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President Sue Messinger: The Challenges We Face

Spring is a season that many of us look forward to for its promise of warmer days, blossoming flowers, and yes—the nearing of summer break! Yet, for educators, this time of year often poses a challenge. While nature flourishes, trying to stay focused, motivated, and positive can be increasingly difficult. Shifts in student behaviors at the end of the year, and the pressure to complete our curriculum as state testing looms, contribute to heightened stress in all facets of our daily work environment.

As I reflect on my 25-year education career, I’ve seen dramatic shifts in the overall landscape, and I’m sure you do, too, if you’ve been an educator for 10 years or more. Early on, I felt navigating the demands of the day-to-day job plus proficiency testing with new No Child Left Behind policies, along with my Praxis requirements, and figuring out the telephone system was enough! Increasingly, the responsibilities have grown over the years to include the integration of digital technology into our jobs, state-driven performance systems like OTES and RESA, data-driven RIMPS and MAP testing, implementation of PBIS supports, and roster verification, to name a few. Each requirement adds to the challenge of how effective or ineffective I feel about my work.

Somehow despite these added pressures, I’ve managed to retain my half-full outlook, and I know it’s due in big part to the relationships I’ve built over time with colleagues. Having people I can count on at work makes that work experience more meaningful, motivating, and bearable on a daily basis.

However, time and again, what truly keeps me going are the relationships I’ve built with those I’ve met through local, regional, and state advocacy. Involvement with my local, and then with NEOEA committees, has enabled me to make more connections with people who feel the same commitment and have similar experiences, and that’s heartening for sure.

Education is fundamentally about people, so I encourage you to find more of your “people” by getting involved with your local, considering joining an NEOEA committee, or even benefiting yourself by attending an NEOEA-sponsored event. We have several key events coming up in spring and summer, including our fabulous Summer Leadership in July. My hope for you is to have a calm and successful spring, and I hope to see you at one of NEOEA’s events soon!

Sue Messinger
NEOEA President