"I am a proud member of Kansas NEA, where I teach preschool. There is an unfair idea that preschool teachers do not have the interest or ability to be involved in the workings of NEA. People assume that we may not be invested in the whole system, or that because we spend our days talking to little people, we can’t hold our own in tough situations. Early childhood educators are some of the most highly educated and intelligent people I know.
I was the first preschool teacher to join the executive team in my district. I took data with my colleagues to prove that our early learning center teachers needed additional planning time because of their heavy special education workload and fought for it at the negotiating table. Early childhood education teachers had endured years of uncompensated work. Many thought we wouldn’t win.
Someone said they never realized what was happening. That’s because we weren’t represented before. We weren’t speaking up, and nobody was asking what we needed.
If you’re in a leadership position, you have the responsibility to engage unusual voices. If you’re not, you have the right to demand representation.
Your team needs you. The NEA needs you. During this pandemic, and through this revolution of racial equity, educator voice is more important than ever before.
Look around your meetings and events, and make sure diverse voices are represented. Your struggle is my struggle.
This is our time."
