At a GOTV rally just before Election Day (now in the rearview mirror–thankfully!), the candidate for State House District 95, Mana Abdi, spoke. She has now been elected as a representative from Lewiston—the first Somali-American to hold a seat in our legislature! Just one indication of the forward movement of our state!
She said something that evening that will likely stay with me forever. It was actually something her dentist had said to her, but although I’m sure it referred to a very specific context when she first heard it (teeth), it is applicable in so many ways to our lives: “Take care of the things you want to keep.”
What do you want to keep?
These past few months especially, my attention and energy has been focused on keeping our system of public education strong and on supporting our dedicated educators, despite those who would undermine our efforts and even attack the hardworking people who teach and support our students. After all, at its center, it is the job of not only the MEA President but of all of MEA to support our members, and not just during an election year. I also want to keep our union strong, as I’m sure all our members do as well. During my remaining time serving in this position, and even beyond, I will continue to be committed to do all I can to see that our members have what they need–to see that you are recognized, respected, and rewarded for the important work you all do—and that our retired educators spent their careers doing. And I will continue to be committed to seeing that the resources are there to be able to do the job of educating Maine’s students well, that our schools and campuses are the safe, welcoming, just, caring, equitable and affirming environments that both educators and students need and deserve.
Though November 8th has passed with many successes for those who support public education and educators, we are still faced with many challenges. There is already a look ahead to November 2024. And meanwhile there will be local elections for town and city councils and, so important, for school boards. The challenges didn’t end with these past elections, and we all have a role to play in taking care of the profession we want to keep, in taking care of and participating in the union we want to keep.
Soon local leaders will be getting information about MEA elections—for delegates to the MEA and NEA Representative Assemblies, for seats on the MEA Board of Directors and other important positions. Will you step up to help take care of the Association we want to keep? Are you helping to take care of your local association in any way, big or small, that might help? There are so many ways we each can help take care of our union and our profession!
Of course, we want to also keep strong relationships with our families and friends, and we want to keep our health and welfare, and so we must also be able to take care of the people in our lives, and, not least of all, also take care of ourselves.
At this time of year, the ‘second’ New Year that educators are fortunate to have, I hope we all take to heart what Representative Abdi’s dentist told her—let’s all do our best to take care of the things we want to keep. Let’s keep our public schools and institutions of higher learning strong, let’s keep our union stronger than ever, and let’s all take care of one another.
Here’s to a great 2023 for all of you, and for our students!
In Unity,
Grace
