UFT members went door to door in August to speak with parents about their hopes and concerns about the full reopening of New York City schools for in-person instruction.

Former paraprofessional Sherwin Persaud made the transition to teacher last school year, finding his niche working with autistic children and those with behavioral issues in the early grades at P233 in Forest Hills, Queens.

About 300 local families braved 90-degree weather to attend a back-to-school supplies giveaway organized by the UFT and community partners on Aug. 12 at PS 19 on Staten Island.

The UFT Bronx borough office organized a back-to-school celebration on Aug. 26, partnering with the New York Pubic Library and several other community organizations to bring supplies and activities to more than 150 local parents and children.

You may not be an in-service employee anymore, but you haven’t left the UFT. Now it’s time to become a member of the union’s Retired Teachers Chapter (RTC) and participate in what’s considered the nation’s best retiree program for public school...

Barbara Zietchick began taking painting lessons and learning about printmaking while she was still a kindergarten teacher on Staten Island in the 1980s. Now, 37 years after her retirement, Zietchick’s lifetime commitment to “change and growth”...

Members who have spent their professional lives under the academic calendar, even in retirement look at school openings as a pivot point. RTC Chapter Leader Tom Murphy looks at where we have been and, after our summer respite, where we are headed.

Si Beagle trips make a seamless transition from in-person walking tours to virtual excursions for Retired Teachers Chapter members.



More than 30 years ago, Antoinette Messina, now retired, taught an immigrant boy to speak English. In a simple twist of fate, that boy, who grew up to be a physical therapist, today is teaching Messina to walk again.

As COVID-19 ravaged New York City and forced schools to shut down, Brian Nagy enjoyed a unique position. He was ready for remote.