Three Educators Share Their Experiences and Aspirations
By Monique Boone, Kelly Erinakes, Nicholas Ferroni
Teaching, a truly noble profession, is on life support. After decades of inadequate investment, our public schools were short-staffed and under-resourced when the pandemic began. Now, educators’ working conditions, which are also students’ learning conditions, are abominable—and for many, simply unbearable. Here, three long-serving educators—Monique Boone, Kelly Erinakes, and Nicholas Ferroni—share their experiences striving to meet students’ needs and offer straightforward solutions for restoring the teaching profession’s vitality.
Monique Boone is the preK–12 English language arts and reading coordinator in the Channelview Independent School District in Channelview, Texas, and a member of Northeast Houston AFT (Local 6568). Previously, she taught middle school English and journalism and was an instructional technology specialist. A certified master reading teacher and reading specialist, Monique also teaches GED classes for the Harris County Department of Education. In addition, she is a consultant in literacy, technology, best teaching practices, and identity-affirming schools.
Kelly Erinakes is a dedicated educator and union activist. Since 2001, she has taught history and government at Coventry High School in Coventry, Rhode Island, and has been the president of the Coventry Teachers’ Alliance (AFT Local 1075). Previously, she spent six years as a middle school teacher.
Nicholas Ferroni is a history and cultural studies teacher at Union High School in Union, New Jersey, a member of the Union Township Education Association, and an associate member of the AFT. An advocate for gender equality and for LGBTQIA+ youth and an educator dedicated to inclusive history, he has been recognized as a Champion of Change by the United Nations Women and an Upstander of the Year by the Human Rights Campaign.
If you work in a school, please take from this Q&A the knowledge that you are not alone. Your fellow education professionals and your union are fighting for the changes that you—and our nation’s children—need. If you are a parent, community member, and/or elected official, please hear these educators. They are caring for your children, and they need you to care for them by fully funding public schools, including providing the staff, services, and supports that enable students to be physically and mentally healthy and ready to learn.
Read the rest of the piece from the American Educator.