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Deborah Jones — NEA Director
■ My focus is always membership growth.
We must work collaboratively with
each other, as it truly takes a village. By
working together, we can achieve our
goal. As a local, state, and national leader,
membership and the welfare of our members
is always a top priority. Without members,
there is no GAE. We must work to sustain
the members we have and work even harder
to gain new members. GAE is the best
organization in the state as we advocate
for the learning and working conditions in
our schools.
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■ The most favorite thing about my career
is the people I meet each and every day.
Helping members maneuver through their
schools and systems and seeing the delight
on their faces, when told that everything
will be alright, this is what wakes me up and
gets me out the door each day.
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Daniel Sobczak — NEA Director
■ I have two focuses that are related...
1) Drive membership. In a political
world, we get things done in one of two
ways — money or people. We have the
latter and the more educators and allies that
we have, the better outcomes we have for
our students and fellow members.
2) With Georgia likely being in play
in this election, I want to ensure that
the candidates for all federal, state, and
local offices realize the importance of
public education. This shouldn’t be a
partisan issue. We have a unique chance to
ensure that the people representing us at
every level have the best interest of future
generations in mind. I look forward to
rallying behind those candidates, regardless
of party, who will help us ensure our
children have everything that they need to
become critical thinkers, questioners, and
productive members of society.
■ I look back at some of the great educators
that influenced me when I was in school and
how I see how aspects of their teaching style
have worked their way into my own. They
continue to inspire me and are an unknowing
influence on my own students. I hope that
continues on to my own students who
become educators in the future. Regardless
of my students’ career paths, I do know one
thing — as a Social Studies teacher, it is my
job to build citizens. When I see a student
take a stand on an issue, and can explain why
they take that stand, I know I’ve succeeded in
that goal.
Sandra Hawthorne — Retired Director
At-large
■ My focus this year serving as GAE-Retired
Director At-Large is to be the best I can be. By
making sure that our GAE Board of Directors
is inclusive of ALL members: (active, retired,
and student members) “Together We Stand
GAE and GAE-Retired.”
The GAE-Retired Slogan is : “Keep Knowing,
Keep Growing, and Keep Doing.” This will
be my focus this year and for years to come,
because this is an ongoing process.
“Vision without action is just a dream, Action
without vision just passes the time, Vision with
action can change your world.” Joel Barker
Since I’m a retired educator of more than
thirty years, I also can say that an educator
never really retires. I’m still evolving, I’m still
learning, and I’m still involved with students.
Even though I have retired from the classroom,
I’m the afterschool director at my school from
which I retired. I still enjoy working with the
students and making sure every child is treated
with respect and making sure I know all of my
125 students by their names. Even though it’s
afterschool, the students still have that sparkle
in their eyes when they have achieved success
or even give you a hug and say I Love YOU!
AND that is simply priceless!
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