President's Letter

A LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT

February 2021

When I sat down to write the President’s letter for the last issue, I struggled with not only choosing the topic and the right words, but also the right tone, given the situation we have been in. After drafting several versions, I arrived at a final one, but thought to myself, it will not be so difficult next time, sincevaccinations would be arriving, election results were being certified, educators had a well-deserved and much needed chance to rest at the end of the year—but here I am finding us in an even tougher place. By us, I mean all of us—our members, our state, our whole country. Now I never had the expectation that serving as your President would be an easy job—my eyes were wide open well before I even considered taking on the challenge!--and I knew full well that, no matter what, it would likely not be possible to please everyone. But these are truly difficult times that none of us could ever have predicted. Or could we have?

In my first years in this office, I learned a lot—whether at the various NEA trainings for state presidents, at our own MEA conferences, the many meetings and events, or in preparing testimony for legislative hearings and listening to that presented by others, or, of course, in communications with you—the diverse members of the MEA. This past year, I’ve gained knowledge on a variety of topics one would not expect to be related to this position—infectious diseases, ventilation, unemployment insurance, to name just a few—not to say I am an expert by any means, but certainly I know more now than I ever would have thought necessary.

And I have increased my knowledge on issues of racial and social justice, of diversity, equity, and inclusion, on restorative practices, the effects of trauma, and on resilience. And yes, I know I need to continue my learning.

A particular topic I have learned about—though I also have much more to learn about this one, too—is the indigenous peoples of Maine. At a recent NEA Representative Assembly, a New Business Item was passed directing that each NEA event would begin with a land acknowledgment of the traditional lands of America’s First People. At our weekly meetings for state presidents and executive directors, one of us is called on to give the land acknowledgment. Last week I had the honor.

In doing some research to prepare, I watched a talk given by Maria Girouard, a Penobscot, at an event organized by Maine Wabanaki REACH and other organizations, held in Portland, Maine, in 2014. (http://bit.ly/WabanakiREACH) I learned about the “seven fires prophecies”. Each fire described an era; the seventh fire described an era when the world would be befouled, but following this could be an era of hope, of healing, of harmony, if the right path is chosen. In this era there would be a call to action, for all peoples to come together and work for the good of all—an era when the truth must be told and must be heard.

In looking at what has happened over the centuries during each of the prophesied “fires”, one could come to believe that the Wabanaki ancestors had indeed predicted accurately the time we find ourselves in. But whether you choose to believe this or not, it seems clear it is up to us to choose the right course going forward, and to come together, to work for the good of all. Even with all we have been dealing with since March, I can think of no greater challenge facing us at this moment.

As stated in the MEA Core Value of Collective Action: “We believe individuals are strengthened when they work together for the common good. As education professionals, we improve both our professional status and the quality of public education when we unite and advocate collectively.”

Stay safe, stay well, and let’s stay strong and work together!

In Unity,

Grace Leavitt, President

Maine Education Association

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