A passion for poetry

NEA Today, Feb 2001

Name: David Arnold

Job Title: janitor at Brownstown Elementary School in south central Illinois for 18 years, and former president of the Brownstown ESP Association.

On the Side: I write poetry. I've written over 100 poems, but the ones I most like to write are for other ESP members, who seldom get thanked for doing the hard work they do. I've written at least 10 poems for all types of ESP jobs so far. Some of the poems are on the NEA ESP Web site, which has prompted members from around the country to E-mail me and ask if I will create poems specifically for their positions, like a recess aid, bus mechanic, and a school bus aid. I even won fifth place in a national competition for my poem, "Just a janitor." I feel so fortunate to be able to do this, to show ESP everywhere my appreciation for everything they do.

Special Concerns: Making sure children stay in school. I was local Association president when I read an article that kind of shocked me.

It said that at least 60 percent of prison inmates never finished high school. Shortly after I read that, the figures came out on the dropout rates in our own high school-which were at 10 percent. In a district of 500 children, that's just heartbreaking.

So I created my own black-and-white poster to put up in the high school which read "Some Places Don't Require a Good Education," with a picture of an inmate behind bars.

The poster got a lot of people's attention, and the state Association distributed it around Illinois. I've been creating posters for American Education Week for five years now.

Biggest Passion: The Association. I've helped organize three ESP locals, including my own. I've also served on two state committees and on the ESP council.

I keep reminding people that with the Association we bargain, without it, we beg. It's also a great way to meet other support personnel and develop a network of friends. V

RESOURCES

Show You Care

Looking for a special way to acknowledge members in your NEA local affiliate? Do what the Edison (N.J.) Education Association recently did: Copy David Arnold's poems (see "Team Player" above) for fellow janitors, bus drivers, cafeteria workers, and school secretaries onto parchment paper, frame them, and give them to your colleagues for any occasion. They work especially well as gifts for American Education Week. You can find the poems on the NEA Web site: http://www.nea.or#/esp/jobs/ poetry.htm.

Calling All Bus Drivers

Are you abus driver looking to share your experiences and resources with other bus drivers around the country? Try the "School Bus Driver" Web site at http://user.mc.net/hyden.

Is This Real?

Have you ever gotten an E-mail, and wondered if it's real? For example, Bill Gates offering you money if you pass on his E-mail to others, or warnings about hypodermic needles being attached to the underside of gas pump handles?

Those claims, and many more like them, are totally false according to HoaxBusters, a public service of the CIAC Team and the U.S. Department of Energy. To check on a questionable offer or claim, go to http://computerconnection.net/-dkweb/Hobus/ Hobus.htm.

The Web site lists hoaxes by category and you can search by topic.

Providing Soft Health Care

Do you work with medically fragile children? If yes, you may have questions about how best to help them. The NEA book, Providing Safe Health Care: The Role of Educational Support Personnel, can now be read for free on the NEA Web site. Check it out at http://www.nea.org/esp/ resource/safecare.htm.

Check This Out

Looking for a source of online novels, newspapers, magazines, and tutorials for students? Then you may want to check out www.ipl.org-for a vast collection of online resources.