Faces of AEA: Association Representatives
Awesome Association Representatives
Here's a look at some ARs and the great work they do. Share your story with us by emailing sheenae.shannon@arizonaea.org.
Sara Cullen
Sierra Verde 3rd-Grade Teacher (Recently transferred to Stetson Hills)
Sara has been a member of the Association for about 10 years and is a member of Deer Valley EA. She became an AR last year after getting involved with the campaign to pass Prop 100.
Sara feels ARs serve an important role making sure members and potential members get correct information and feel that someone is there to support them. "I became an AR because our campus was in the dark on what was happening in our district and what might happen if Prop 100 did not pass. Information is power and I felt very strongly that my campus needed to hear what would be cut and take action since all of it would directly affect them! Besides making sure my campus had all the important information, I wanted to be an AR to help teachers who felt pressured by Administration. My campus went through a BIG change in administration and our staff was divided. I wanted teachers to feel safe and feel that they were supported and had rights."
Why I'm Proud to Be an AR
One of my proudest moments was receiving recognition at a Board Meeting (along with several other people) for our part in passing Prop 100 and our override. I helped organize people on our campus to walk the neighborhood, some people made phone calls to voters, and we held signs in front of the school in favor of both. It was great to see so many teachers help out. This last year was the first time I was called as a rep. to sit it on meetings for members. I would sit with members before the meeting to discuss the issue and let them know what their rights were, or tell them I would find out. Most of them were so scared and just needed to be calmed down as they did not know what to except at the meeting. Even though I would just sit and take notes in the meeting and ask a few questions, each situation ended well and the member always said thank you! Just seeing them leave a meeting and during our post conference feel better and saying thank you for being there, that was the best. For that is what I feel ARs are for. We are there so teachers do not feel alone.
Amanda Grunden
Barry Goldwater High School Teacher
Amanda has been a member of the Association since she began teaching in 2003 and has been an AR for three years. She is a member of Deer Valley EA and serves as their Region 9 Director.
Amanda believes ARs serve an important role in keeping members informed about issues that affect them. "I am an AR because I see the connection between what happens in my classroom and what happens in Arizona politics. I see the importance of being aware of situations that can affect my "bottom line" or bottom dollar. Either way they affect my life, personally. If there is an influence on my life, then there will be an influence on other teachers' lives. I feel obligated to make other teachers aware of these situations so that they can make informed decisions as well."
Why I'm Proud to Be an AR
My proudest moment was working with the Intensive Organizing Opportunity team for DVEA and telling all the teachers in DVUSD that our hard work had paid off! I was happy to go to other schools to inform the teachers in my district about the Ed Jobs Bill. Many of them were skeptical that we would get any of the Ed Jobs Bill money. When I was able to return with the good news it was incredible! I even suggested to both members and non-members alike that they should use the Ed Jobs Bill money to pay their dues for the next year so they have to deal with the payroll deduction. After all, it was money the DVEA fought to get for us and to use a portion of it to pay for a whole year of dues all at once would make life financially easier!
Susan Seep
Horizon High School Teacher
Susan has been an Association members since her first day on the job in 2005. She became a junior building representative in 2007 and is now her site's Senior Building Rep. She is a member of Paradise Valley EA and serves on their executive board.
Susan believes ARs are important to teachers to manage the relationship between administration and the classroom so teachers can focus on teaching. "I believe teacher tend to take responsibility for all things, whether they are really responsible or not. We are people who give unselfishly, naturally and instinctively. This makes us uniquely subject to the influence of administrators. The more is asked of us, the more we give. ARs are critical for saying no to administrations, so that individual teachers don't suffer the consequences of saying no."
Why I'm Proud to Be an AR
I taught with my sister at Horizon for a few years and I can honestly say she was truly irritated when I became Senior Building Rep and had to spend so much extra time in meetings. She relentlessly gave me a hard time about prioritizing, reducing my obligations, etc. Then, one day, she needed a rep. For a proud and excellent teacher like her, you can imagine how tough that was on her. After going through the disciplinary/advocacy process, she said something I'll never forget. She said, "I had no idea how important your work is as an advocate. I am so grateful you were there, and I can't imagine what would have happened if you weren't there. I understand, now, why you've been saying it is the most important work you do." That was pretty meaningful, I have to say!
Kevin Storey
Shadow Mountain High School AP English Teacher
Kevin has been a member of the Association for 12 years and an AR for 9 years. He is a member of the Paradise Valley EA and assists with high school advocacy.
Kevin believes teachers have a big job in the classroom and that it can be difficult for teachers to learn all of their rights and responsibilities, especially if they are new or inexperienced. "I found that I turned to more veteran teachers to help me with rights and responsibilities, and I saw the value in having a trustworthy person to look to when questions or concerns arose on the job. I chose to be an AR because I wanted to be that type of resource for my colleagues."
Why I'm Proud to Be an AR
A teacher had received a letter of reprimand from the Principal that was clearly motivated by personal issues and tensions that existed between the Principal and the teacher. In the PV District, we pride ourselves on solving things at the lowest level possible. At the outset of this issue, it appeared that we were going to go through the complete Grievance Process, and it was not going to be productive. So, with the assistance of our Organizational Consultant, I prepared to have an informal conversation with the Principal when emotions had cooled in an effort to resolve this at the lowest possible level. I did have that conversation with the Principal and reason prevailed. The Principal decided to withdraw the letter of reprimand. It was affirmation to me that when issues are confronted with reason, clear communication, and transparency we can work with the Administration to do what is best for students and teachers.
