Over the next few weeks we'll be sharing guest posts from #MSTA12 attendees sharing their thoughts on our 150th convention. Today's post is from our Official Live Tweeter, Robert Sigrist.
Convention was an exciting time this year. From a personal standpoint, I was dubbed the “Official Live Tweeter” of the convention, something that I thoroughly enjoyed doing. From sharing pictures and comments from the beginning of the Assembly of Delegates to sharing quotes and phrases from our outstanding speaker, Angela Maiers, I hope that the information available on Twitter was of value to other members and allowed those who couldn’t be with us to follow along.
The Assembly of Delegates was much livelier than it has been in several years. Several resolutions drew a healthy amount of debate from the delegates. Delegates debated about resolutions that ranged in content from guidelines about school lunches to creating a fund for the closing of charter schools. A resolution that I proposed related to placing a surcharge on political ads in the State of Missouri brought numerous people to the microphone. No matter your stance on a specific issue, seeing people express their thoughts and opinions during debate is always one of my favorite parts of convention. It is the true definition of grass-roots politics, as our members discuss and debate what we feel is best for our organization, and in turn, for our students. To me, it’s one of the things that make our organization truly great. One great idea from a member can be brought to the assembly, discussed, as passed as a resolution. That resolution can then be taken to the legislature to possibly become a law. The process is exciting and empowering!
Although convention just ended and is fresh in our minds, it’s always good to look to the future. If you have ideas that you think might be good for education and for students, we NEED those ideas to be expressed. Take some time, think of what you think we can do to improve education in the State of Missouri. Share those ideas. A good idea that never sees the light of day is no better than a bad idea that never sees the light of day. All of us together are smarter than any of us individually. Our kids need you to submit your good ideas as resolutions! I am looking forward to seeing everyone at Convention in Columbia next year- it will be here before we know it!
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