My career working with students having special needs was part of my plan from a young age. The work with my union came later in life and provided a new, special way for me to help my colleagues and students.
My path to becoming involved with my union and NEA is probably not typical – and wasn’t direct. But that involvement now has added another important layer to a very rewarding career.
I wasn’t very active with the union as a special education teacher and school administrator in Cincinnati and Canton, Ohio, where the union was successful and strong. I was busy and fulfilled as a teacher in the field I had loved since I was a teen. I dedicated myself to work as a low incidence teacher and mother, so I was supportive of the union, but didn’t fully appreciate all it did or why I should be involved.
I had a family, and my work was challenging, trying to gain even the most fundamental advances for my disabled students: the ability to learn basic lessons, control their emotions, eat on their own – or even just let someone know they were hungry. Although it was exhausting, I knew this was what I was meant to do.
Then, when my husband, daughter and I moved to my current home in Summerville, South Carolina, near Charleston, things changed. I learned that the state of education in South Carolina was vastly different with many duties and responsibilities I did not have in Ohio. I recognized the value of the union.
Our current state president very effectively persuaded me and others to be more active, and we began to rebuild our local. With the support of the state and NEA, we have nearly tripled the size of the Summerville Education Association from fewer than a dozen members.
I also quickly recognized that ESPs in particular needed support since they often had such difficult jobs – driving buses or working with the most challenging students or supporting the administration where ESPs often have the most responsibility for the operation of the school.
I helped obtain an NEA grant for ESPs within transportation to help them organize and build their membership and develop priorities so their working conditions and pay could improve and their voice could be heard. Together, with our local officers, we organized their weekly meetings and made sure their ideas and needs were presented to administrators, the board of trustees, and our superintendent – and their group has grown and begun to recognize the power of speaking with one voice.
With that success, I applied for and was awarded another $25,000 NEA grant to develop a mentorship program for students who could most benefit from having a qualified adult or older student provide them with guidance and support. We are carefully looking for students who will make full use of this opportunity and mentors who can connect well with kids and provide a positive model for them along with the right encouragement.
I have loved every day in the 34 years I have been involved in schools and have enjoyed my work with my colleagues to build the voice of educators.
