By UEA Vice President Kimilee Campbell

Big words fascinate my elementary students. Not long ago, several students were huddled around a dictionary discussing the meaning of the word symbiotic. With the succinct wisdom of a ten-year-old, one of them announced, “It means it's good for both.” Short, simple, and to the point.

To educators, the relationship between working conditions and student achievement is just that simple. What is good for one is good for the other. Lower class size is not merely a function of workload, it means more individual-

ized attention for students which, in turn, improves student achievement and students' attitudes toward school. Adequate textbooks and supplies make our jobs doable and enhance student learning. Up-to-date technology is a must for both students and educators to succeed in an information age. Appealing salaries help recruit and retain skilled educators, and research points to a skilled educator as the most important variable to school success.

So how does student success affect educators' working conditions? Education is a people profession. We choose to be educators because we want to make a difference in students' lives. Many beginning and veteran educators leave the profession because they feel unsuccessful in meeting the needs of their students. Teaching is complex and demanding work even without the challenges of tough working conditions. Student successes, both small and large, are at the heart of why we teach and, sadly, sometimes at the heart of why we don't teach.

As we enter another season of lobbying and bargaining, it's almost a given that some will attack our efforts as self-serving. We know better. Caring about students and caring about working conditions are not mutually exclusive. In fact, just the opposite is true. It is a real symbiotic relationship. Simply put, “It's good for both.”