By Claudia Dolan
As a new teacher, I didn’t know what being an association representative would entail. If I’m being totally honest, at the time, I didn’t even know what being an association member entailed! I was always told that when I secured a teaching job, I should join the union for protection. At the end of my second year of teaching, I was asked by a colleague if I had any interest in being an association representative for our building. I said yes as I saw it as a chance to learn about my rights as a union member. What I didn’t realize is that it would be a chance to grow as well as a leadership opportunity.
I was not aware of how rare it was for a nontenured teacher to agree to a role like this. I attended a few monthly meetings prior to having my official training. In the meetings, I learned a lot about my local and started forming relationships with other building representatives within it.
When it came time for my formal training as an association representative, I realized what an important role I had signed up for. I also began to feel as if people were misinformed on the work that a representative does. Despite being nontenured, I felt comfortable and confident in this position from the start.
Being a union representative has allowed me to grow both personally and professionally. I have been able to learn about my contract and all it entails. From that, I can have more productive and effective conversations with administration. At times, the conversations are difficult and nerve-wracking to have. However, I always know I have a strong union behind me.
I am also afforded the opportunity to guide colleagues in becoming more knowledgeable. When I first became a representative, I learned that my building didn’t host monthly meetings. Pre-COVID, I brought this back as I felt it was a way to keep us all informed on what was going on at the local and state level. On the personal level, I have learned that in order to grow you need to feel challenged at times. I can’t fix every single issue, but I can constantly advocate for what is right.
This year I entered my tenure year and my third year of being a building representative. My local is currently in the negotiations process, and I am the negotiations chair. I feel lucky to be in this position and look forward to working hard for the best possible contract for the members of my local association.
As I reflect on all I have learned thus far in my career, I realize that the teacher I am and the teacher I would be had I not become a representative are two very different people. My first and second year of teaching, I was afraid to speak up and afraid to ask questions. I truly believe that becoming a building representative broke down that barrier for me. If I wanted the members of my building to be more active and more vocal, I had to model it.
Claudia Dolan is a fifth-grade teacher at School No. 2 in Linden and a member of the Linden Education Association. She can be reached at dolanclaudia@gmail.com.