One book I enjoyed rereading this past year was Kurt Vonnegut’s If This Isn’t Nice, What Is? It’s a collection of speeches given in public spaces and at college commencement ceremonies that all revolve around a recurring theme of connection: family, unity.
“If we are to become a strong and decent people,” he says, “we must become cousins now—eccentric cousins maybe, but cousins all the same.”
I think this assertion is especially relevant in this legislative period, in which the Utah Education Association is accused of ignoring its members’ needs. Rep. Jordan Teuscher has insisted, “Thousands of voices across our state… just don’t get heard.” He may be right that some people’s views aren’t acknowledged by the union as a whole—but that doesn’t mean the union won’t take care of them.
Often, when we think of the term “harmony,” we think of peace, agreement, unanimity. But musically speaking, harmony is the coming together of diverse notes. These notes often fit into a pattern—hence the way a certain set of notes sung together “sounds good.” In this same way, the goals of our union develop. Many people, despite their differences, desire the same things: security, support and connection.
I doubt there’s a single member of this union who would prefer precarity in their employment. I doubt there’s a single member who prefers to go without supplies. I believe every member values their connections—to their students, their co-workers and their community. So while the union as a whole can’t respond to every critique within its membership, it strives to support the livelihood of its members.
In spite of these attacks, in spite of our differences, I would say it is more important than ever for us to stick together—as a family might. “We must become cousins now,” at least in sharing a common purpose.
Ralph Chaplin’s classic labor hymn asks, “What force on Earth is weaker than the feeble strength of one?” One voice can be hard to hear, even from a short distance. It can be ignored. Many voices together can reach farther than any one of them could alone.
That is the necessity of a union. It promises a standard of dignity, professionalism and protection against the many forces that would take these things away. Education is essential to the betterment of our world. And we, as teachers, are responsible for sharing it.
