Does being a member of the National Education Association make you a better teacher?
I’ve been a member of the National Education Association since I began teaching. I don’t remember what exactly made me join my first year. Possibly, I thought that “everyone was doing it.” Whatever the reason, I joined. I taught in Alaska for one year and the only time I was reminded of my membership was when I saw the deduction on my pay stub.
When I moved to Wahpeton, I joined again. For two years I was what I’d call a “dormant” member. I never attended a meeting.
In my third year at Wahpeton, one of the students in my senior English class threatened me early on in the year. The student chose not to return to my classroom after the incident but he and his parents blamed every failure that student endured for the rest of the year on me. Many times during the course of the year I thought about the benefits that the NEA would offer me if that family sued me (as they constantly threatened to do.) It was relieving to me that if they did actually try to make me liable for this mess, I would have a top-notch lawyer provided to me by the NEA.
I learned a couple of valuable lessons that year. I learned that the administration of my school didn’t always have my best interests at heart. I felt that they were more interested in avoiding conflict than protecting me from a dangerous situation. I also experienced the peace of mind that my NEA membership provides. This year I became a more active member. I joined the negotiations committee and am beginning to “learn the ropes” of collective bargaining. I plan to get even more involved next year by attending my first NDEA conference.
Of course, liability insurance isn’t the only reason to join your professional organization. This website points out that they provide networking opportunites. Another article points out that, “Just as it is essential for doctors to be part of a medical association, teachers should think it just as important to become a part of a teacher’s association. One profession is just as important as another.” This information reinforces information in chapter one of the text. Teachers who are members of professional organizations reinforce the fact that teaching is a profession.
I guess that bottom line for me is this. I am a member of my professional organization because it is my professional organization and I am a professional. The legal backing, professional development, networking, and all the other benefits are just icing on the cake.
You have expressed well both the intrinsic and the extrinsic reasons for joining NDEA. Without this professional organization, teachers would not have made the strides in North Dakota that we have. Your comment about having a good lawyer can't be underestimated. These attorneys are experts in dealing with issues involving teachers, and it is comforting to know that we have this backing.
ReplyDeleteThis professional organization provides so much more than just insurance as you said. It always bothers me when teachers choose not to join and yet reap the benefits that NEA and NDEA provide.
Heather,
ReplyDeleteI too joined Education Minnesota, a subdivision of NEA upon becoming an educator. Every Fosston teacher is part of FEA so it is a nonissue that everyone joins. I will admit that I am a pretty poor FEA member. I find lots of reasons to miss meetings. Many times, I am busy with a sport, student, or the usual work that finds me. Of course, every teacher sitting in that meeting has the same obligations.
I think it is awesome that you are a negotiator. One day I hope to become one. I have been reluctant to join committees for various reasons. For quite a while I believed that I would only be in Fosston a short while. As I mentioned earlier, I put the blinders on and work finds me. Last spring I was part of my first committee. I became a member of the superintendent search committee. A responsibility was sitting in on the actual interviews. We weren’t given much say in the hiring. However, it felt great to represent the teacher’s point of view in the process. The school board hired the person that was my first choice. I don’t know if he was hired by qualification or coincidence though. Fosston’s negotiators have it tough. Our school has one of the lowest-paying salary schedules statewide. Usually, most of our increases go to the skyrocketing cost of healthcare. It is a frustrating process, and only Fosston’s best are up to the task.
The article you provided was excellent. If we are to stand in front of a classroom and demand respect we should be professionals. NEA is one of the many ways to network, diversify teaching strategies, and further ones background as a teacher. I am guilty of skipping MEA and NDEA in the past. We have football practice and a welcome break during the conferences. One day I will go the conferences and see all that can be learned.
This may sound like an odd analogy. A given from a social studies teacher. I see NEA a lot like North Atlantic Treaty Organization, or NATO. NATO is a collective security alliance signed by the West against the Soviet Union. An attack on one country by the Soviets was an attack on all. Each country committed sovereignty, resources, manpower, and technology to NATO. If a country is threatened, NATO comes to its defense with its full might. The same goes for teachers. A teacher that finds him or herself in trouble can count on NEA. The FEA representative of Education Minnesota arrived and contributed invaluable advice during our most recent incident. An elementary teacher claimed that her rights were violated by the administration. I will not go into specifics because the matter continues. FEA and representatives from Education Minnesota rallied to her cause. I believe if I were in her shoes, the same unconditional support would arrive. The legal counsel and insurance alone is worth the dues. The courts have ruled against teachers in student incidents in the past. The cost of a representation, settlement, and loss of income would be financially backbreaking.
Not to be outdone, I also joined a committee for NDEA.
ReplyDeleteI encountered a colleague who said that he was not a member because, “they do not represent the individual. He continued to tell me about a particular year (before I was hired) when the negotiations committee (primarily made up of members who were teaching 5 yrs plus) did not feel that the older, veteran teachers where far enough away from rookies on the pay scale. So, they negotiated for more money. Needless to say, the person I was talking was one of those rookies at the time. I found this utterly amazing.
The insurance alone is what kept me a member in the past. Ask yourself this; do you trust the people around (students included) you with your social security number and your bank account number? Are you saving that much money in your paycheck?