Every August brings new teacher orientations to Connecticut districts, and this year CEA’s governance team—President Kate Dias, Vice President Joslyn DeLancey, Secretary Gail Jorden, and Treasurer Stephanie Wanzer—traveled across the state to attend 65 of them.
Whether they’re welcoming 100 new teachers in Bridgeport or just one or two in some smaller districts, new teacher orientations give local education association leaders an opportunity to introduce themselves to new members and make sure new educators know what being a union member is all about.
Glastonbury has nine new teachers this year, and Jorden joined members of the Glastonbury Education Association’s executive board to welcome them to the district last Thursday.
Jorden says in every district she visited she stressed to new educators that union membership is far reaching and powerful.
“You’re not just joining Glastonbury’s more than 500 teachers, you’re joining CEA’s more than 40,000 teachers, and you’re joining NEA’s almost 3 million teachers.”
“Being part of a union isn’t just about preparing for your worst day,” says GEA Membership Chair and second-grade teacher Nico Lefebvre. “It’s also about celebrating all the wins that we accomplish throughout the year. As an individual you have just one voice, but when you work together with your union, your voice becomes even stronger, and it gathers momentum to make the conditions in your classroom and in your school even better for you and for your students.”
“With our new teachers we talk about the benefits of becoming a union member and all the great things that GEA does at the local level,” GEA President Kristen Basiaga, a physics teacher, says. “We introduce our officers and talk about how the union is each and every one of us, and that local union leaders are really just a group of people who are volunteering their time to make the school system a better place.”
CEA Secretary Gail Jorden (left) and Treasurer Stephanie Wanzer (right) joined NEA-Danbury President Erin Daly to welcome new educators to Danbury.
Basiaga adds that GEA leaders also talk to the district’s new interns about CEA’s Aspiring Educators Program and the benefits available to college students that include conferences, networking, and Praxis support, as well as support in getting their first job.
One of the many benefits of union membership that Jorden highlighted to new members around the state is the professional development CEA provides that goes beyond what teachers can get from their district.
“The PD you get from your district is focused on your skills as an educator and how you can best benefit your students—which is as it should be—but the professional development that you get through CEA focuses on things like how teachers can protect themselves legally and online, how they prepare for retirement, and more.”
GEA President Kristen Basiaga says she’s excited to have many members enthusiastic about being involved with their union this school year.
“We now have almost every single position filled with people who want to be involved in the union—to the point where we actually had to have elections last year for members who wanted to become building reps. I’m really excited about how many people want to be more involved in their local union. We have more members interested in joining committees this year, even though it means extra meetings, because they’re committed to doing good work for their colleagues.”
The GEA will host a new hire social on September 15 so that all new teachers, interns, and building reps can connect and review their contract.
“The social allows our new members to learn what they need to know about things like maternity leave, sick time, and personal days,” Basiaga says. “Later in the year, we’re going to do a legislative action event. We hope to work together with some nearby local associations to get more legislators involved and more members to attend.”
Glastonbury middle and high school students return to school September 2, and elementary students return September 3.
