Teachers’ voices needed after election
New governor should support leader networks
New Mexico will elect a new governor this year. Will this governor support and encourage the Teacher Leader Networks that have been built under our current administration? Will teacher voices still be heard in 2019 and beyond?
For teachers in New Mexico, a Teacher Leader Network began in January of 2017. This network was comprised of 50 teachers from across the state. The goal was to gather teachers together to hone leadership skills and gain knowledge about the state Public Education Department’s areas of focus and state policy. Liaisons serve as the on-the-ground go-to person at their school site to help explain NMPED areas of focus and provide guidance to colleagues.
The Secretary’s Teacher Advisory is a distinguished group of teachers who meet with the secretary quarterly to provide valuable insight into education issues. The goal of STA is to EQUIP teachers with information and resources; EMPOWER teachers to increase student achievement; and CHAMPION success.
Educators participating in these teacher leader networks is nearing 1,000 this year.
Powerful conversations
These avenues of teacher voices have encouraged and provided for powerful conversations throughout New Mexico’s educational foundations. The third annual Teacher Summit was in June. The summits have grown from 500 to 1,000 to 1,300 teachers in these three years. The summit is hosted by the STA and New Mexico Teacher Leader Network. The summit brings together teachers from across the state to learn, collaborate and celebrate with their peers. Attendees hear inspiring keynote speakers while also gaining access to useful information and opportunities to enhance their classroom practice and improve student outcomes.
Other states, same goals
The Louisiana Department of Education welcomed 6,500 educators to their Teacher Leader Summit this year. Their programs are drawing rave reviews from teachers for providing them with better resources, more meaningful peer-to-peer professional development and a stronger connection between educators serving in schools and policymakers serving in Baton Rouge.
Tennessee Teacher Leadership is transforming Tennessee from the ground up (via) Chiefs for Change. Anyone following educational change and policy in recent years is aware Tennessee has emerged as a national leader. For the past seven years, Tennessee has led the transformation of the teaching profession by fostering a network of teacher leaders equipped with the tools and the power to effect broad change.
How will the new governor proceed?
Tennessee, New Mexico and Louisiana are trail blazers. We are on the map by making big investments in teacher leadership and advocacy programs. New Mexico can continue being a key component in our nation as a leader in building credible networks for teachers. We can help permeate our initiatives and shape the continued empowerment of teacher leadership. We need to maintain these programs. It is with hope our new governor will allow these networks to grow to more success. This is sustainable.
The new governor should be aware of how rigorous standards are covered and how our current assessment addresses those standards. The standards give me a reason to push my curriculum deeper. PARCC helps me decipher where my lessons go, how I will scaffold for one and maybe not another. Will our new governor be willing to listen to teachers who value our current system? Will our new governor be able to sit with educators and hear how important we feel our voice needs to be heard?
I feel that we need to continue on this current journey. NMPED Secretary-designate Christopher Ruszkowski has come to our district three times in the past year to celebrate our students’ successes. I’ve seen him talk to students about vocabulary, math, science and college. I have heard him celebrate children across New Mexico. The endeavors that NMPED has accomplished this last year and a half make me proud to be an educator.
Will our new governor be on board?