5 Reasons Why It’s Important for Educators to Join Professional Organizations
As an educator, you may have heard the importance of joining professional organizations–but why do they matter?
Professional organizations can seem expensive or even like a waste of time to educators who are already busy putting forth their best efforts each day in their classrooms, not to mention pursuing other career paths within the field of education.
However, joining a professional education is an essential consideration for educators, especially those who want to continue to learn, grow, and collaborate. Here are five solid benefits educators can expect to glean from professional organizations.
1. Networking with Fellow Educators
Networking remains perhaps one of the most apparent reasons educators might join professional organizations, but it is still the most important reason.
Professional organizations for teachers allow them to mingle with and learn from other educators in their field or even more diverse areas. This type of connection can lead to all kinds of opportunities for collaboration, discoveries, and a real sense of camaraderie.
As educators know from experience, more minds have the power to create magical results, and connecting with fellow educators could allow relationships to form that will change education for the better. Imagine the possibilities when two outstanding educators meet and exchange ideas. The next breakthrough could be just one conference away.
The conferences that educators attend as part of professional organizations are beneficial for various reasons. Including access to resources to help educators learn new skills, help presenting their research, and the chance to make new connections. They also allow educators to be around people who understand their daily struggles, joys, fears, and accomplishments.
Educators lead specific lives helping students succeed, and sometimes, surrounding themselves with like-minded individuals adds a much-needed dose of medicine for the educator’s soul.
2. Opportunities for Research
Professional organizations also allow educators to learn about cutting-edge education research, present their findings, and gain access to specific research journals they might not have access to otherwise.
The more resources educators have to learn about their fields, the better they will become. As a result, students worldwide will continue to benefit from the fantastic work their educators bring to the classroom and beyond.
3. Leadership Skills Improvement and Practice
Since many professional organizations offer educators the chance to join boards, lead workshops, or take part in other leadership opportunities, these organizations also give educators more chances to improve and practice their leadership skills.
This means that educators can learn from each other to find out how to become better leaders inside and outside the classroom and gain more leadership experience by taking on specific roles within the organization.
4. Access to Specific Grants, Fellowships, and Awards
Educators' access to grants, fellowships, and awards is a significant perk of professional organizations that simply provide more funding for better teaching methods and other education-related research.
When educators want to experiment with new ways of teaching, take their students on special field trips, or conduct meaningful research in the field of education, they should have the opportunity to do so without using their funds or having to apply for funding within their institution if the money is not available.
Professional organizations often offer a list of different funding opportunities that educators can use; all meant to help celebrate educators’ efforts and give educators a chance to take more risks (and thus see even better rewards in student outcomes).
5. Prioritization of Growth as an Educator
Overall, educators give organizations a chance to prioritize growth and not just feel as if they are getting by as educators. This type of group learning is something teachers bring to their students every day, but group learning for teachers is just as valuable.
Since the field of education is constantly changing, networking with fellow educators and getting access to research, leadership, and extra funding are all important ways to stay relevant within education.
Professional Organizations to Join
Educators are the first step in any critical development the world sees. They deserve the best professional organizations to keep growing and improving and enjoy much-needed camaraderie with fellow educators. But, it requires the educator’s willingness to step out of their comfort zone and seek the benefits awaiting them.
Professional organizations exist for all kinds of educators in specific areas of research and study, including the National Education Association (NEA), American Federation of Teachers (AFT), Kappa Delta Pi (KDP), Phi Delta Kappa (PDK), Computer-Using Educators (CUE), and National Society of High School Scholars (NSHSS).
At NSHSS, we celebrate educators as the most critical people in scholars’ lives. Without educators, students would not have the resources to grow and change the world for the better. Whatever organization is right for you will help you and your students alike.