Bismarck Tribune - North Dakota News - NDEA snub of teacher poor form

NDEA snub of teacher poor form

Nov 05, 2008 - 04:05:28 CST

Congratulations to Beth Ekre, who was named North Dakota Teacher of the Year. She's a sixth-grade teacher at Carl Ben Eielson Middle School in Fargo. Teachers such as Ekre have an enormous impact on their students. As important as curriculum, class size and technology might be in education, it's the teacher who really makes the difference as to whether students succeed or not. Thank you, Beth Ekre.

The Teacher of the Year honors were announced at a North Dakota Education Association instructional conference in Fargo on Oct. 23. After it was announced that Ekre was the state's winner, she gave an acceptance speech. A social or reception sponsored by NDEA to honor the winners followed, but Ekre was turned away at the door because she was not an NDEA member.

What were they thinking? What possibly could be accomplished by "snubbing" Ekre?

It was, after all, a social.

Is this the result of years of adversarial contract negotiations between teacher groups and school boards in the state?

Any one who had attended negotiation meetings over the years could attest to the acrimonious nature of the talks. Fortunately, in the Bismarck-Mandan area, these contract talks have in recent years taken a turn for the better, through efforts by school boards and teacher associations. This gentler, kinder effort is the high road.

NDEA officials should have welcomed Ekre to their social, member or not. And they should have celebrated her success in their profession. The unwillingness to do so should worry anyone interested in education in North Dakota. Their action lacked civility and good manners. No good point was made.

Jon Martinson, director of the North Dakota School Boards Association, wrote that he was "highly offended by the hurtful and vindictive treatment" of Ekre in a letter to state Sen. Layton Freborg, chairman of the Senate Education Committee. Martinson lobbied Freborg to create legislation to "remove the NDEA from playing any role whatsoever in North Dakota's Teacher of the Year program."

While the Tribune agrees Ekre was treated shabbily, somehow legislatively punishing the NDEA for bad behavior goes too far. That's not what lawmaking ought to be about. There are other ways to make a good point.

Most North Dakotans want to live in a civil and democratic society with each person treated with respect and ideas given their day in the court of reasonable debate. That may be a bit naive. Things often aren't that way. Still, we are disappointed with actions like those by the NDEA officials. We thought better of them. It certainly wasn't a good lesson for the state's students, or teachers who might be considering membership.

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Comments

Megan D wrote on May 12, 2009 1:29 PM:

" I can personaly say Beth Ekre is amazing. I had her as a teacher, and i dont think i have ever learned so much in one year. She is an amazing person and all students of hers are blessed! I think i can speak for all the kids that have had Mrs.Ekre, she truely cares about everything and everyone. "

khagen wrote on Nov 5, 2008 7:06 PM:

" There is an elementary school on the Grand Forks Air Base named after Carl Ben Eielson, as well as a middle school by the same name in Fargo. "

BJB wrote on Nov 5, 2008 6:19 PM:

" As a teacher I am withholding my opinion on this matter. However, I will say NDEA has divided North Dakota teachers. It has been very apparent in the teacher's lounge at lunch!!! "

VC wrote on Nov 5, 2008 5:43 PM:

" Factual error? I'm pretty sure Carl Ben Eielson Middle School is a school at the Grand Forks Air Force Base, not in Fargo. "

PO3 wrote on Nov 5, 2008 2:37 PM:

" NDEA is by their own admissions made up of mostly people of a liberal persuasion. Didn't this teacher identify herself as being a conservative, so you see since she disagreed with the majority she had to be denied this recognition. "

MamaMia wrote on Nov 5, 2008 2:03 PM:

" Online Ed: You're just too sensitive! ;>)) (Please take that as a joke.) "

Online Editor wrote on Nov 5, 2008 1:33 PM:

" To MamaMia: As I have frequently said, it's not what you say, but how you say it. "

MamaMia wrote on Nov 5, 2008 1:30 PM:

" I posted something here this morning that didn't get printed. I know, I know, I have heard the Mark Twain phrase about not picking a fight with someone who buys ink by the barrel and paper by the ream. I just think the Trib owed it to people to look into this matter VERY carefully before they spouted an opinion on it. And, quite frankly, the NDEA doesn't give a rip what the Trib thinks, anyway. "

Online Editor wrote on Nov 5, 2008 8:58 AM:

" To Truth: Because I cannot easily verify your facts they could be considered libelous. For that reason it is not possible to publish your comment. "

JP wrote on Nov 5, 2008 7:43 AM:

" C'mon Tribune... I usually appreciate and many times agree with your editorial staff on the pieces that they write. In fact... i rarely feel the need to post a comment because it is well written in the editorial... but this is terrible. This story screams that there is another side that needs to be heard... yet your paper ignores that side and publishes this editorial. I can only assume, by your strance on this, that you will no longer be selling tickets to any events that you sponsor... as you have shown that all should be allowed in whether invited or not... This editorial just seems very poorly thought out and a knee jerk reaction to the situation... "

why wrote on Nov 5, 2008 6:44 AM:

" why does beth need NDEA's recognition, you won a award, that should be enough. You dont need to be part of the establishment. "

free will wrote on Nov 5, 2008 5:49 AM:

" I am waiting for the other side of this story. "

LDH wrote on Nov 5, 2008 4:17 AM:

" I completely agree it was in EPIC poor taste to turn her away. "

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