A few years back, CEA’s Aspiring Educator Program only had 80 members. By the end of last school year, the group had grown to 438 members. The success of the CEA’s AEP and its role in attracting young people to the teaching profession was recognized at a recent State Board of Education meeting.
The statewide recognition came following CEA AEP being honored with the State Excellence Recognition Award and UConn’s AE chapter receiving the Local Excellence Award at the NEA Aspiring Educators Conference last summer.
“The work that our Aspiring Educators are doing is being recognized on the national level, and I couldn’t be prouder,” CEA Educational Issues Specialist Elizabeth Sked told the State Board of Education.
CEA AEP supports students as they navigate their teacher preparation programs and centers on professional development, advocacy, community service, and social and racial justice and includes a wide variety of networking and leadership opportunities.
CEA AEP Chair Hannah Spinner, former president of UConn’s AE chapter, said that being a member of the CEA AEP has been an educational experience that has helped her to grow as a leader.
“Before I became part of the program, I had no idea what a union was,” Spinner said. “Realizing where I am today and reflecting on the growth that I’ve had personally as an aspiring educator, I can see how effective this program is to retaining and recruiting future educators.”
CEA Aspiring Educators and Ed Rising supporters pose with Commissioner of Education Charlene Russell-Tucker.
Spinner told the Board that the CEA AEP has nine active local chapters across the state at public and private colleges and universities and offers professional development sessions and panel discussions for members to learn more about the teaching profession as well as advocacy, networking, and community service opportunities.
AE chapters’ community service and engagement projects are usually the most popular events, Spinner says.
“Our local chapters will do STEM nights, pen pal projects where they write to students in nearby public schools and form a connection, and we also do book drives and collect gifts during the holiday season,” she said.
“Ultimately, the CEA Aspiring Educator Program, it’s mainly a program that builds community where you get to collaborate with all different chapters from colleges throughout the state,” said CEA AEP Vice Chair Rebecca Singleton. “I go to the University of Connecticut, and I never thought I would be working with someone from Quinnipiac University, so it’s just an awesome experience for everyone to get involved.”
“I know from personal experience, because the NEA Aspiring Educators conference happens right before the NEA Representative Assembly every year, that Connecticut’s AE Program is the envy of the rest of the country—so good job with the work that you’re doing,” State Board of Education member and Stratford teacher Kristen Record told the aspiring educators. “I wish something like this program existed back when I was in an educator prep program. Keep doing great things for our state and for your peers—we really see the benefits of it.”
Connecticut’s Ed Rising program—a program from PDK International for high school students considering careers in education—was also recognized for its important work at the State Board of Education meeting.
“We are incredibly proud of the collaborative work that we have going on between CEA’s Aspiring Educators program and Ed Rising,” said the State Department of Education’s Dr. Jessica Ocasio. “We’re building intentional connections between college students preparing to enter the profession of education and our high school students who are just beginning to explore their passion for teaching.”
“We now have this great pipeline where we can integrate what students are doing in high school, and there are so many aspiring educators there, and then bring them into our CEA program and build a strong and passionate front for education,” Spinner said.
Commissioner of Education Charlene Russell-Tucker thanked the CEA Aspiring Educators and Ed Rising members for their work and said that one of her department’s areas of focus is expanding the educator workforce.
“We appreciate the union, the department, and PDK working together collaboratively,” she said.” We’re always proud that Connecticut is a leader in this space, so, thank you for all the work that you’re doing.”
