Monthly Archives: December 2016

My Union Experience: Standing Strong for Education for More Than 150 Years

This legislative session is shaping up to be a challenging one. Now more than ever, our collective strength will enable us to serve the needs of our students and members. During the 2016 Campaigns we heard our candidates speak out eloquently in support of public education and labor unions. We also heard the same anti-labor, anti-teacher, anti-public education rhetoric. Sadly, many of those supporting these views have won office. We know that our union experience is far different than the cliches, scapegoating, and name-calling. My union experience starts with recognizing and supporting the mission of my school – delivering the […]

Professional Development Activity Update

NEA-NH’s Public Education & School Support (PESS) Happenings by Dr. Irv Richardson and Ally Snyder Summer Leadership Week NEA-NH hosted an excellent week of trainings, August 1-5, 2016, offering 29 classes to 119 members – some of whom attended workshops during each day of the leadership week. Many of the classes were presented by our own staff and board members. Though four classes were cancelled due to low class registrations, we added two Grievance Processing sessions as well as an entire day (August 22) of Collective Bargaining training because the need for those workshops was overwhelming! We believe this is […]

The Plan to Gut Public Education

With the election of Donald Trump as president public educators are bracing for the worst. He wants to redirect federal funds toward school vouchers—and his choice of education secretary shows he’s serious. His selection for Education Secretary, billionaire Betsy DeVos, has no education degree or teaching experience, has never attended a public school or sent her children to one, and supports the funding of for-profit schools over public ones. Trump rolled out his $20 billion school voucher plan on the campaign trail. The proposal would redirect huge swaths of the federal education budget away from school districts and toward low-income […]

Ensuring Safe, Welcoming, and Bias-free Schools

Schools should be havens. But right now, many of our students and educators are scared, anxious, and feeling threatened. Even before the election last month, New Hampshire teachers were witnessing the anxiety and fear that many of their students were experiencing.  Ann McQuade, an ELL teacher in Manchester, a federally mandated refugee relocation center, works closely with refugee and immigrant students who have traveled to New Hampshire from all over the globe. She recalls a student from Mexico who stood in front of her desk with watery eyes and asked, “Miss, is it true if Mr. Trump is elected President […]