AFT Secretary Treasurer-Loretta Johnson
Oscar Winner Teacher-Melissa Berton
July has quickly come and gone. Summer is still here and I hope you are making the most of it. For many teachers around the country, it means the end of summer and the beginning of the school year. This year the normal anticipation of welcoming students back is met with dread due to the omnipresence of the threat of COVID-19 in America. The American Federation of Teachers and teacher unions around the country are working hard to ensure the safety of reopening schools. It is a tough battle with the federal government working against us. Let us support them as they fight for everyone’s safety.
Mark Richard-AFT Progressive Caucus Chair
Jessi Hollis-McCarthy from now closed Newseum speaking about Fake News.
This is the final part of my time at The American Federation of Teachers 2019 TEACH Conference which stands for Together Educating America’s Children. Hopefully, this episode will inspire you as you plan for for the school year however it may look like. I had a chance to speak to several teachers from around the country about their experiences at the conference. One education ally stressed the importance of being culturally aware and supporting our ENL students. You will hear Jessi Hollis-McCarthy from the permanently closed Newseum talk about the history of fake news as nothing new and a necessary skill to help our students navigate the media landscape. I talked to AFT Progressive Caucus Chair Mark Richard and Melissa Berton, a Los Angeles teacher now an Oscar-winning filmmaker, spoke about her documentary Period. End of Sentence., now streaming on Netflix. This conference is a reminder of the AFT’s importance in supporting educators as well as their constant fight to keep schools as places of love and learning.
Thanks to the following people for sharing their experiences: Rebecca Lopez, Portrace Warren, Norieah Ahmed, Stephanie Byrd, and Daniel McNicholas.
Dearborn Public Schools Employee- Norieah Ahmed
Boston Public School Teacher-Stephanie Byrd
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Chicago Teacher-Mr. McNicholas
