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No “pomp and circumstance,” just a commitment to education as TCTA President steps into the limelight
Janie Baszile fondly recalls being asked to play “Pomp and Circumstance” during her 6th grade graduation after her music teacher discovered that she took piano lessons. Rosa Lee Easter Elementary School in the Houston Independent School District was “a place where students were challenged and given the opportunity to develop academically and in character by teachers who were respected, nurturing and committed.” But it was while playing school with neighbors that Baszile, who always volunteered to be the teacher, learned she wanted to become one. And fortunately, for the special education math students at the Gerald Cobb 6th grade campus, she developed a love and patience for this often challenging role.
Baszile has been a teacher for 29 years, including the past 26 with the Galena Park ISD. Prior to joining the Cobb 6th grade campus when it opened in 2000, she taught grades 6-8 behavioral adjustment classes at Northshore and Cunningham Middle Schools. She earned a bachelor of science degree in business education and a master of education degree in special education from Prairie View A&M University, and holds certifications in Business Education, Mental Retardation, Language and Learning-Disabled, Early Childhood Handicapped, Supervision and Educational Diagnostician.
“Teaching is what I truly love”
“Teaching is what I have always done. Teaching is what I truly love. The rewards are like no other profession,” says Baszile. She credits her sincere love of working with students, parents and other educators for keeping her in the profession for nearly 30 years, but also recognizes that “working in a district with supportive administrative personnel and school board members certainly makes a difference in the tenure of its educators.” In the classroom, she enjoys being challenged and, in turn, challenging her students. Simply put, she likes to “make learning fun.” And it is obviously fun for Baszile, who tells of a student who called her “Mom” in class one day which the rest of the class thought was hilarious. She says this is not uncommon at any grade level, and more frequent when you have developed a rapport with a student. “As an educator, we wear many hats.”
She takes special joy in the glow on a student’s face when he/she has mastered a concept, when a graduation invitation is received from a former student, or when a parent says, “thank you for the difference you made in my child’s life.” Baszile finds the most disappointing aspect of teaching is when helping a child is beyond your control, like when she lost one of her 6th grade students to a terminal illness in October. “On days when he was too ill to remain in school, he pleaded with the nurse to send him back to class,” Baszile says. “Clearly, school was his refuge, his bright spot in the midst of the challenges he was facing.”
Baszile thinks that positive media coverage at school board meetings and on campus is key to demonstrating to the community and public sector the hard work and accomplishments of educators and students. Seemingly small efforts like these are critical and when coupled with advocacy at the state level may help lead to greater respect and improved pay and benefits for teachers. On the legislative front, she would like to see more focus on improved health insurance rates and services, smaller class sizes and adequately staffed campuses. She also has great concern for school safety issues and is glad to see the Texas Legislature paying heed to some serious warning signs over the past year.
TCTA “truly represents teachers”
Baszile has been a member of TCTA since she first began teaching in 1975 at Lincoln Middle School in the Beaumont ISD. For her it was an easy choice, one that allowed her “to be affiliated with an organization that truly represents teachers.” She attributes TCTA’s continued success and membership growth to its unparalleled legal representation and tireless advocacy for teachers, paraprofessionals and support staff before state agencies and the Texas Legislature. She applauds TCTA for its high integrity and constant efforts to meet the needs of members.
Baszile has been very active in TCTA, serving on the Executive Committee as Teacher Personal Services committee chair (2002-2006); District 4 director and director-at-large (three terms); vice-chair and member of the Legislation committee and member of the ACT For TCTA and Credentials and Resolutions committees. She is also active in the Galena Park CTA and has held numerous offices, including president, membership committee chair, hospitality chair, faculty representative, and CTA representative at school board meetings.
The time was right
After attending many conventions, leadership conferences, training workshops and District 4 meetings, Baszile was driven by the professionalism and dedicated work of the TCTA staff and received encouragement from local members and past-presidents to run for president-elect. When she thought the time was right and the pieces of the puzzle came together, she announced her candidacy and took a leading role in the history of TCTA. “Serving as president-elect has been a wonderful experience,” Baszile says, and she imagines the next level will find her “ecstatic.”
On June 1, 2007, Baszile took office as 2007-08 statewide president of the Texas Classroom Teachers Association. With the poise and graciousness that have become her signature style, she will guide TCTA’s efforts as it works to enhance the teaching profession and provide a full array of services and advocacy to its 50,000 members. She also will take an active role in representing the Association at many key discussions and meetings, including the State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC), State Board of Education and Teacher Retirement System. Of course, SBEC is already familiar territory for Baszile—she was appointed by Gov. Rick Perry to serve on the state-level board in June 2006, and has traveled to Austin for meetings every other month for the past year. Baszile serves as one of four teachers on the 14-member board, which regulates and oversees all aspects of the preparation, certification, and standards of conduct of public school educators.
Baszile particularly looks forward to the opportunity to work closely with “the best organizational staff in Texas,” to visit local affiliates in the 20 Texas districts and interns in teacher preparation programs, and to connect with at-large members across the state.
An inside look
Committed to community and volunteer work, Baszile is an active life-member of the Houston-Prairie View Alumni Chapter (president 2005-07) and the Houston Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. She also serves on the Education Board of Gethsemane Missionary Baptist Church, where she teaches Sunday school. Other volunteer efforts include the citywide Thanksgiving dinner, Katrina relief and Breast Cancer Awareness Drive. She has received numerous awards, including Houston-Prairie View Alumni Labor Day Classic Gala Honoree (2005); Cobb 6th Grade Campus nominee for the Houston Area Alliance of Black Educators Award (2003); and Galena Park CTA Secondary Teacher of the Year (2000). She is a member of the Council of Exceptional Children.
Born in Houston, she is the oldest of three girls born to Lunion and Celestine Smith. She and her husband, David, have two children, Talitha, who is a 5th grade teacher in the Galena Park ISD, and son, Dapanion, who studied biomedical science at Texas A&M University and currently works in Houston. She met her husband when he was a senior and she a junior at Prairie View A&M University on a beautiful Sunday afternoon after returning from spring break. “He approached me, we started talking, sharing laughs and have continued doing so for 33 years.”
Her daughter graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a degree in kinesiology and biology, initially working in the corporate world. When Talitha later enrolled in LaTourneau University’s Alternative Certification Program, Baszile was delighted and happy to donate some of her teaching tools to the daughter who had always displayed patience and a desire to work with young children. She credits her children with “always extending the support that was given to them.”
Baszile’s favorite activities are family fun, reading and traveling. “When traveling, we tour a city as though we will never return,” says Baszile. While in her favorite travel spot, Cabo San Lucas, she enjoys visiting adjacent cities to stroll through shops, missions and art galleries, eating exotic foods, horseback riding, sharing candlelight dinners with friends, bungee jumping on the soft sands, parasailing and enjoying a twilight dinner cruise like no other.
My perfect day….
While you might have thought Baszile’s perfect day would be on that beach in Cabo San Lucas, it actually revolves around work and family, which she describes in the following ways:
• enjoying a good breakfast
• looking forward to going to work
• maximizing the learning potential of my students
• spending minutes with co-workers
• ending the day on a positive note
• attending meetings and volunteering
• having some quiet time for myself
• spending time with my family
Clearly, Baszile is a woman with a lot to do, and she’ll be sharing her passion for education as TCTA’s 2007-08 statewide president.
Web posted: 06/12/07
