My first major experience with my union involved a trip to Philadelphia for a house of delegates meeting. After that, I was hooked.
My interest in teaching started when I was a child. I was raised in the backwoods of Virginia, but my mom moved around a lot and she was away from home as a truck driver. So, I moved in and out of different schools and I suppose it made me value education even more.
I am an eighth-grade science teacher, and in that role, I try to find new ways to peak student interest in science. I’ve taken part in a NASA program that provides workshops for teachers hoping to use space as a platform for science learning. We also have an annual science-based camping expedition to expose our students to nature and part of the world outside of their neighborhood in the city.
I plan to keep working as a science teacher at this grade level. I love eighth graders. They are learning to become adults and more often begin to take education seriously. It is fascinating to watch and exciting to be part of.
I also intend to stay very active in the union. As Vice President of my local, I share the ideas that my fellow educators and I have about what the state should prioritize.
Through my efforts and the work of my colleagues in the Pennsylvania State Education Association and NEA, we’re bringing attention to priorities that benefit our students and public education as a whole.
One area in which I have been involved with NEA is its Aspiring Educator groups, where I can help those in college and high school planning careers in education.
Education has been an incredibly valuable pathway for me—and I am happy to help teachers and schools provide that way forward for others.
