In recent years, we have seen a rising effort by some in our state and across the U.S. to drive wedges between parents and educators. These false narratives couldn’t be further from the truth when it comes to the efforts of all the stakeholders in our system of public education. In fact, our educators and the parents and caretakers of school-aged children have historically been on the same side and share the same goals. We all want our students to feel safe, supported, and secure in the knowledge that all the adults in their lives have their backs and will help them to dream big and achieve even bigger!
With this spirit in mind, we are proud to announce a new effort to shine a spotlight on the stories of our members and all the amazing, life-changing things all of you are doing every day by working together with your colleagues, friends and family in public education.
This campaign, called “All Together,” is a collection of candid testimonial videos, featuring comments on the importance of collaboration from the four finalists for North Dakota Teacher of the Year: Sheila Peterson, a physical education teacher at Wachter Middle School in Bismarck; Andee Mattson, a music teacher at Ely Elementary in Rugby; Trisha Schaefer, a sixth-grade math teacher at Ramstad Middle School in Minot; and Megan Wasness, an English teacher at Central Middle School in Devils Lake.
These videos and more information about our All Together campaign can be found online at www.ndunited.org/all-together. In addition to their stories, we hope you will share your own stories with us of times you worked shoulder-to-shoulder with another stakeholder in public education. Visit our website and fill out the simple form to tell us about your own “All Together” story, as an educator or parent.
It is our hope that, by sharing these stories of collaboration and working together for our students, we can help to start a conversation about all the amazing things going on currently in public education.
Whether you are a teacher, an education support professional, a public employee, or as an advocate and supporter of quality public education and services for all North Dakotans, your stories and perspectives matter! Thank you for sharing your stories and being All Together with us.
