By Efrain Monterroso
As a minority early-career member, I quickly noticed the unjust treatment of those entering the profession. Through previous presidential and gubernatorial administrations, ill-advised policies were put into place. These poor decisions erected barriers to studying education and gaining certification as a teacher. The environment discouraged even those who could overcome the barriers from pursuing a career in education, causing today’s teacher shortage.
Every preservice and early-career teacher I meet is never in it for the money. They are in it for the lasting impact they can make on future generations. But how can we do that when the certification process does not support those who wish to pursue that life goal?
During my first year of teaching, I told my local association president, Ellen Ogintz, that I was committed to the recruitment and retention of a diverse and well-trained teaching force that reflected the multicultural population of the students we served. I also wanted to connect with a group of people who did policy work. Soon after, I was introduced to the Mercer County Education Association’s Legislative Action Team (MCEA LAT)—a dedicated group of people who are strong advocates for federal and state education initiatives as well as ardent supporters of NJEA PAC-endorsed candidates.
After hearing stories from early career members, MCEA Legislative Chair Lisa Rizziello organized a virtual town hall that gave early career members the opportunity to talk to legislators from legislative districts 14, 15 and 16. On that call, I was able to speak about how edTPA is hurting the recruitment and retention of a diverse and well-trained teaching force to support our students.
Through the hard work of many, a bill to eliminate edTPA passed unanimously in the state Senate and Assembly. But we cannot declare victory yet as we wait for Gov. Phil Murphy to sign the end of the edTPA requirement into law.
I understand that the work we do in the classroom can sometimes seem overwhelming, but we cannot continue to allow those who are not in the classroom with our students to make all the decisions. As early career members, we need to share our experiences in order to improve the professional experience of ourselves and those to come!
Efrain Monterroso was a Spanish teacher at Hightstown High School and a member of the East Windsor Education Association. Now he is a master’s degree candidate in Education Policy and Analysis at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. When he was teaching in New Jersey, he was a Mercer County Education Association Legislative Action Team Co-chair and served on the NJEA Congressional Contact Committee.