What’s your superpower?
Education is the one profession that creates all other professions.
In a time when some people’s misinformed opinions about who educators are and what we do seems to echo so loudly, we remain diligent with our eyes on the goal of shaping well-rounded students who value humanity and thrive as individuals.
We tell ourselves the statements found in this article’s headline because, well, they are true. This year, I have my first student teacher. It is an incredibly rewarding experience and a daily reminder that learning does not stop outside the walls of an educational institution or upon receipt of a diploma. We educators revel in knowing that we are lifelong learners, and the volume of perspectives, ideas and strategies I have already collected from this collegiate professional has been more than I originally anticipated. This proves that clinical internships are symbiotic educational experiences for both the student and the cooperating mentor.
On my end, I like to think that one of the first lessons that I taught my student teacher about being an educator was one of the most important lessons that he will take into his full-time career: the importance of joining NJEA Preservice. As an NJEA membership category, NJEA Preservice is one of the largest professional organizations that aspiring educators can join. It supports them in their studies as well as in their full-time careers.
First and foremost, NJEA Preservice offers liability insurance for members in observation, practicum, student teaching and internship that is equivalent to the protection offered to school district-employed members. This security is an invaluable safeguard when working in an environment where members interact daily with students and their families. Additionally, NJEA Preservice opens access to monetary benefits, leadership opportunities, network expansion and professional learning.
NJEA Preservice gives members the opportunity to be at the forefront of their own professional learning. The organization provides unique opportunities for preservice educators: they have the chance to plan conferences, career development workshops, and discussions executed at a statewide level for other preservice members. This allows preservice educators the chance to grow their leadership skills and gain experience as organizers. In turn, preservice members come to understand the importance of organizing around the values, advocacy efforts and goals of NJEA. They go on to become leaders in our local, state and national unions as they move through their careers in education.
If you have the honor of hosting a future colleague, I encourage you to give them the gift of NJEA Preservice membership, helping them to understand their union and benefit from its statewide system of support before signing their first contract.
NJEA Preservice membership is an invaluable part of an aspiring educators’ experience, and we mentors have an incredible opportunity to open the world of unionism up to our mentees. By opening the doors of unionism through NJEA Preservice and dismantling the barriers to educational resources, we give the gift to our student educators of truly embodying that “yes, those who can, educate.” Being an educator is an incredible superpower. As an educator, you do work in the profession that creates all other professions.
To learn more about NJEA Preservice and to find out how your preservice mentee can join, visit njea.org/preservice.
Hannah Pawlak is a special education teacher in Highland Park. She is the evaluation chair and webmaster for the Highland Park Education Association. Pawlak is an NJEA organizing consultant focusing, in part, on NJEA Preservice.