Have you ever wondered what union leadership does on their free time, at least when not already explicitly working to support the membership? It's going to conferences to hone our craft! The 2019 FEA LEADS Conference is certainly no exception.
In the two days of the conference, various locals through the great state of Florida came together under the FEA banner. In a concentrated effort to better support our students, locals collaborated among themselves and with each other with the aim to stem the tide of new teacher non-renewals. Many locals are lacking district support for new teachers altogether. With so many classrooms lacking teachers, locals are taking up the charge to keep them filled.
A large part of this conference was described as "unconscious conferencing". Instead of sitting and watching endless PowerPoint slides (although not avoided entirely), locals each worked directly with a member of FEA leadership to foster realistic outcomes pertaining to new teacher retention. Each local was unique in how far along in this process they are. The structures differed in their own ways, but all were able to become inspired by each other's work.
The main objective for all locals is the implementation of a mentor program. The basic premise of which is pairing a new teacher with an experienced teacher. This is so that the new teacher is not left to her own devices and has the help of her union mentor whenever she has a need.
We are lucky to have certain advantages which allow us to have our own mentor program in place. Working with other locals and learning about their own struggles has given great insight on how we can improve. As our program matures, new elements are now in the planning stages for incorporation into our current program.
