When you think of young professionals escaping for the weekend in Orlando, you might think of a bunch of twenty somethings hitting up the bars and dancing the night away. Oh yeah, we got wild at the hotel bar. Comparing notes on our districts' science fair policies, disclosing our secrets for classroom management, and sharing strategies for survival on a teacher salary. My cohorts nursed various adult beverages while I indulged in a Häagen-Dazs ice cream cone from the nearby deli.
I recently got back from the first ever Young Educator conference in Orlando. Thirty of us from the I-4 corridor were brought together by the Florida Educator Association to have conversations about our unique questions and concerns as young teachers. I'm not too sure how distinct our concerns are from our veteran teachers but I do know it was fantastic to meet with other teachers my age. We were all in similar life stages having been just married, engaged, or having their first kid. Frankly, I wasn't really sure that I should even be there representing the 2,500 young educators in my county. I know I wasn't alone in that feeling but then they showed us this fantastic TED video about everyday leadership. Oftentimes, we think leadership is supposed to be something grand and reserved for the extraordinary people of this world: Ghandi, MLK, Mandela. This talk asks us to shift our understanding of leadership to something that we all possess without even knowing it.
I never thought too much about what being in the union meant until that weekend. I joined our union my second year of teaching because my "School Momma" recommended it. She emphasized that the union would have my back in case something bad happened. I've always thought of the union as merely some sort of insurance protection. I'm sort of ashamed to admit that now. Do CPA's or lawyers view their associations in the same way? I don't think so. I won't any longer. This shift happened for me when I heard everyone referring to the union as our association. Ah, it was like a light breaking through the clouds. Yes, that is what I want. Somehow, the shift from "union" to "association" lifted the politically-charged veil to legitimizing this professional organization.
So what did we accomplish at this conference? I'm honestly not sure. I think that's okay. It's about what we're going to accomplish. We brainstormed ways to support our brand new teachers. It wasn't so long ago that we were there. We thought about ways to involve our communities. We lamented the inequities among our schools and yearned for similar notions of social justice. I'm so thankful that I had the opportunity to meet with so many wonderful teachers across our state. I know that we are stronger together.
