At NCTE we appreciate educators all year long—that’s our envious job. But we wanted to take a minute to express our gratitude for the many ways in which you inspire us to do our work each day.
I have been especially moved by fellow NCTE members’ devotion to the larger purpose and difficult craft of teaching, as a means of developing themselves profoundly, as human beings, and as a means of empowering their students to become the people they have the potential to be, the people we need them to be. Witnessing this, from professionals who face so many daily challenges to their time and spirit, has reaffirmed for me the depth of integrity, optimism, and generosity to be found among our nation’s teachers.
– Kelly Searsmith
I am astounded by the commitment and perseverance of the educators I meet through my work with the NCTE Intellectual Freedom Center. These educators’ objective is to give their students the best reads of their lives, reads that will help them think, walk in another’s shoes, learn. These educators keep their dedication through affronts to what any of us would call education and their eyes always on the learning they want for their students. These educators are important and they are my heroes!
– Millie Davis
I really appreciate the teachers who serve as peer reviewers for our book and journal article manuscripts. By doing this work–without pay, and in addition to their regular teaching, publishing, and service duties—they help ensure that high-quality scholarship continues to be published, thereby enriching ALL literacy teachers’ work.
– Kurt Austin
When I look across the schools, teams, and teachers I have had the privilege to learn from during my three years at NCTE, I see resilient innovators who confront challenges and address needs with the greatest level of resolve, teamwork, and creative know-how. Each new challenge becomes an opportunity to learn and to grow.
– Lara Hebert
I came to NCTE with a pre-existing appreciation for the huge difference that teachers make for their students and each other. What has come into focus since I joined the staff is how committed and effective many teachers are in advocating for change in their schools and communities, their states, and at the national level. Despite the tremendous time pressures they all face, teachers find a way to make their voices heard on behalf of their students for a more literate and more just society.
– Darren Cambridge
One of the reasons I love to attend our Annual Convention is because I get the chance to talk with thousands of teachers. They share about their classrooms and students and their communities. I always leave Convention reinvigorated from these conversations. It’s awesome to hear what our members are doing!
– Lisa Fink
Working here provides a different level of insight into the daily lives of educators—the good, the bad, and the ugly. It’s also convinced me that it takes an extremely strong person to be a teacher these days. I don’t know if I’d have what it takes!
– Emily Nafziger
So many teachers I meet are seeking ways to help/inspire/teach struggling students how to read/love reading or be passionate readers. Teachers are so generous with their time, their money and their resources. They will sacrifice so much so that their students thrive.
– Lu Ann McNabb
In my work on The Council Chronicle, I frequently ask educators if they’d be willing to be interviewed about the learning going on in their classrooms and schools. Even at the most chaotic times of the academic year, a typical response is “Sure, there are great things going on in my classroom/school and I’d welcome the chance to talk about them.” I find it really inspiring to work with educators who are not only doing the challenging work of teaching, but are willing to share their stories in the hope they’ll be useful to others.
– Felice Kaufmann
For the past two years I’ve attended an NCTE Convention session organized by Steve Zemelman to showcase teachers who speak out about valued aspects of their work and to encourage others to do the same. I’ve come away inspired each time, and in the process I learned about Beth Shaum’s blog, which offers marvelous examples of teachers reaching out. The title, Use Your Outside Voice Because Teachers Need to Be Heard, says it all.
– Anne Gere