To be heard by the IEA leadership gets tougher. I still own the orange sweater. And I’m the new president of Skokie.

Wearing the ugly orange sweater at the 2009 IEA RA. 

When Bob Haisman was IEA President and I was the only delegate to the NEA RA from Illinois who supported the merger of the AFT and the NEA, Haisman was cordial and dismissive. I really posed no challenge to the outcome he wanted. I was for the unity of the two national teacher unions. He opposed it. He won.

When Ann Davis was President, I would go to the mic. She would call on me. I would ask a question. She would respond with, “Next question.” 

When Ken Swanson was President, he just would ignore me at the mic. He wouldn’t see me.

This led me to wearing a bright ugly orange sweater to the state conventions. The better to be seen.

Such is the nature of democracy in the Illinois Education Association.

Under the current rule of Cinda Klickna it appears that the technique is to just not send me mail.

I retired in June and immediately sent in my IEA-Retired membership.

IEA-Retired must be the last organization in America where in order to join you can’t simply do it online. You have to download a pdf, print it, fill it out, write a check and then mail it in. I can order pizza easier than that.

But I did what I had to do. And remarkably, it didn’t get lost in the mail. I received a membership card.

And that was the last I heard from IEA-Retired.

When the nominating forms went out to run as a retired delegate to the IEA RA, guess what? I didn’t get one.

Now that the ballots have gone out to vote for a retired delegate, guess what? Nothing yet.

And I’m assigned to the Skokie chapter of IEA-Retired.

Guess what? There is no Skokie chapter. That’s aside from the fact that I live in Chicago. So, if the IEA is going to assign me to a suburban Retired chapter, why not Du Page or Palatine? Or Edwardsville near St. Louis?

But, what the hell. I think I may stick with Skokie and declare myself the President of the Skokie chapter of IEA-Retired.

Anyone want to join my Skokie chapter? Apparently you don’t have to live anywhere near Skokie. How about you retired folks down in Florida? Wanna be in my Skokie chapter?

Has this been intentional or because of incompetence? What’s the difference? It’s too late for me to run as delegate this year either way.

I won’t be able to speak at the microphone at the March IEA RA.

I’ve decided to go and get in with a press pass as an education blogger. I could go as a guest and claim my new title as President of the Skokie Chapter of IEA-Retired.

And I think I’ll wear the orange sweater just for grins.