By: Annette Freeman, CNTA Vice-President

Hello Fellow CNTA Members,

I’d like to take this opportunity to welcome you back to the 2010-2011 school year. As your new vice president, I want to share a little about myself and some of my goals for CNTA during the upcoming year and these difficult times.

First of all, for those of you who don’t know me, I am a third grade teacher at Home Gardens Elementary, and have taught for 21 years. Married for 16 years, I am a proud and “exhausted” mother of a lively 15 year-old daughter, Briana. As for us all, family is extremely important to me. That is why I feel so passionate about our union. The stronger we are, the better our work environment will become. The better our work environment, the happier we will be, and this will reflect on the home front. I want to share my passion with you, and hopefully gain your support as we become a stronger, more effective organization.

One of my goals this year is better organization. This is important to any group, business, or otherwise, that wants to accomplish anything. When we band together, we gain strength. It is not enough to say, “Oh yeah, I think that’s a good idea.” Or, “No, how come we’re doing that?” We have to listen to one another, get involved, and most importantly, VOTE. Last year we had a record vote in CNTA’s history --- 85% plus participation. That was phenomenal!

Next on my list is transparency. I don’t believe in hidden agendas. This organization belongs to all of us, and that includes YOU! To the best of my ability, I will inform you through this venue or others, about new situations, upcoming problems, and changes in the contract and workplace. I am here to serve you and will do so by making myself available as much as possible.

Another of my goals is member empowerment. I want all of you to feel the empowerment that you have. We are one of the biggest and most noticeable unions in California. You have power, use it! The Executive Board and the Rep.Council are here to serve you and help you in any way we can. I would like to hopefully offer some training in this area to aid teachers in building their knowledge base of empowerment.

Finally, I want an open line of communication in our organization. To get to know one another we must have better communication. It’s not enough to just say, “Oh I’ll get back to you on that.” We must FOLLOW THROUGH. The only way we are going to grow is if we communicate. I will be visiting sites to introduce myself in the upcoming weeks. Don’t hesitate to come by, grab a donut, and say “Hi!”

I look forward to meeting you,

Anne Freeman
CNTA Vice President