The Importance of Teaching

Great teachers make great public schools! That’s the theme of Teacher Appreciation Week this May, and I can’t think of a better time to remind us all of the important work that teachers do every day.  

As teachers, we chose this profession. We took rigorous course work, completed student teaching, and many completed the requirements for advanced degrees and/ or National Board Certification. Teachers complete a professional development dossier to provide evidence of the many ways they meet student needs and continue to grow professionally to advance in licensure. Each year, teachers are observed and evaluated by their supervisor on their ability to meet New Mexico’s nine teaching competencies. Annually, teachers, with their supervisors, collaboratively write a professional development plan and reflect on student growth as part of their annual evaluation. This is how most enter the profession and what all teachers are accountable for once they are in the profession.

Teaching is a profession- a rewarding one certainly. I wrote about that in my April column. But it is not an easy profession. Teachers work hard every day to meet the needs of their students in conditions that continue to become more difficult. As budgets are cut, class sizes continue to grow, supplies continue to be cut, expectations continue to increase. For some reason, many policy makers believe that we can be expected to do more with less. They seem to think that we can improve student achievement even though we now have 30 students in a classroom rather than 24; now that we have computers but no ink to print; now that we have more classroom sets of books rather than books for individual students. They seem to think we can do more by being more focused on teaching to the test while cutting support services such as counselors, librarians, and ancillary support. The fact that our students are now more than ever in need of those services seems to make no difference to them.

Teachers who work in locals that have collective bargaining rights do have an advantage. They have the opportunity to make their voice heard at the negotiating table. Bargaining locals have programs in place to support teachers, from mentor programs for new teachers to peer support for experienced teachers; from helping determine meaningful professional development to ensuring more adequate supplies and resources in the classroom. NEA and NEA-NM also offer opportunities to grow in our professional expertise through on-line courses at the NEA Academy, through professional workshops such as working with ELL students, classroom management, and a variety of offerings provided by colleagues and staff. The collective bargaining law in New Mexico provides that the impact of district’s decisions around instructional issues must be negotiated.

Union membership does make a positive difference for members, for the profession, and for students. As the challenges facing public education grow, as the attacks on our profession continue, it is more important than ever that we speak with one voice. So talk to your colleagues about the importance of that unity, of our advocacy for the profession and for our students. Ask them to join if they are not yet members. Contact your policy makers and let them know the impact of their decisions, whether it is the school board, the legislature or Congress. Our strength is you, our members, and the work you do every day.

Thank you for your dedication and commitment to our public schools and the students they serve. Teacher Appreciation Week may be celebrated in May, but your work makes a difference every single day.  Thank you for continuing to touch lives and shape the future!

In unity,

Sharon