Make Way - Meet MEA’s Future

from Maine Educator February 2016

by Maineea

Perspectives: Should students evaluate teachers?

Make Way Meet Maine’s newest educators & the future of the MEA

By the Numbers 45%

of MEA members are 52 or older.

In the next five years, Maine schools will lose 18% of all

staff to retirement.

9% of MEA members are 33 and younger.

22% of educators currently employed in Maine schools who are NOT MEA members and are 36 and younger.

“As the daughter of a union teacher, I was always told that when I became a teacher I should join the union as well. I, of course, obliged, but didn't really know why I was doing it. I just knew that all

good people listen to their mothers,” confessed Lauren Roy, a 27-year-old 6th grade teacher at Shapleigh School in Kittery.

Roy is part of the growing number of younger educators the MEA is working to engage in the Association as the landscape of America’s workforce and population dramatically change. According to recent data from the Pew Research Center, 1 in every 3 American workers is between the age of 18 and 34; they’re known as the Millennial Generation. Millennials are expected to surpass Baby Boomers this year as the nation’s largest living generation, according to the Census Bureau. Millennials are also the largest group of potential members that exist for the MEA, but they make up the smallest percentage of actual members. Perhaps it gets back to Lauren Roy’s question of “why join?” The answer for Roy and more than a dozen other Millennial members came during a conference developed just for younger members, as part of a new group called Young Education Professionals of the MEA (YEP-MEA).

“The Sunday River YEP-MEA conference that I attended this past November finally answered the "why" for me. It was a fun-filled weekend that served as a meet and greet with all things union. We learned the structure of the NEA, MEA, and our local associations, how the union can help out young adult members, the importance of bargaining for and protecting our contracts, and so much more. I left Sunday River feeling empowered. Realizing that I had unknowingly entered such a wonderful and influential group of educators filled me with gratitude. The weekend lit a ‘union spark’ in all of us and I can't wait to see the fire that this group ignites for the MEA,” said Roy.

That spark will be needed as more MEA members and educators retire. “The future of the profession lies in the hands of those who are just starting out in schools across the state,” said Dan Allen, Training and Professional Development Director for the MEA. “The hope is to introduce our younger members to what we can offer in terms of helping them in their career, giving them a voice in their work while building connections with other educators across the state. These younger educators will shape the future of the profession and the MEA. It is our job to invite them in with open arms, and share the great work of the MEA with them, and then make them part of that work,” added Allen. YEP-MEA is new to the Association and the founding members are from all over the state. They work with students at all grade levels, with a shared excitement for their students and being part of shaping the lives of children. The YEPMEA group is very positive and eager to solve problems, working with new technology and ideas to deliver to their students an education which works for them. The group is optimistic, ready to work toward a greater good, and ready to learn from each other.

“I was pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed and benefited from my experience at the YEP-MEA conference. I greatly enjoyed simply connecting with, and being in a room full of young educators in Maine. As we are in a similar place in life, it was easy to connect about shared experiences despite teaching different levels, subjects, and at different schools. It was also great to learn more about the union because I didn’t know much about it at all before that weekend,” said Sarah Hirschfeld, Yarmouth EA.

The inception of YEP-MEA came at just the right time for Janelle Jundt, a special education teacher in RSU 19 who was trying to manage all the new expectations surrounding her work, feeling like she had no outlet to turn to for help.

“I was overwhelmed by the support I received at this event. It was nice to know there were people who cared about me and my students. I learned a lot of practical things I could do to improve my situation, and that was so appreciated,” said Jundt RSU 19 EA.

The YEP-MEA conference will continue in years to come with other events already scheduled.

Want to know more about YEP-MEA? Head to the group’s new website www.yepmea.org.