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4 Winter 2014/15 x AEA Advocate Have Courage and Stand Strong It is always a risk to make the decision to care deeply about a cause and act on it. As educators, we accept a calling to our profession in public schools because we are committed to our students and the mission of providing a quality public education for every child. You see, we all share this vision in which education is a right afforded to each child, regardless of race, class, gender, ability, or country of origin. This may seem like a lofty goal, but we know it is a worthy one because as educators we know that with a good education our students will succeed and ensure a better world for themselves and for future generations. We believe we can overcome any obstacle or challenge as long as we remain focused on our mission. As educators we accomplish this mission through collective action. We work with colleagues to support each other. We attend workshops to develop our skills and improve our students' learning. Through the AEA, our collective action ensures that individual educators are free to advocate on behalf of public education. Collective action, taken in numbers, includes taking collective risks. Whether at the local governing board or state office level, it is a risk to stand behind candidates for office—because we cannot guarantee outcomes. We can only honor our own commitments and act on our values. AEA proudly recommended the candidates we believed would support public education in Arizona. We stand by our recommendations with no apologies or regrets because we stood up for what we believed was best for our students and for public education. The election is over and now we must move forward. There may be some setbacks; there will doubtless be challenges. There is a modern proverb "If you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything." I believe we make more gains when we stand up for what we believe in rather than let fear hold us back. Serving our members and students means representing educators' voices and engaging in dialogue with Arizona's leaders. Accordingly, AEA will reach out to newly elected leaders, regardless of our recommendations because our mission remains unchanged. We build relationships where we can find common ground and look to the future. We have a million reasons each day to stand up, dust off, and look forward. We are educators. We must not let disappointment and fear distract us from accomplishing our mission. Every day is a new opportunity to do our best work for the students in our charge, with the colleagues with whom we stand. Andrew F. Morrill, President Arizona Education Association The AEA Advocate is published by the Arizona Education Association, 345 East Palm Lane, Phoenix, Arizona 85004-1532. Phone: 602-264-1774 or 800-352-5411 Fax: 602-240-6887 Email: sheenae.shannon@arizonaea.org. AEA's website may be found at www.arizonaea.org. Permission to reprint any material originating with this publication is granted provided that credit is given to the AEA Advocate. The AEA Advocate (ISSN 0194-8849) is published in Fall, Winter, Spring and Summer for $3.50 per year by the Arizona Education Association, 345 East Palm Lane, Phoenix, AZ 85004-1532. Periodicals postage paid at Phoenix, Arizona. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to the AEA Advocate, 345 East Palm Lane, Phoenix, AZ 85004-1532. POINT OF VIEW by Andrew F. Morrill AEA OFFICERS Andrew F. Morrill President Joe Thomas Vice-President Nidia Lias Treasurer AEA STAFF Mark Simons Executive Director Sheenae Shannon Editor Penny Skubal Graphic Design Advertising Nancy Hall Editorial Associate - 9