Public Is Clueless About ESP

Annual Meeting, American Ed Week Offer Opportunities for ESP to Shine

By Dave Arnold

If you scan an educator’s calendar, two important weeks jump out. One falls in November, the other in July. Education Support Professionals (ESP) are spotlighted during both periods, though most people haven’t a clue what is meant by E-S-P.

In November, American Education Week precedes the week of Thanksgiving Day. That Wednesday is designated as National Education Support Professionals Day. Despite many observances on this occasion, I am reminded that the general public could not tell you about the honorees.

In July, the National Education Association convenes its Annual Meeting and Representative Assembly. This year, more than 8,300 delegates will gather at the Los Angeles Convention Center from July 1-6. Their goal is clear: chart a course to improve American public education.

Living in a Shadow

Even though hundreds of ESP will attend the RA as delegates and volunteers, most people outside the convention center probably think that there are only teachers inside. To many people, ESP are an unknown commodity.

Maybe it is the acronym that throws folks for a loop. You say “bus driver,” “custodian,” or “cafeteria cook” and an immediate image emerges. You say “ESP” and people draw a blank.

Education support workers seem to live in the shadow of teachers and administrators. Yet, we comprise more than 40 percent of the total K-12 workforce. We have as much to gain or lose as teachers and administrators regarding the stability of schools.

It is in our best interest to promote ESP as a school employee category. Individually, job titles do not have as much political impact as ESP. When you say NEA ESP you are talking about a small army of more than 358,000 dues-paying activists.

The nine job groups of K-12 ESP positions include more than 300 categories. There are additional categories listed under a tenth job group, NEA ESP in Higher Education. You can find more information about all of these groups in the ESP jobs section of this Web site.

Involve Others at the RA

If you are attending the RA, tell people who you are. Tell folks at hotels, restaurants and shops where you're from and what you do as an ESP.

Attend the National Council for ESP (NCESP) meeting on Friday, July 1. Among many objectives, the council aims to improve the structure of NEA in order to ensure full participation of ESP.  Have any ideas about this? Get involved.

Also, attend the speech by 2005 ESP of The Year Kathleen Lange, a health care assistant from Elk Grove Village, Illinois. She will address the assembly on Monday afternoon, July 4.  Listen closely and clap loudly when the spirit moves.

There will be five open NEA ESP board seats to be elected at large. Investigate the candidates and see who you like. Think about running for a board seat yourself sometime.

Next November

A few years ago, my wife and I attended a candidate endorsement meeting as representatives for our region. One candidate for state senator was asked if he would be as supportive of ESP as he was of teachers. He had been in politics most of his life and visited hundreds of schools, yet he had no clue what we were talking about.

If he knew that we are about 40 percent of his area’s school workforce, which adds up to thousands of votes, you can bet he'd claim us as good buddies if not close relatives.

This politician demonstrated that the general public is likely clueless, nonchalant, or even dismissive about the work of ESP. This year, during American Education Week, you can improve public perception in the following ways:

• Advertise in the local newspaper with a photo and biography of each ESP member.
• Approach radio and TV stations to do interviews with ESP explaining their jobs.
• Organize information tables at business functions with pamphlets about ESP jobs. You can also show why union employees are better for schools than contractors.
• Sponsor a raffle to help buy playground equipment for a school. Install a plaque that mentions ESP sponsors.

Little by little ESP will emerge in the public eye and show that it takes more to run a school than teachers and administrators.

More Dave's columns.

(Dave Arnold, a member of the Illinois Education Association, is head custodian at Brownstown Elementary School in Southern Illinois. He can be contacted at dparnold@csuol.com.)

The views expressed in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the NEA or its affiliates.