Ellis Tech Visit

Thursday was a real good day.
I had the opportunity to tour Ellis Tech High in Danielson, CT with the officers of SVFT (the local which represents teachers at all the Connecticut Vo-Tech high schools), Jan Hochadel, Brian Bisson, and Ed Leavy, and meet with the teachers and students.
In a word, I was impressed.
I grew up in the Danielson area but attended the other public high school in town, Killingly.  I had friends at Ellis.  When I received my community college management degree, most of my classes were at Ellis because they hadn't built the collage campus yet. So in some ways it was like going home.
The school has been rebuilt and it is beautiful.
The first thing we did was have lunch, prepared and served by the students of the culinary class. When we arrived, they were serving 20 or 30 senior citizens from a local senior housing complex, who had come for lunch. The food and service was fantastic, the place immaculately clean.  The instructor came to sit with us and from time to time, one of the students would come near the table, wait patiently until he turned to them, and they would have a question.  Sometimes he would answer and they would be off, a couple of times he excused himself, went with them to the kitchen or the cash register, and instructed them.  It was so cool to watch and each and every time, they would call him "chef."
That respect from the students to the teachers was repeated in every interaction I witnessed.
After lunch, Brian and I toured the shops while Jan and Ed toured the academic classrooms.
Brian would ask about safety and filtration (he handles safety as VP of the local), and how the "climate" was in the building between teachers and administration and teachers and each other.
By the way, let me say how refreshing it was to see an administration respecting the union leadership.
We struggle with that at the hospital.
At the end of the school day and we all met up and attended a meeting with the teachers. Each officer took a turn relaying information, answering questions and hearing concerns. When they gave me a chance to address the teachers I told them how impressed I was in the pride the teachers had in their shops, in their work, and in the work their students and former students were doing.
It was a great opportunity for the president of an AFT healthcare local, and I am fairly certain it will not be my last. There is no substitute for face to face interactions, especially when you can have them in the place people work.
The more time I spend with the education members of my union, they more I believe that although there are differences between education, healthcare, and public employees, there is more similar than dissimilar.
We all instruct, we all counsel, we all look out for the physical and emotional needs of those we serve.
I'd like to thank Jan, Brian, Ed and the teachers and students of Ellis for letting me be part of their day.
After the visit, we headed for New London for a big Labor rally, the Governor's debate, and the after party.
The perfect way to end the day.