From the President

We’re 86,000 Strong. Let’s Prove It.

Last year, Mamie Lou Gross Elementary School in Camden County invited me to assist with implementation of the Standards for Mathematical Practice. As I entered a first-grade classroom, a young girl was sharing with others how she solved a math problem. The girl, Sara, later told me that the students share solutions because “we are all better together.” These were powerful words, especially from a firstgrader! A day does not pass that I do not think about what she said.

Leslie Mills

When PAGE recently announced that its membership has grown to more than 86,000, I thought of the ways we are better together through our organization. PAGE Professional Learning is a great example. “Community Conversations” across Georgia are joining local school leaders with community leaders in businesses, churches and social services to seek collaborative solutions to education challenges. The PAGE High School Redesign Initiative, Assistant Principal and Teacher Leadership Academy, Principal and Teacher Leadership Network and the Superintendent Leadership Network all foster collective growth among Georgia educators.

PAGE also gives us a powerful voice at the state capitol. Our association’s legislative team is led by Margaret Ciccarelli, who was just named among the “Top Female Lobbyists” in Georgia by James magazine. As we begin a new legislative session, we must make our voices heard. With tens of thousands of us working together, we truly can change how education is delivered in classrooms throughout Georgia.

As Helen Keller said, “Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much.” This was so evident last year when educators were unhappy with their healthcare coverage: Thousands of voices united, and changes were made in our health benefits. It is this same enthusiasm that we must carry into the current legislative session. Pay close attention to the PAGE Legislative Updates and do not hesitate to contact your representatives. While one call to a legislator may not make much of an impact, just imagine what would happen if thousands of us made our voices heard.

We also have the opportunity to do that on Feb. 16 at this year’s PAGE Day on Capitol Hill. Please join in and invite fellow educators. Envision the impact if thousands of Georgia educators registered for the event (it’s free) and showed up in mass at the capitol in support of PAGE’s 2015 legislative agenda. n

While one call to a legislator may not make much of an impact, just imagine what would happen if thousands of us made our voices heard.