On this critical #election day, we highlight the inspiring Jerry Oleksiak as our #TeacherTuesday. Now president of the 180,000-member strong Pennsylvania State Education Association (PSEA), we’re proud to claim him as one of our own! He has spent over 40 years as an educator, much of that as a middle school special education teacher at the Upper Merion Middle School. And while Jerry loves what he does now, he still misses the classroom with its “sense of opportunity and wonder and optimism.”
The attacks on education and educators over the past years have enabled Jerry to see first-hand why it’s so crucial to #vote today for those things you hold dear. He explains, “Public education is one generation’s commitment to the next, telling them we care about you, about your hopes and dreams, about your place in our community and our world. By its very existence, it speaks of a belief in and hope for the future. It is one of the bedrock institutions of our democracy, and the most democratic institution in America.”
Jerry notes, “I am inspired every day by the amazing things I see happening in our schools, and the even more amazing people who make them happen.”
We know you’re also motivated to see those candidates whose agenda most closely mirrors your own be elected to public office to protect and enhance public education so get out and VOTE. And let us know who else is making a huge difference in the lives of your students.