Membership in the National Education Association, to me, means having folks that are in educators' corners. It means action and thinking critically about how the education system disproportionately targets BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ educators. It means having other people to dream and imagine alongside.
NEA is a connector.
Just through my statewide chapter, the South Carolina Education Association, I have connected with lobbyists wanting to support educators, staff that cares to hear what teachers need, and—most importantly—other educators that are willing to share what they've learned. As a second-year teacher, I rely so much on my own love for learning. I'm constantly learning from the teachers around me, near and far. The NEA has connected me with educators who are not just talking about making schools safer, more just and equitable places—but who are making moves to ensure it.
This is community work. When I say community I mean educators, families, students, and leadership coming together to imagine something better than the system we currently have.
My dream, as an educator, is to work with those around me to build something better: Schools where Black Lives Matter, classrooms that are grounded in the humanness of kids and educators, and liberating spaces where joy is written into the curriculum.
My hope is to continue to learn from and work with those who have come before me and who are at the foundation of my educator identity. Carla Shalaby, Kass and Cornelius Minor, Gholdy Muhammad, Bettina Love, Dena Simmons, Nelson Flores, and so many others whose words are with me each day in the classroom.
My aspiration as an educator is to keep asking questions knowing that there will always be more questions to ask.
