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Cara Matthews

New York Teacher Senior Editor/Reporter

HERstory celebration

About 175 members and guests attended this year's HERstory brunch in celebration of women’s role in the UFT and the broader labor movement.

Iftar dinner

The UFT Muslim Educators Committee celebrated its second annual Iftar dinner at UFT headquarters on March 7 to break the fast during Ramadan.

CTE Awards

About 1,000 UFT members and guests attended this year's CTE Awards Recognition Ceremony where the union celebrated the 40th anniversary of Success Via Apprenticeship, a program that trains the career and technical education teachers of tomorrow.

Unleashing hope in his community

Retired teacher David Ginsberg brings "hope to anyone and everyone" in his Asheville, North Carolina, community with the help of Chula, the 2-1/2-year-old dog he has trained since she was a puppy to be a therapy dog. The trainer and his dog are familiar faces at the retirement community where they live, as well as at the local schools and firehouse.

Steps survivors must take after a UFT retiree dies

What to do after a UFT retiree dies? Here is a checklist of the steps a surviving spouse or beneficiary should take to receive all the benefits they are due.


Lending an ear to new teachers

Retired music teacher Emy Vanderpool wasn't ready to leave the world of education when health concerns forced her to step down. The UFT's Partners Through Experience program has offered a way for Vanderpool and other recnt retirees to stay connected to schools and help new teachers.

Don’t be fooled by financial fraudsters

Scammers more often target retirees because they're more likely to have savings, good credit and less experience with technology. But retirees can sniff out whether a scammer is at work if they take heed of “the four p’s,” authorities say. Scammers use pretense, present a problem or a prize, pressure victims to act quickly and demand payment. 


Giving a world of learning

Retired high school math teacher Mark Grashow supports the education of thousands of students in rural communities throughout Africa and the Middle East through the nonprofit he founded after retirement, the US-Africa Children's Fellowship.

Getting all jazzed up in Harlem

A group of 2nd-graders at Manhattan's PS 163 take a trip through musical history at the National Jazz Museum in Harlem, learning history, culture and how to scat sing like musical icons Ella Fitzgerald and Duke Ellington.

Boilers, begone!

New city legislation requires that city-owned property, including public schools, generate at least 100 megawatts of electricity from solar panels by 2030 and 150 megawatts by 2035. The bill is a boon for the environment, public health, affordable energy and union jobs, the UFT and other advocates for the law say.