I was introduced to my association nearly 15 years ago when I was in college. I was looking for insurance coverage and I chose to be a part of the Mississippi Association of Educators (MAE). I kept my membership as a first-year teacher and immediately met two great members. I remember them saying, “Oh, you’re a new teacher?! MAE has great professional development!” They talked about the association so much that they hyped me up, and it felt like I went from zero-to-60 miles per hour in three seconds.
Throughout my profession, I continued to meet wonderful members and receive support from the association. The state association helped me get active in leadership and provided a lot of support. The NEA did, too.
I was accepted into NEA’s Teacher Leadership Institute (TLI), which has been my highlight. TLI forced me to embrace my leadership capacity, and my capstone project catapulted my career on state and national levels. My project is a mentoring program for African American boys. I’ve traveled to Washington, D.C. and sat on serval different platforms to talk about my program and the need for more African American teachers in K-12 education. It’s transformed how I think about culturally-responsive teaching and has pushed me me to get my doctorate degree.
Now, I’m a TLI coach for my state, which allows me to support young teachers to get involved and show them what’s available through their association.
Learn More
