“I wanted an organization that wasn’t pushing any kind of politics.”
You could almost say teaching is in Randy’s blood. A teacher for twenty years, Randy followed in the footsteps of his parents and siblings. In fact, Randy’s extended family includes numerous teachers and administrators across the nation.
That family network was helpful when Randy first entered the education field and was getting his bearings. “The thing that I appreciated the most when I entered the education field was being able to call on my family and be able to get the support that I needed.” And thanks to the advice of his mentor, Randy soon found another source of professional support early in his career – a teaching organization without a union affiliation.
Not only did the professional educator organization offer twice as much coverage as he had with his existing association, Randy was drawn to its nonpartisan stance. Instead of pushing politics, his new teaching organization was focused on professional support, and offered him the resources he needed to solidify his future and career.
“I want to choose who I associate with and I want to make that decision willingly.”
Born and raised it Germany, it wasn’t until Michael came to the United States that he discovered the power of being able to make his own decisions and decide his own future. Now teaching English and social sciences in public schools for more than five years, Michael is helping his students explore their own options and find their way in society.
Michael credits much of his current success in the classroom to the benefits he’s received from professional organizations. In addition to providing day-to-day resources like lesson plans and longer-term opportunities to expand his knowledge and teaching approaches, his teaching association membership also means having “a strong partner, a voice, and if something goes really wrong, having someone to provide a liability shield.”
To Michael, teaching association memberships are only valuable when they’re voluntary and not mandated. “I made the decision to become a citizen of a country that is founded on the freedom of association. And I think that should not end anywhere in the teaching profession or in other professions. I want to choose who I associate with, and I want to make that decision willingly.”
“I felt really empowered that it was my decision.”
Kati fell in love with teaching after she had the chance to teach English as a second language to 3rd, 4th, and 7th graders in Mexico. “I was initially there just exploring life after high school and I started teaching and I just fell in love with it,” she says.
Now she works as a student success coach in New Mexico. Her day-to-day involves working closely with teachers and students to address behavior concerns, ensure students meet attendance requirements and help them stay on track academically.
While in college training to become a teacher, one of her professors told her she’d probably be approached early in her career to join the teachers union. She wanted Kati to know that union membership wasn’t a foregone conclusion, but something Kati and all teachers are empowered to decide for themselves.
Kati is still grateful to her professor for making sure she was aware of her options: “I was happy that I knew from day one that I could make that choice. I felt really empowered by that decision. And really proud that I was supporting and participating [in] something I really believed in.”
“Exercise all of your rights, don’t let anyone place limits.”
Damon, a pastor in New Jersey, was inspired to become a teacher because, “a lot of issues that were impacting my congregation were also impacting the community.”
For the past 15 years, he’s been bringing the same enthusiasm and energy he had as a pastor to the students he teaches: “My hope and intent is to engender in them a sense of pride, a sense of ownership of this world…I want them to find their voice.”
Given his passion, it’s no surprise that his efforts have been recognized. Last year, Damon was awarded Top Teacher at his school.
That voice that he wants his students to find? He wants teachers to have it too. For Damon, this meant finding an alternative to the union in the form of a professional association.
He’s just one of many teachers across the country who have exercised their rights with respect to union membership and he wants all teachers to be empowered to make the choice that is right for them.
After an unfulfilling career in corporate America, Andrea wanted to give back to her community and help young people. She decided to teach while raising her daughter. She has been a teacher for 13 years now and currently works as a special education teacher at an inner-city public elementary school.
As a proud product of public schools, Andrea understands how important and valuable a high-quality education is. “Education is knowledge. It’s power,” she says. “Once you have it, it can’t be taken away from you. That is something I try to convey to all my students.”
When she first started teaching, Andrea joined the union. And like many first-time teachers, she didn’t think she really had a choice. Over time, she realized she didn’t feel fully represented and join an alternative professional association she trusts will advocate for her. She’s still a member of her union, too, but grateful to have a choice and to know that there are other options out there.
Like most teachers who joined an alternative, Andrea encourages her colleagues to research their options, union and non-union alike. Her advice to teachers: “Ask questions, find out, seek out other members of other institutions that you might want to become affiliated with. To be informed is to be armed. The better armed you are, the better-informed decisions that you can make.”
“It’s important for teachers to find the association that best represents them and what they believe education is all about.”
As a music teacher at a public elementary school, Jim spends his days teaching folk songs like “Hot Cross Buns,” “Mary Had a Little Lamb,” and “Frère Jacques.” As his students advance, they move onto songs on the radio or other choruses the kids know.
He’s been teaching music for 22 years and loves his job. He says it’s been getting harder and harder to make sure music is prioritized, but he fights for as much music time as possible so that his students have the opportunity to learn to play the violin, trumpet, or flute.
When he was first approached to join the union, Jim simply wasn’t interested. He didn’t begrudge his colleagues who joined, but he knew it just wasn’t for him. “Heavy pressure, people asking you, talking to you, pulling you out of the lunch room,” Jim recounts the recruitment effort, “I was just never comfortable.” Like many teachers, Jim would have considered joining only the local union, but didn’t want to belong to the state or national union. He was told this wasn’t an option.
About five years ago, Jim was forced to start paying an “agency fee” to the union, essentially a large portion of dues for being a non-member. “I was very disappointed… I did ask if there’s any way out of it. I wrote a letter, and there was no response.”
Recently, the Supreme Court ruled that teachers like Jim are no longer forced to pay a union if they aren’t a member. Now that teachers are free to choose, Jim recommends: “Take a look at the pros and cons for joining the union, for what the union does, what other options are out there.”
“I was a satisfied, enthusiastic union member for many years.”
As a high school science teacher, Sharon works very hard to connect the concepts she’s teaching with the real world for her students. That time her students couldn’t go downtown because of a flood? The rainstorm and past policy decisions about city infrastructure were important factors that impacted their everyday lives.
She sees this way of teaching as part of a larger effort to empower her students with information and critical thinking. “We want to have them be informed decision makers so they can advocate for themselves moving forward,” she says.
An empowered professional herself, Sharon was a satisfied member of her teachers union for many years. “I became involved because I wanted to try to address the pressures on my classroom that were coming from outside of my classroom,” she continues. “I followed the normal route, I got involved in my building as a union rep… and thought I was advocating for my colleagues, for my students, and for my association, for my union.”
Along the way, she got to the point where she felt her needs weren’t being met. Just as she encourages her students to do, Sharon did some research to learn about her options. She is no longer a member of her union, but was forced to be an agency-fee payer (required to pay money to the union every month). Recently Sharon has been freed from her forced agency-fee payer status as a result of Janus v. AFSCME.
Sharon works hard to teach her students to research, decide, and advocate for themselves and thinks teachers should do the same, “I absolutely support the idea of teacher freedom, because teachers should be free to make the choice that’s best to them, when it comes to the professional support they need.”
Christi discovered her love of teaching as a teenager at her first job—swim instructor. Her eyes light up when she talks about helping her young students overcome their fears of even getting into the water.
In over three decades in education as a teacher and a guidance counselor, Christi estimates she’s impacted the lives of thousands of public schoolchildren. It isn’t always been easy, but she persists, just like her students. “One of the reasons I love teaching is because we truly have a privilege to impact each child’s future,” she says.
Christi spent ten years as a member of the union. She explains, “I thought that’s what we do. The dues came out of our paycheck. It was very simple… I was young. I didn’t know better.” One day a colleague told her about alternatives to the union and that’s when Christi first learned she had any choice in the matter.
After becoming more aware of her options and also feeling unsupported by her union, Christi decided to exercise her teacher freedom rights to join an alternative association. Now, she encourages others do the same. “Google what other options do I have than to be in my union,” she says “get a plethora of ideas to research and choose from. There is freedom to choose.”
“I have enjoyed every bit of teaching. It keeps one young.”
