Wednesday, June 30, 2021, was the date of the first day of the NEA Representative Assembly. At 2:00 pm President Becky Pringle banged the gavel to begin the 159th meeting of the largest democratic, deliberative body in the world.
We opened with a performance from our Amanda Gorman, National Youth Poet Laureate. Her poetry was beautiful and dynamic, and I didn't take any notes or pictures because I was enthralled with her words and the way they floated from her mouth. It was a real fan moment for all of us. While we couldn't see her in person at a convention center, I really think I was better able to appreciate her performance by seeing her close up on the screen. She is amazing, 'nuff said.
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| Amanda Gorman at the Inauguration of President Joseph Biden |
The Land Acknowledgement was performed by James Jones, known as Notorious Cree. He performed an incredible hoop dance to honor America's First People.
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| Notorious Cree |
We had the National Anthem and the invocation, and then we were ready to roll. Well, sort of ready to roll. This virtual platform was new to many of our delegates, who are often, ummm. . .technically challenged (see my previous post). The various choices on the page took some getting used to, and it took some practice for us to adopt the Standing Rules. Actually, it took a lot of practice and some tough love from Becky Pringle. My favorite line from her may be, "Delegates, I need you to HEAR me." This usually followed with some stern instructions about NOT touching buttons and screwing up the online queue.
Next we heard the President's address to the Assembly. Becky Pringle is a charismatic speaker, both in a large group setting and one on one. I met her a few years ago at the Representative Assembly in Houston, and she just EMANATES power.
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| OEA President Scott DiMauro, Stephani, and NEA President Becky Pringle |
Her speech emphasized the courage and creativity of educators during the pandemic, and it fired us up. Some snippets that resonated with me:
"We lead with love and teach from a place of conviction."
"We will make sure our kids have what they need and what they deserve."
After the speech, we were revved up to debate and vote on New Business Items. Once the delegates got used to the new platform, we worked pretty efficiently through 5 New Business Items.
One takeaway from this virtual assembly: I really like the online voting. Normally at an assembly, we vote by voice, all ten thousand of us, and sometimes there is a call for division. Then we have to stand up and be counted. While it is very exciting, it is probably not the most efficient way to get things done. The online voting platform allows us to see the percentages for and against, and that eliminates calls of division. I hope that we find a way to continue this type of voting even while meeting face to face.
Gavel down came a bit late: 8:20 PM. By then I was ready for dinner and bed.
After all, we still had two more days of the Representative Assembly to go!
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