On the first day of AFT TEACH 2025, I was late to the first session. It was pretty packed, and when I walked in, I must have looked panicked. A woman in an adorable floral dress with brilliant nails looked me over and mouthed the words, “Right here,” while motioning to the seat next to her. That was it. Just that one little thing, and I was completely reset. Not just reset from that moment, but reset from a long school year and a summer with lots of decisions. I learned that at that moment, and probably many others, I was just seeking a place to be, and it felt great to find it.
On the second day, I was on the way to my presentation, going down the escalator. A woman on the other side, going up, yelled over to me, “Girl. Give me that dress right now,” and with a dazzling smile, put me at ease. During my presentation, I was “feeling it.” Knowing you “have the room” is the best feeling in the world. At the end, a woman said, “I just want to say thank you. This was really down to earth. You shared it in a way that I know I’d just want to hang out with you.” I learned that even confident people need to hear that they look good and “did good.”
On the last day, I knew I had to go to the airport early, so I sat in the very back of the International Ballroom and had a perfectly delicious and delightful breakfast, chatting with a woman from the United Kingdom. We commiserated over a certain politician, and she wished me well. I learned that even passing conversations bolster me.
In no particular order, I also learned that artificial intelligence can be biased, and I need to check everything. It can also take a resource I have posted on Share My Lesson and do its magic, and fix it up, and make it ready for a different grade level, or Lexile level, or even a different language. I learned that grow-your-own programs are powerful, and that one district even offers its graduates a contract upon graduation, ready for them when they finish college. I learned that Cornelius Minor is funny and spot on. I learned that Fed Ingram is also a heck of a preacher. I learned that a local is going to use portfolios for their annual professional performance review, and I plan to copy that. I learned that I prefer a chatty Uber driver than a quiet one. I learned that I like a drink called “Wake the Witch.” I learned that Randi Weingarten is playing chess when other people are playing checkers.
I also learned that I know some really bada$$ people. Some of them are out front. Some of them are behind the scenes. Some of them never seem to age. Some of them are glowing up. Some of them are making moves. All of them are Union Strong. None of them would ever claim that they are important, and all of them are. I also learned that I can hug someone I only have “met” online and totally mean it.
While I learned all of these things, and many more, at the AFT TEACH conference, I am sure that you could share your own, and I hope you do. However, I want to share one last thing. The thing that is pressing down on us when we are feeling stressed, overwhelmed and maybe even burned out. That thing. That thing is the weight of being an educator. The way to release that weight is to surround yourself with a likeminded community.
TEACH is held every other year, but we need to keep building the community. Changing the narrative. Speaking truth to power. Running toward positive change and away from despair. Let’s all remember the lessons from this year and take them home to our own communities:
• Make room at the table.
• Give compliments.
• Small moments matter.
• AI is here to stay. So are teachers.
• We are going to need more teachers, so pull someone up behind you.
• There are others who think like you, even if you don’t know them personally.
• Teachers can use the same tools as students: digital portfolios, for example.
• CommUNITY matters.
Let’s keep the good vibes flowing and the learning, too. Share your photos, tag @AFTteach, @MsAmberChandler, and @ShareMyLesson and use the #TEACH25. Share your lessons learned!
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Amber Chandler is a National Board Certified middle school ELA teacher in Hamburg, New York with a Master’s Degree in Literature, as well as a School Building Leader certification. She is the 2018 Association for Middle Level Educators’ “Educator of the Year.” Amber has enjoyed a wide variety of... See More
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