Student National Education Association

University of Central Florida

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Future Teachers | Leaders | Activists

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NEA TEACHERS
UNION

"Experience has taught us that action in the now is also necessary, always. Our children cannot dream unless they live, they cannot live unless they are nourished, and who else will feed them the real food without which their dreams will be no different from ours?

'If you want us to change the world someday, we at least have to live long enough to grow up!' shouts the child." -Audre Lorde

OUR MISSION: to provide opportunities and support for UCF student teachers in the form of conferences, volunteer events, professional development, experience, networking, political action, social justice, resources, and practice.

The Student National Education Association at UCF is a professional organization of preservice teachers and aspiring educators that supports college students in their dedication to provide the best education possible for their future students.

Florida is experiencing an education crisis.

Investing in public education is at an all-time low and retaining and recruiting teachers is a challenge. The hard truth is that less and less college students are choosing to become teachers. NEA, the largest teacher’s union in the nation with over 3 million members, created the Aspiring Educators program to provide student teachers with the confidence, experience, and resources to:

▶ Become a better prepared, high quality teacher,

▶ Enjoy teaching and remain in the profession,

▶ Make a long-lasting, positive impact in the field.

Member Opportunities

50+ events each semester to build your education repertoire, prepare for your career, and pack your resume!

✔ Partnership with NEMOURS Children's Hospital.

✔ Partnership with UCF College of Teacher Education KnightEd Talks.

✔ $250 Scholarship for any SNEA member.

✔ Free local, state, and national conferences.

✔ School events, classroom volunteering, social media challenges, and community art projects.

✔ Professional webinars, workshops, and resources.

✔ Guest speakers like Matthew Cherry, the creator of "Hair Love" and Erin Gruwell from Freedom Writers.

Students can register online to become SNEA members for an annual fee of $31/year. Visit www.nea.org/student-program to read about member benefits and enroll today!

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Student Program Core Values

Teacher Quality

Teacher Quality encompasses pre-professional development and job preparation. At local meetings and workshops, state conferences, and national symposiums, our members encounter professional development opportunities: guest speakers on classroom management, experts on testing and practitioners sharing tips on smoothly running science labs. Job preparation comes in the form of resume workshops, portfolio tutorials, mock interviews and new teacher panels. Student Program publications and websites share teacher quality information relevant to our members, including certification requirements and resources for working with special needs children. Student members and chapters partner with Local Associations to enhance in-the-classroom opportunities and secure “real world” insights into the education profession. Students shape their college curriculum by serving as change-agents on boards and committees. Our members’ involvement in the NEA Student Program increases their ability to become quality teachers.

Community Outreach

Community Outreach describes how NEA Student Program members engage the people and environment around them; we impact our communities – locally and globally – and value the meaningfulness of such involvement. Our members learn about communicating with parents, experience partnering with local businesses, and find grant support through Chamber of Commerce consortiums. We design and implement projects as diverse as after-school tutoring programs, Harry Potter learning carnivals, and Senior Citizen dances. New teachers who are NEA Student Program Alumni are more successful in helping their students achieve because they know how reaching out to the community provides them access to material and human resources.

Political Action

Political Action includes both the realization that political and legislative issues impact the education world and the initiative to get involved. We celebrate issue awareness around vouchers, IDEA funding, and state-mandated new teacher rights. We share information with peers, family and community. We sponsor voter registrations, get-out-the-vote activities, contact elected officials, help elect pro-public education officials, and lobby our local, state and national legislators. By educating each other, organizing activities and publicizing our involvement, we are making an impact.

Social Justice

Social Justice refers to a concept in which unequal opportunities are brought to light and equitable opportunities are sought after for groups which have been systematically oppressed, restricted, and discriminated for a more just society. The NEA Student Program has taken a charge on tackling the immense occurrence of social justice and institutional racism to create awareness and promote activism around the issue. Social Justice action and advocacy is a priority of the National Education Association and chapters which have shown knowledge and awareness, advocacy, and action around this priority will be recognized.

10 NEA Goal Areas

Serve as National Voice for Education
Advance Cause of Public Education for All Individuals
Promote Health and Welfare of Children and/or Students
Promote Professional Excellence Among Educators
Gain Recognition of the Basic Importance of the Educator in the Learning Process
Protect Rights of Education Employees and Advance Their Interests and Welfare, and Promote, Support, and Defend Public Employees’ Right to Collective Bargaining
Secure Professional Autonomy
Unite Education Employees for Effective Citizenship
Promote and Protect Human and Civil Rights
Obtain for Members the Benefits of an Independent, United Education Profession