From the Editor
Are We Ready for the Challenge?
Quo vadis (whither goest thou)? It’s a simple enough question, but one that governs our past, concerns our present and controls our future. It’s a simple enough question, but one that too often goes unanswered or is answered in only the past tense–“This is where we have been.”
Personal development self-analysis programs tell us to proact, not just re-. act. And yet most of us continue simply to exist, showing the same degree of control over our destinies as the weed that slowly turns to follow the sun until it is killed by the first frost. In an ever more complex and demanding world, we consider most days a success by simply coping with the immediate demands of family and work. Who has the time or the expertise to “family goal set” or “career self-assess?” These trendy concepts sell thousands of tapes and pocketbooks that usually wind up in the next garage sale when the euphoria of the weekend “power seminar” wears off.
During MCATA’s earlier decades of growth and achievement, the status quo was not only adequate but also justified by our success. Quo vadis could easily be answered retrospectively. After all, MCATA was likely the fastest growing council. Its publications and conferences gained renown provincially, nationally and internationally. “Here is where we have been and where we have succeeded; therefore, here is where we are and where we are going to be.” However, of late, MCATA has been battling to maintain its membership and prominent position. The status quo is no longer adequate, and no one, least of all the executive committee, seeks to justify it. We are now struggling to bring to bear all the self-assessment and other human resource tools used in the workplace to ensure the continued success of our superior council.
No quick-fix solutions exist. MCATA’s challenge is to get members involved instead of simply informing them of the problem. Without the participation of many of our members, any master plan for bringing new life to our council will be doomed from the start. We cannot continue to accept the complacency of lack of involvement. The general membership’s willingness to allow a small circle of members to determine not only the answers but also the process of asking the questions concerning MCATA’ s future is its elf cause for great concern. Some describe this lack of involvement as blind faith in the leadership. While superficially comforting, this analysis quickly breaks down in the face of the widespread member ignorance of what, in fact, the Council’s goals and ob_iects are and what services it provides. We continue to turn blindly toward the “warm source” while the first real frost of winter comes ever closer.
This widespread ignorance is coupled with a more disturbing and growing disaffection with the process itself, quite apart from the product. Allowing the few to set the agenda for the many will create the possibility that the personal visions of the few will become the reality for the many. Members, having not proacted, will react and speak with their feet, quietly leaving a council that has quit meeting their needs.
An old cliche says perception is reality. MCATA’ s reality is that unless the leaders ensure that the members perceive themselves as part of the process, they become part of the problem. At the same time, the leaders find it frustrating acting in a vacuum. Members must inform their leaders what they want. Do they want more specific information related to curriculum and the teaching process? And … ?
Take an active role in your council. Organize a local workshop; make a presentation at the annual conference; write an article for delta-K; or submit an interesting problem or story for the Newsletter. Let’s make MCATA number one. Perhaps Pogo said it best: “We have met the enemy and they is us.”
Art Jorgensen
From the Editor
Art Jorgensen
From the President’s Pen
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ANNUAL CONFERENCE
