Category: Unionization

Before I was president of the National Education Association (NEA), I was a sixth-grade teacher in Utah.

“On Education & Democracy; 25 Lessons from the Teaching Profession is, first and foremost, meant to support classroom teachers; fighting their daily battles, confronting education authorities, governments and engaging with the community. We appeal to their professional ideals, to their ambition to make a difference for their students and the societies in which they grow […]

Back in high school when I ran for a seat on the students’ council, a group of young women showed up at my doorstep one evening to help me with crafting catchy slogans and jazzy campaign posters.  I remember thinking “Wow!” because I had not even asked for their help!  Their unexpected support boosted my […]

In March, I had the privilege of attending the United Nations 63rd Commission on the Status of Women (UNCSW63) in New York City. I was one of 16 women in a delegation representing Educational International (EI), the global federation of the teaching profession. In total, we were 177 union delegates from across the world joined […]

Do you speak French? In Canada, close to 10 million* Francophones and francophiles can answer yes to that question. What about when you ask Franco-Ontarians if they can speak French? They’ll answer yes, of course. But behind that yes, you may very well sense something more: a deep and legitimate indignation. For, once again, Francophones’ fundamental […]

It was a tumultuous end to 2018 for teachers in Ontario. In June, Ontarians elected a majority Progressive Conservative government under Premier Doug Ford. The new government immediately began implementing changes in the education sector, by repealing the health and physical education curriculum, launching public consultations on curriculum and pedagogy, suspending funding for programs, and […]