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
My “Joy, Justice, and Excellence” tour of schools and campuses around the U.S. continued this spring with stops in Arizona and Kentucky. I met NEA members who are running for office (joy!), lobbying lawmakers for the support their students deserve (justice!), and inspiring children with culturally relevant curriculum (excellence!). Between those trips, I joined Minneapolis educators on the picket line to call for mental health supports for students and a living wage for the district’s classroom aides and other education support professionals.
We marched. We rallied. We showed up. And … we won!
What I’m Watching
You know I’m a Philly girl. So you know exactly what I’m watching on Tuesday nights. It’s Abbott Elementary, ABC’s mockumentary about an underfunded public school where people like us are working to make things better for their students. Fellow Philly girl, Quinta Brunson, the creator, executive producer, and star of the show, gets it. She sees our joy and our challenges.
“If we can’t get new aides, can we get new rugs?” asks Brunson’s character, a teacher named Janine. The show was named for the sixth-grade West Philly teacher, Joyce Abbott, who inspired Brunson. I’m so happy it was renewed for another season!
Three Things You Can Do for Your Students and for Yourself
Support LGTBQ Students!
Earn an NEA Micro-Credential
