POSITIONS OPEN FOR NOMINATION
CEA may be eligible to elect up to 30 state delegates to the NEA RA in 2020. Here are descriptions of the open positions:
Category 1 At-Large/State Delegate: Fifteen Positions (Term: two years)
Category 1 At-Large/Ethnic Minority Concerns: Four Positions (Term: 2
years)
These categories must have Active classroom teachers (Membership Type AC-1) or NEA Life members (Membership Type AC-7) in local affiliates are eligible for these positions.
Aspiring Educators: one Position (Term: 1 Year)
Only Aspiring Educators with a SEA and NEA membership are eligible for this position.
Membership Units: nine positions from specific Membership Units (Term: one year)
Only active members (Membership Type AC-1) or NEA Life members (Membership Type AC-7) who teach in a local CEA affiliate in one of the seventeen Membership Units may be nominated for these positions. The nine open units include E, F, H, J, K, L, M, P & Q.
Unit E:
Bethel, Brookfield, CEA New Milford, Easton, NEA Danbury, New Fairfield, Sherman
Unit F:
Amity, Bethany, Branford, Derby, East Haven, Milford, Orange, Oxford, Seymour, Woodbridge
Unit H:
ACES, Cheshire, Hamden, North Haven, Wallingford, Wolcott
Unit J:
Berlin, Farmington, Newington, Plainville, Plymouth, Southington, Thomaston, Wethersfield
Unit K:
Cromwell, East Hartford, Glastonbury, Manchester, Rocky Hill
Unit L:
Bloomfield, CREC, East Windsor, Enfield, South Windsor, Suffield, Windsor
Unit M:
Avon, Canton, East Granby, Granby, Simsbury, West Hartford, Windsor Locks
Unit P:
East Lyme, Groton, Ledyard, Montville, New London, North Stonington, Preston, Project LEARN, Stonington, Voluntown, Waterford
Unit Q:
Clinton, East Haddam, East Hampton, Guilford, Haddam-Killingworth, Madison, Old Saybrook, Regional 4, Regional 13, Regional 18, Portland, Westbrook
Category 2 At-Large: One position (Term interim position open this year)
Nominees for the Category 2 At-Large position must be Active members (Membership Type AC-1) in supervisor/administrator positions or NEA Life members (Membership Type AC-7) who are no longer teaching—but only if they are not also NEA-Retired members. (NEA Life membership is a special category terminated in 1973.) Members with Active Life Memberships who are not retired from teaching are eligible for Category 2. NEA-Retired Members for Life (Membership Type RT-7) or annual Retired members (Membership Type RT-8) ARE NOT ELIGIBLE FOR CATEGORY 2
Let me ask some questions. Does a first year doctor recognize completely all the factors that might impact his/her patient’s complaints and thereby make the correct prescriptive call? Does a first year litigation lawyer have the capacity to effectively take on a case, such as a suit involving a client who is suing a corporation for damages, from start to finish? Can a professional police officer or fireman, right after passing all the rigorous assessments and physical tests, be expected to become thoroughly immersed in making all the correct decisions with respect to capturing a fugitive or fighting a major two alarm fire?
Of course, one might say that the answer to the above questions is an emphatic “Yes!” But, that would be quite unrealistic. Would one rather, given the need and choice, want to go to a doctor with a few years of experience or one that has five or more years in. Would one want to go to a more experienced lawyer over a neophyte to deal with a suit against a corporation. Would one be confident in the policeman or fireman who has worked in your neighborhood for sometime over one who has just arrived on the scene.
My guess is that all of us would be much more comfortable with those professionals who have several years of experience under their belts. This is not to disparage those just entering the profession for the first time. Their substantial training, testing, and practical in the field experiences prior to obtaining collegiate degree or graduating from required training academies allows these successful candidates to enter their chosen professions. But, certainly one has to concede that the initial years of experience, with the all the supports in place (mentoring, additional classes, and training) will be invaluable in making that brand new teacher, lawyer, doctor, police officer, fireman better and better at their job.