Becky's Journal, 6 Years of Joy, Justice, and Excellence, August 2026

Dear NEA members,

I was honored to serve as your president.

Leading this union has been the honor of my life. My term as NEA president ends in September, but as always, the future rests with you. You are upholding our vow to advance racial and social justice, and to promote inclusive, safe, just, and joyous school environments. You are demanding the respect of professional pay and high-quality working conditions for educators. You are supporting professional excellence and student learning.

You are still educating. Still organizing. Still fighting. And that means the story is not over. It means the curve of hope is still bending—because we are the ones bending it. When educators stand together, there is no force in this nation that can silence us. There is no enemy who can shrink us. There is no wannabe dictator who can stop us.

Thank you for the privilege of taking this journey with you. The best chapters are still to be written—by your hands, your voices, and your unwavering commitment to public education, to our students, to each other, and to this union.

Thank you for the JOY you bring to education.

“Educators, you are leading the way. Guiding and protecting,  nurturing and supporting our students all across this nation. Every day, all day, you provide our students with the tools they need to thrive and achieve their dreams.”

Together, we fought for JUSTICE.

“Immigrant families—with the courage and tenacity to move for a better life— help make our country the land of the free and the home of the brave.”

Together, we have fought for the rights of immigrant students and families, urged commonsense laws to prevent gun violence, helped address food insecurity, fought to ensure educators could retire with dignity by repealing GPO/WEP, and demanded justice for our students.

NEA members’ commitment to EXCELLENCE continues to inspire me.

We navigated the challenges of the pandemic, demanded fair pay and respect, and stood strong against unprecedented attacks on public education and democracy. We will prevail!