Building authentic relationships with students — relationships that extend beyond academics to understanding what each child needs — is a practice that Jennifer Hedrington shared recently with early career educators as one of her regular goals.
Hedrington, the 2021 Massachusetts Teacher of the Year, who is now an assistant principal in Cambridge, was among the panelists speaking at the MTA Early Career Educators Conference. The annual event is designed for preK-12 teachers, paraprofessionals and higher education members in their first five years of practice.
The one-day conference, held virtually on Nov. 6, presented early career educators with the opportunity to reflect and get information on various topics that are relevant to their work.
Hedrington talked about the importance of building relationships of trust with students.
"What I find is that when a child knows that the person in front of them loves them and sees them, they’re more willing to open up to the academics," Hedrington said. "Because at the end of the day, if you think about your favorite teacher, it wasn’t the teacher who taught you the Pythagorean theorem. It wasn’t a teacher who taught you how to use a comma. It was a relationship, right? There’s something about that teacher that was not academic."
Attendees included numerous Education Support Professionals, MTA higher education members and new teachers.
Alex Hoyt, a Hudson social studies teacher who serves on the MTA New Member Committee, moderated the opening panel discussion, which covered such issues as union organizing, teaching strategies and mentorship.
Susan Soares, the 2021 MTA Education Support Professional of the Year and an Arlington educator, remarked that joining the MTA had given her a sense of belonging.
"I always tell new ESP members what we didn’t have before and how much the union has helped paraprofessionals," she said, adding that the issues go beyond salary and benefits and focus on respect.
ESPs are working alongside teachers and students every day.
"It really has helped people feel like, ‘I can stay here because it’s not just a little low-paying job,’" Soares said. "There’s a community here."
Jessica Birthisel, an assistant professor at Bridgewater State University, said the pandemic gave educators a chance to think anew about pedagogy and what students need. She also stressed the importance of finding allies. Birthisel was the recipient of the 2021 BSU Online Teaching Innovation Award.
"You can’t underestimate the value of finding mentors who share your philosophies, and you might not know your philosophies yet," Birthisel said. "As you get more and more classroom experience — finding champions, finding people on campus who are doing the work that maybe feels scary to you — I think is really advantageous."
Conference participants also spent time during the event in professional development workshops and small-group discussions. Topics included mindfulness, climate change and culturally responsive teaching practices.
MTA President Merrie Najimy called on the early career educators to be active unionists.
"Your presence here today and your participation today also speaks to your commitment to your profession, to your students, and to your union," Najimy said. "One of your most important jobs as an educator is actually to be the strongest unionist that you can possibly be."
