Why Should Teachers Join SEIU?

Carmen Gilmore

My name is Carmen Gilmore I am teacher at Kidz Academy in Lakewood. I have been in child care for eight years. I started as a cleaner volunteer, then became a teacher and now I am a lead teacher and an evening supervisor. I have experience in all the classrooms, so believe me, I understand all the challenges teachers face in the classroom. With all the work that we do, we don’t always have time for a personal life. Time is the one thing that gets to me because of my commitment to my own education. I am working full time and attending Clover Park Technical College part time, because this is not just a job for me, but a career. I have had the parents of the children in my center and even my own family members not understand or respect the child care field as a career.  What keeps me going through the day? To be honest it’s the children. They don’t look at you as adults do, they look at you as a role model.  Just think about how many times has a child copied you or a parent said that their child wants to do this or wear that because their teacher is doing it. That happens to me a lot.

I would like to share with you why it is important to join SEIU. Child care is my profession as I know it is for most of you, and by joining with SEIU we will get the respect we deserve for the important work we all do.  As a lead teacher I want to make sure that my voice is heard. I want to reach out to our community and let them know how hard it is to get the respect from not just the parents but from other people who are not in our profession. We are the pathway of our future and by joining SEIU we will be given a voice. Yes!! We are professionals and we are not babysitters.  We want to get the same respect and benefits and recognition that other professions get. We give our all to the children and parents of Washington State every day. That is why it’s so important to join SEIU to gain respect, recognition and a voice in our profession. Together, with SEIU, we are going to do just that.

Carmen Gilmore, Lead Teacher, Child's Time III, Tacoma