how I enjoy driving to visit with members within their own local area. I do about twenty of these trips a year. It's great travel time through Michigan and a chance to visit with some really nice people and make new friends. I’ve been making these trips for a number of years. Today was the first time I dreaded one of these drives.

By letters received and advance billing I had been told to expect a room full of anger. As I entered, it seemed to me, they were right. The room was full of frustration in large part to the vocal position our association had taken in support of the Michigan Merit Curriculum. This was seen as insensitive to the membership, I was out-of-touch, didn’t speak-up on their behalf, and the association didn’t represent the membership. So, wrongly on my part, I entered the room with a chip on my shoulder after stewing on the long drive.

The conversation began with the bait of where was I on the “Sheltrown” bill. A bill, as introduced, has a general diploma and language that says that if a student is on a “career pathway” within career technical education program they should not be held to any of the algebra II standards and be given credit. Many of our members are being polled by their area CTE centers as I write this trying to build support to undermine the association as we work this legislation. There were directors from three CTE centers in the room, I perceived, ready to pounce if I said we (I) opposed the bill.

Not going into the blow-by-blow I showed that not all within the CTE community support the legislation. There are those within the CTE community that have written if the bill passed as introduced it would set all the equality efforts back fifty years; putting into law a two tiered system. I hope those present heard as with all legislation MASSP works on, the goal of the association is to stay “at the table” as long as we can to try to resolve concerns by our members. Early “no’s" or “yes’s” don’t let this happen. It was clear that most in the room felt that CTE could not deliver academics within CTE, at least not to meet state standards. I heard them saying the legislation as written was needed.

After two hours of answering questions, charges, and a lot of tension we agreed on these things: there is much conflicting information out there, there are a lot of possibilities to meet “college/workforce readiness,” there is more flexibility in the law than given credit, the flexibility is not understood, “just tell us what to do” still is the mantle of many of our members (usually so they can say how it won’t work), and these times don’t seem to make friends. I really tried to bring the association back closer to those building administrators in the room. I left feeling I had failed.

That is my biggest disappointment. The absence of friendship. I’ve fought a lot of battles for the “good guys.” For the first time the trust and respect I’ve enjoyed between our members and myself was not there.