Joe Biden speaks at the Iowa State Education Association (ISEA) legislative conference in 2020, as ISEA President Mike Beranek watches. Photo by Bernie Scolaro, published with permission.

Bernie Scolaro is a retired school counselor, a past president of the Sioux City Education Association, and former Sioux City school board member.

Resolutions for the New Year are easy to give up on. It often seemed the year had barely begun when I would forget whatever it was I said I would (or wouldn’t) do. So when I went to Planet Fitness yesterday, I looked around wondering how many of these people just joined because they made that resolution to feel better—to get fit, be in better shape, lose weight.

Why are resolutions so hard to keep? I think one of the obstacles to attaining a goal is that so much in life is out of our control.

Out of our control. As I look back to 2023, that’s how I feel when I think of what our state government has done to our public education system, to our teachers, to our teacher librarians, to our students. The majority party passed new laws telling us what books can or can’t be in our school library, what we can or cannot teach, and for our students, what name they can or cannot use, and which bathroom they can or cannot use. And if you do not follow the edict? Punishment.

It does not matter if the laws take away your basic dignity as teachers and students, or for that matter as human beings who have their own values, beliefs, feelings. The government overreach reminds me that no matter how much we protest peacefully, attend educational legislative forums and town halls, we are not going to change the minds of our state representatives. It is out of our control. So what is in our power?

For their New Year’s resolution, I recommend teachers join the Iowa State Education Association. I don’t know a better way to protect oneself, to receive emotional and legal support, to receive ongoing knowledge and most of all, peace of mind. Teachers deserve that in 2024. Teachers need to feel some sense of being in control. Teachers need to feel they can lean on an organization full of people who are there for them.

Alternative groups may offer some of these benefits, but nothing like the ISEA. It reminds me of the times I have walked through Chinatown eyeing the Gucci purse knockoffs and the fake Rolex watches. They look impressive, and the sellers will happily take your money (and it won’t be as expensive), but they aren’t the same. It’s not the real deal.

In all my years in education, I have never seen any organization “representing teachers” other than the ISEA be called in for help, or sit at the table during local negotiations, or meet during school district crises. (In fact, the only time I see the presence of another organization is at conference booths trying to get you to sign up).

The ISEA has representatives in the local community, at the state level lobbying for public education issues, and at the national level encompassing the largest teachers union in the United States.

Making a resolution to join the ISEA gives teachers back some control. And allows them to feel better. We can all use a little “feeling better” in 2024.