Cara Matthews
New York Teacher Senior Editor/Reporter
Stitching together the pieces in retirement
Louise Naples, a retired school secretary, has become an avid quilter in retirement. Her quilts were recently on display at The Center, a communal gathering space at the Maple Grove Cemetery in Kew Gardens, Queens.
Members lobby state lawmakers online
In the days following UFT Lobby Day in Albany, scores of UFT chapters held virtual lobby days in their schools to urge state lawmakers in emails and social media posts to fix Tier 6, update the state’s Foundation Aid formula and enact other UFT legislative priorities.
Candidates must walk in teachers’ shoes
Candidates for New York City mayor must fulfill a new prerequisite this year if they want to be considered for the UFT’s endorsement: They have to spend a day in a New York City public school classroom helping educators.
Money, power and ‘RESPECT’
More than 1,600 paraprofessionals and fellow UFT members came together from across the city on April 2 to call on the New York City Council to pass legislation to give paraprofessionals an annual “RESPECT check” of $10,000.
Striking a chord with lawmakers
Fixing Tier 6, providing adequate funding for public schools, banning cell phones in school and supporting union programs such as the UFT Teacher Center were the focus as about 1,000 educators and parents traveled to Albany for UFT Lobby Day on March 10.
Learning takes flight
Ninth-graders at NEST+m, a gifted and talented K-12 school on Manhattan's Lower East Side, took their science lessons to new heights during a class trip to the Intrepid Museum.
Having his ‘aha’ moment
Mohammed Hossain, a UFT CTE Award winner and engineering teacher at the High School for Construction Trades, Engineering and Architecture in Queens, found his way to a career in education after realizing he found joy in helping people have their own "aha moments" with challenging material.
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.