Dear NEA Members,
I am honored to serve as your president. United, we will reclaim public education as a common good and transform it into a racially and socially just system that actually prepares every student - not one, not some, but every single student - to succeed in a diverse and interdependent world. Onward!
Face to Face with NEA Members
Something I love to do: Surprise educators in their workplaces with an unexpected—but oh-so deserved—expression of appreciation. This spring, during Teacher Appreciation Week, I traveled with the National PTA president to Montgomery Blair High School, in Silver Spring, Md. We had a big surprise for teachers Michelle Elie, Jeremy Stelzner, and Maria Eugenia Tanos! This amazing trio advises the Blair student news publication, including a Spanish-language section. Balloons and flowers in hand, we delivered a check for $5,000, funded by Lysol, which the teachers plan to use for printing and photography costs. I also met with their students, who said how grateful they are for these teachers, who help them think and grow, and urge them to be the very best they can be. I, too, am grateful—as they remind us all of our passion for education and our power as educators.
Quote byBecky , FOX 7, on May 7, 2024
What I'm Listening To
On the 70th anniversary of the Brown v. Board of Education decision this past spring, the National Black Justice Coalition (NBJC) launched a podcast called “Teach the Babies,” focusing on whether the promise of Brown has been fulfilled. Not only have I put it into regular rotation for listening, I appeared on the podcast earlier this summer to talk with NBJC Executive Director David J. Johns about how our union is working to defend democracy and support every single student in our classrooms.
Seventy years after Brown, we see some politicians banning books and restricting educators from teaching the truth about race and racism. We see these politicians striving to take money out of public schools—which educate 90 percent of the nation’s students—and put the funding into private schools instead. So my answer is no: The promise has not yet been fulfilled. But we will not rest until it is.
3 Things to do for Yourself, Your Students, and Your Union
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Support your new colleagues! It’s been a minute since I was a baby teacher in Philadelphia, but I still remember the educators who helped me find my footing. Attend your union’s new-hire orientation events this month and find ways to be supportive. Be the colleague whose door is always open!
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Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month! Despite some politicians’ efforts to erase or whitewash our history, educators will persist in teaching students—and each other—about the vibrant heritage and contributions of Hispanic and Latino people. Visit nea.org/HispanicHeritage
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Get involved in the 2024 election. So much is at stake in November’s election—our ability to teach the truth, to support our LGBTQ+ students and colleagues, and even to maintain our democracy and the right to vote. President Biden is the most pro-public education president in modern history. Turn to Page 31 to see how the candidates compare on public education. And learn how you can help, even if you have just a few minutes to spare, at educationvotes.nea.org
Quote byBecky , at the NEA 2024 NEA Representative Assembly
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