The 2020 MTA Summer Conference — the first ever held virtually — was a tremendous success, with participants filling sessions focused on professional development and union leadership, learning about the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, and exploring ways to bring social justice into the curriculum.
As programming kicked off, MTA President Merrie Najimy encouraged all members to take advantage of as many sessions and special events as they could. All of the programming was free for MTA members.
"This year’s Summer Conference helps our members connect the dots between what is happening nationally and what they care most about," Najimy said as the events began. "Educating our young people in ways that address racism is incredibly important, as is pushing back against a narrative of austerity at a time when full funding and proper staffing are absolutely vital."
A Speaker Series event on issues related to the coronavirus crisis attracted more than 900 MTA educators, who heard from members of the MTA Environmental Health and Safety Committee about the complications facing school districts and campuses in planning for the resumption of learning in the new academic year.
Listening circles on antiracism attracted members eager to learn more about racial and social justice and then put what they learned into practice.
Members heard Erica Smiley, executive director of Jobs With Justice, lead a discussion about unions’ responsibility in seeking to dismantle white supremacy, and a series of workshops titled "Courageous Conversations: A Pilot Project in Racial Justice and Critical Pedagogy" explored historical events in the United States and helped educators develop a critical analysis for antiracist teaching. Another workshop helped educators learn about gender-inclusive practices.
Higher education workshops such as "Fall Return? Considering Safety and Educational Quality in a Global Pandemic" offered participants up-to-the-minute information and resources. Others, such as "College Affordability and Student Debt," "The Economic Value of Investing in Higher Education" and "Now More Than Ever: Progressive Revenues," focused on organizing for a debt-free future and served as counterweights to the austerity narrative that has led to thousands of layoffs and furloughs on public higher education campuses across the state.
A full slate of workshops was offered for Education Support Professionals. One session involved the MTA PreK-12 ESP Bill of Rights campaign. Meanwhile, professional development workshops focused on issues such as helping students improve executive functioning skills and building strategies for working with those on the autism spectrum.
A two-day track for new members — developed by the New Member Committee — introduced preK-12 MTA members in their first five years of practice to what a union is, what their union does, and why unions are especially important during the pandemic.
One participant in the New Member Program was Corinne Sherwood, an ESP at Carver Middle/High School and a member of the Education Association of Plymouth and Carver. She had just completed her first year as the academic coordinator of the school’s transition assistance program.
Sherwood said she has "gone gung-ho" into the work of her local this past year, including serving a stint this summer working in the MTA Summer Member Organizing Program.
In addition to participating in the New Member Program, Sherwood attended several Summer Conference programs and events. She said the sessions more than met her expectations.
"Today we talked about the social-emotional well-being of educators. Usually educators focus on students’ well-being, but we never really take the time to think of ourselves. So it was nice to have a workshop about our own social and emotional health," Sherwood said.
Several special events were sprinkled throughout the conference.
"Spoken Word: Celebrating Our Students" showcased former students and MTA members from the Worcester area sharing their perspectives about current events through spoken word.
Movie Nights were hosted by ALANA Educators and co-sponsored by the MTA Task Force on Race, the MTA Ethnic Minority Affairs Committee and the MTA Training and Professional Learning Committee.
A musical that aired on June 19, Juneteenth, kicked off the Movie Night series. The Moment WasNow, a film based on a stage play, deals with racial justice and worker solidarity immediately after the Civil War. Other Movie Night sessions featured the powerful documentary 13th, which explores the intersection of race, justice and mass incarceration in the United States, and Pushout: The Criminalization of Black Girls in Schools. The film takes a deep dive into the lives of Black girls and the practices, cultural beliefs and policies that disrupt one of the most important factors in their lives — education.
While moving the Summer Conference entirely online in a short time span felt to organizers a bit like performing a high-wire act, it largely went off without a hitch. The content of the sessions was "incredibly relevant to our members," said Najimy. "Well-informed members build powerful unions."
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