A Tribute To A Great Leader And Friend
Steve Duditch
After 38 years of being a teacher and union leader, Steve Duditch has left us a remarkable legacy. Making his mark as one of the more innovative middle school teachers at Churchill Middle School for 19 years and for several years at El Camino High School, Steve began to show interest in advocating for teacher rights in the early 90's. He served on the SJTA Bargaining Team leading the way towards establishing a more strategic bargaining process, and leaving behind the "make war-make peace" mentality that was the norm since the mid-70's.
Steve quickly became a fixture in STJA leadership. He is the longest serving officer in SJTA history, having served 20 years as either President or Vice President since 1991. This is quite remarkable as union work can often leave you grinding your molars into oblivion at night if you don't discover quickly how to balance your personal life with work. But it was evident that Steve not only had the courage but also the stamina of a draft horse (minus the docile temperament) to survive and thrive in this type of work. Often carrying the heaviest of workloads, he could be found at the office six days a week, often 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 pm. It has only been in the most recent years when Sandra and I accused him of becoming a bit too crusty in his old age and told him he needed to sleep in a bit if he wanted to make it to retirement years.
Beyond the daily stint of district meetings and returning phone calls to those in crisis, Steve's accomplishments are many. Chairing the nationally recognized Peer Assistance and Review Program nearly since its inception in 2001 and overseeing the SJTA's Political Action Committee for 20 years deserves considerable praise. Many members have been buttonholed into his office and in the politest manner, asked to make a voluntary contribution to the PACE program. Steve was a master of the "Ask", as it is now known. And of course, he used the same persuasive tactics to garner articles for this magazine, which he edited (I use the term very liberally) as if he was Ben Bradlee of the Washington Post. "Do you have my article", he would bark at me several times a day until it was finally produced.
Steve's true gift, however, lies in his relentless pursuit of social justice and fairness for the most mistreated and vulnerable of our adults and students in the workplace. Most union presidents bring with them a passion for a particular issue when first assuming the office. Steve's was social justice, pure and simple. During his tenure as classroom teacher, Steve always was able to connect with the most troubled and difficult students, taking those that no other staff member wanted. And for more than 20 years as a union officer, Steve raised close to $500,000 spent entirely on professional development programs for teachers and students for the sole purpose of improving the lives of those who most experience inequality in today's world. Collaborating with other teachers, he led the way with programs that help us understand how poverty is a huge factor in student's ability to learn; with programs that helped us understand that tough conversations about race and class must occur if we are ever to begin making progress with the achievement gap; and programs that helped us understand that social norms and educational policies were denying gay, lesbian, and transgender adults and youths the same safe and supportive environment as everyone else.
I will miss his presence, his fierce loyalty to SJTA, and his unwavering support of Sandra and me through the toughest of times. I could count on him as if he was my brother. I will even miss his penchant for constantly interrupting me to talk about politics, family, and life in general. On second thought, maybe we will call him back to run the next school board campaign in 2012.
By Tom Alves
Executive Director, SJTA