News: Do'ers Profile
Nicole Kendall

Name and Profession: second-year fifth grade math, science, and social studies teacher.

NEA local affiliate: Metro Nashville (Tennessee) Education Association.

Positions: Former leader in the NEA Student Program. Now a building rep, co-chair of the MNEA Membership Committee, local political action council member, and member of the Tennessee Education Association's New Teacher Committee.

Preparation for Association activism: In the NEA Student Program, I saw that your voice really is heard in NEA, that you're not just a number. It was exciting to know that there are 2.5 million NEA members and that I was one of them.

My new local Association didn't have to talk to me about the power of lobbying in numbers, because I'd already done that as a Student member. And I learned that your classroom complaints are more "valid" when you're an Association member.

Preparation for the classroom: The Student Program sharpened my leadership skills, tuned me into NEA's vast Web resources, and helped me build a network of professional colleagues I can call on as a resource bank.

I recently had some lawyers, whom I met through lobbying, come to my classroom to talk about constitutional amendments and current legal developments. I also E-mail a lot of former and current Student Program members. They're my support, and I give them insight I've picked up in the classroom.

A better school ambassador: Thanks to my involvement in the NEA Student Program's Outreach To Teach Program-which encourages community people to get involved in schools-I have greater confidence in talking to our community partners who donate to my campus, the Walter Stokes Middle School.

I also ask parents for help, and they love that I ask. I've had so much parent involvement this year-it's wonderful!

Reaching other new teachers: As local membership co-chair for the 2001-02 school year, my job is to help first-year teachers understand why they need to be involved in the Association. I approach them by learning their concerns and finding out what their needs are.

A lot of new teachers say, "I thought that joining the Association was something you did when you got tenure." They don't understand this is something you can do during your first year of teaching. They need to understand what their membership means, and what support they get through it.

What new teachers want: We want to know about things like support, professional development, liability insurance, resources on the Internet, what the professional Association can do to make us better teachers and leaders, and how to get grants.

One of the big things for new teachers is getting on our feet after college, after loans, and managing this great, wonderful paycheck that we never thought we would make. A lot of things, like home insurance and credit card balances, can scare new teachers.

A word to veteran teachers: Move beyond the labels of Generation X or Y and see new teachers as colleagues that you want to keep in the profession, that you want to be just as competent as you are.

A lot of vets say things like, "You're the same age as my daughter." Maybe so, but we're also your colleagues, we're working next door to you, and we also have to teach children.
Just remember how you felt in your first year, knowing that there were a lot of obstacles, plus the temptation of other professions that could easily pull you out.

Tell new teachers, "We're glad you're here. We know it's hard, but we're here to help you any way we can."
And don't assume that they know that.

(Contact Nicole Kendall at nicmkend@hotmail.com)