Margaret Powell: Finding a Home in NEA

As an education support professional, my work directly impacts how students are viewed via their data. It’s my responsibility to maintain accurate and updated information, which gives us insight on what a student needs. For example, the data I manage helps educators identify instructional needs, sanitation and health needs, and supplemental community resources—and this work is important.

I remember meeting one of my former special need students managing a local gas station. That instance reminded me that every student can grow up to be successful with strong educators supporting them.

And my union has supported me along the way. When I first joined the association, I had some hesitation. I had a young family. I was working every day and going to school for my bachelor’s degree, but the association’s core beliefs were tied to what was important to me: building community, making sure our students had access to a great education, and ensuring our teachers had what they needed to support our kids.

I felt compelled to do more, and supporting me along way was NCAE and NEA.

Every training and event hosted by the state and national associations gave me the tools I needed to speak up about what we wanted for our building, professional development opportunities ESPs in my district were typically left out of the equation. By being vocal, we were soon invited to participate in sessions that helped us support our students and colleagues better. I learned how to really understand the policies that govern our work and how to operate around those policies to bring educators together and create change. The one event that helped solidify my commitment to the association was my first-ever ESP Conference.

It was empowering to be in that space with other educators who do what I do. A lot of times you hear people talk about “teacher this and teacher that.” At the conference, there were hundreds of ESPs who were bosses in their own right, engaging the association on the different levels. From there on, I felt like I could never not be a part of the association.