Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/39006
IN DEPTH LOOK Faces of AEA, cont. from page 19 AWEsomE AssociAtion REpREsEntAtivEs Here’s a look at some ARs and the great work they do! Beth Eyres Deer Valley High School AP English Teacher Beth has been a member of the Association for the 20 years she has been teaching. She has been an AR for six years and is a member of the Deer Valley EA. Beth feels ARs are important because it gives members someone on their local cam- pus to talk to face-to-face rather than search- ing for a phone number or email address. “Members can just come to their site leader first to get questions to their answers. A site leader is someone members know, are com- fortable with, and can trust. Site leaders also provide administrators someone they know they can go to for an open line of communica- tion. I believe some administrators may not try to pull as much stuff when they know there Kathy Steger Third-grade teacher and grade-level chair at Gilbert Elementary School Kathy has been a member of the Association since 1985 and has been the Association representative (AR) at her site for the past four years. She is a Gilbert EA member and feels the role of AR is important because they serve as the liaison between the members and the Association. “ARs are fa- miliar with the issues the members on various campuses face and communicate those issues to the local. I also believe an important part of the AR’s responsibility is to represent the Association. We should communicate to the members what is happening locally, and state- and country-wide in education. It is our job to get our members involved in their association!” Why I’m Proud to Be an AR “I believe the proudest day I have had being an AR was to help orga- nize support for rallies at the state capitol 2 years ago. Many people met at school, made posters, and drove together down to the capitol. Last year my colleagues and I held meetings to brainstorm ways to inform the public about how important the one-cent sales tax was to education! We made posters, put them on display on our cars, and parked our cars along a busy street so that people could see them! It was very exciting to be involved in that way!” 20 Fall 2011 ❘ AEA Advocate are good leaders representing the employees on their campus.” Why I’m Proud to Be an AR “I wrote up a grievance that saved around 18 people’s jobs. Someone brought to my at- tention that the administration was going to lay off these people and hadn’t notified them yet. All I did was write up the grievance, it was a pretty straightforward violation of our contract, but that’s all it took. The administration said, ‘Yea, you’re right.’ “I’ve gotten to know more people and made friends with people I wouldn’t have before be- ing a site leader. I hold the meetings, so I get to see everyone and talk to everyone. Being a site leader is very people oriented, and I find that fulfilling.” Read about more awesome ARs online at arizonaea.org and tell us about your awesome AR.