“What was really exciting to me were the conversations about how to involve our local associations in different ways and try creative strategies to engage members and build leadership opportunities,” CEA Vice President Joslyn DeLancey says of CEA’s recent week of training for members.
September 15-18, CEA leaders and staff offered five virtual sessions as part of the inaugural SUPER Week designed to strengthen members’ leadership, build member engagement, and give local leaders the tools they need to be even more effective advocates for their colleagues and students.
“The conversations we had through our small-group trainings allowed us to share our insights as state leaders who also have experience as local leaders and then really dive into frequently asked questions,” says DeLancey who co-presented workshops titled Schoolhouse Rockstars: Building a Collaborative Leadership Team and From Bylaws to Buy-In. “I think we really empowered our local associations to bring what they learned at the trainings back to their members and try new things.”
“SUPER Week allowed us to provide a safe place for people to ask questions about things that sometimes we presume everybody knows,” says CEA President Kate Dias, who co-presented Schoolhouse Rockstars: Building a Collaborative Leadership Team.
“This type of training ensures we are building our muscles around our core union processes,” she continues. “If our local unions are strong, we have the ability to be strong for our members.”
Tiffany Bardos, a building rep at Birch Grove Primary School in Tolland, attended four of the five sessions offered during SUPER Week as a way to learn more about the union and grow as a building rep.
“Two years ago, I finished my 092 but did not feel that I was ready to leave the classroom, nor did I want to become a principal or vice principal,” Bardos says. After attending several NEA conferences and trainings, Bardos has been inspired to learn as much about supporting her students and colleagues through her union as she can.
“My personal goal over the next three years, in addition to the work I do with the NEA Leaders for Just Schools Baltimore Cohort, is to attend as many training sessions as I can that the union offers in order to build my knowledge base and help me to determine what my next step in my career is,” she says. “I know that I do not want to leave the classroom, and I love being a building representative and working to support teachers.”
Some of Bardos’ takeaways from SUPER Week trainings include the power of having one-on-one conversations with local union members to really understand what they’re experiencing and using a 3-2-1 format to offer updates on local, Connecticut, and national teacher union news during the 10-minute meetings she hosts as a building rep.
Mansfield art teacher and 2022 State Teacher of the Year Kim King attended the SUPER Week training on Schooling the System: A Political Action Conversation.
“I found it really valuable,” she says. “As my local’s legislative chair, I thought it was a great way to keep colleagues informed and learn ways to help them amplify their voices.”
“I always find CEA’s workshops to be very informative and relaxed, allowing for great questions and discussions,” says fellow SUPER Week attendee Stacey Guertin, president of the Lisbon Education Association. “The information can always be immediately put to good use. I know I will walk away not only feeling more informed but also with a comforting sense of community.”
DeLancey says SUPER Week organizers plan to evaluate this year’s pilot SUPER Week and get feedback from attendees to shape next year’s offerings. In the meantime, sign up for more CEA PD and enjoy a dynamic day of professional growth on November 4, celebrating the power of joyful learning at every age.
