Day 3 of the National Education Association 2021 Virtual Representative Assembly

 We got started early again today because we had two important guests, and we had a lot of NBIs to complete. 

First, Becky presented the 2021 Teacher of the Year, Juliana Urtuby, who gave an inspiring speech. Then we heard the NEA Vice President, Princess Moss, address the assembly.

We went straight to Legislative Amendments, which were pretty straightforward.

One particularly motivating presentation was from the 2021 NEA Friend of Education, Judy Heumann, who was the first educator to push for New York City to allow educators in wheelchairs. 

Judy Heumann and Becky Pringle

Ms. Heumann has dedicated her life to fighting for the rights of differently-abled educators, and she made a difference in the first thirty seconds of her interview with Becky Pringle because she started by describing how she looked on the screen so that those who were vision-impaired would know what everyone else was looking at. Becky said, "You have already taught me something, and I thank you," and she then also described herself on screen. As I listened to Ms. Heumann, I thought about Rich Clevidence, a Special Education teacher at Medina High School who was paraplegic. Rich was a very successful and influential teacher; his students loved him and would do anything for him. I think that Ms. Heumann's work made it possible for us to appreciate him as a teacher in a big, suburban school building.

After some work on NBIs, we had a short break to prepare for our guests. . .President Joe Biden and FLOTUS Dr. Jill Biden (who is a member of NEA)! 

Dr. Jill Biden

Dr. Biden congratulated educators on our work during the pandemic. It is interesting to note that she shared the same stories of frustration with tech, trying to bond with students, and isolation that many of us experienced because she didn't stop working during the pandemic or when her husband became POTUS.

President of the United States, Joseph R. Biden

Joe Biden talked about the importance of the American Relief Act, saying that his focus was to build up our society "from the middle out." He thanked us for teaching, and he said that Americans should now realize how important teachers are. He finished by saying that "[i]t's not enough to get back to normal. We need to build back better than ever," and that is why during his administration, the government will invest in counselors, social workers, nurses, and wraparound services in public schools.

It was a bit difficult to focus on NBIs after that, but we did until 8:20.  Another loooonnnnggg day with the anticipation of a longer stretch the next day.

Up Next: The Last Day, NBIs, Bundling, Memes