Hosts CEA President Kate Dias and Vice President Joslyn DeLancey talk with CEA's Executive Director Don Williams about some of the challenges Connecticut teachers are facing from pandemic stress to attacks on the profession.

CEA President Kate Dias and Vice President Joslyn DeLancey talk with Greenwich Education Association President Lillian Perone about the attacks teachers in her district have faced and what educators and their supporters can do to change the conversation.

As we head into the holidays with COVID cases rising, CEA President Kate Dias and Vice President Joslyn DeLancey talk with CREC Education Association President Lisa Cordova about the stress teachers are facing and what can be done to alleviate it.

On this episode of Two T's in a Pod, CEA President Kate Dias and Vice President Joslyn DeLancey talk with NEA-Danbury President Erin Daly about what it means for children when their schools are substantially underfunded. Danbury spends the least per pupil of all districts in Connecticut, and that has big consequences for teaching and learning.

When it comes to schools, size matters. In this episode CEA President Kate Dias and Vice President Joslyn DeLancey discuss with speech-language pathologist and Darien Education Association Vice President Kate Curcio how high case loads make her and other professionals in our schools unable to provide necessary support to the children they serve.

Sheena Graham, Connecticut's 2019 Teacher of the Year, had always found joy in teaching and, prior to the pandemic, planned to teach for another five to ten years. Instead she retired early this January--one of many teachers being forced out due to burnout, stress, and a lack of respect for teachers. In this episode of Two T's in a Pod, CEA President Kate Dias and Vice President Joslyn DeLancey talk to Graham about what more can be done to support and sustain teachers so they can choose to stay in the classroom.

In this week's episode, State Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff talks with CEA President Kate Dias and Vice President Joslyn DeLancey about education funding, open choice programs, and the latest on the 2022 legislative session.

Connecticut teaches have been advocating for more mental health supports in our schools for years but it's taken a pandemic to awaken the general public to students' struggles. State Representative Robin Comey is one of the lawmakers supporting legislation to improve children's mental health, and she spoke to CEA President Kate Dias and Vice President Joslyn DeLancey for the latest episode of CEA's podcast.

What's the right verses the wrong way to go about remote teaching and learning? CEA President Kate Dias and Vice President Joslyn DeLancey discuss that with CT 2020 Teacher of the Year Meghan Hatch-Geary and share why a thoughtful, intentional, and practical approach is so critical.

Danbury schools are facing a number of challenges including a ballooning student population and a lack of investment from the city and state in the district’s public schools, but on CEA's latest podcast episode Senator Kushner said there's also reason for hope due to the fantastic school community and a proposal for a new career academy.

From providing more mental health supports for children to additional assistance with special education costs to improving air quality in schools Senate President Martin Looney discusses many of the State Senate's education priorities with CEA President Kate Dias and Vice President Joslyn DeLancey in the latest episode of CEA's Podcast.

Remote learning, improved mental health supports for students and teachers, and recruiting and retaining more teachers of color are just some of the topics Education Commissioner Charlene Russell-Tucker discusses with CEA President Kate Dias and Vice President Joslyn DeLancey as a guest on Two T’s in a Pod.

This year’s legislative session resulted in a number of important wins for Connecticut students, teachers, and schools. CEA President Kate Dias and Vice President Joslyn DeLancey discussed many of those wins with co-chair of the legislature’s Education Committee, Senator Doug McCrory, while also looking ahead to legislation they hope lawmakers will pass in the 2023 session.

CEA President Kate Dias and Vice President Joslyn DeLancey chat with Sara Azukas, the former chair of CEA's Aspiring Educator Program, who recently started her first year as an elementary school teacher in Region 15. In this August conversation, they talk back-to-school, discuss the many advantages of CEA's Aspiring Educator Program, and talk about how the union supports young teachers as they begin their careers.

CEA President Kate Dias and Vice President Joslyn DeLancey discuss attracting and keeping teachers in the classroom with Bloomfield Local President and elementary interventionist Gail Jorden. In this episode, recorded at the beginning of the school year, the three talk financial incentives the state and districts can offer teachers, such as pandemic pension credits, housing credits, tax credits, and addressing low salaries caused by step freezes. They also discuss teaching conditions and workplace culture considerations that are essential to recruiting and retaining educators.

Westport educator Faith Sweeney is taking a year away from her school to serve as an NEA Teaching Fellow to support CEA and local union's diversity, equity, and inclusion agendas. Listen to her discuss her plans for the year ahead with CEA President Kate Dias and Vice President Joslyn DeLancey.

GPO and WEP—they sound like alphabet soup, but the federal Government Pension Offset and Windfall Elimination Provision spell disaster for teachers. These federal acts, enacted 40 years ago, reduce or entirely eliminate the Social Security benefits teachers and their spouses receive upon retirement. Congressman John Larson has a bill before Congress that would repeal GPO and WEP, as well as expand and strengthen Social Security benefits, and ensure that wealthier Americans pay their fair share. He and Education Association of Preston President Susan Strader join CEA President Kate Dias and Vice President Joslyn DeLancey for this episode to discuss how GPO and WEP hurt teachers and how Larson's bill will help.

Requiring a minimum starting salary for Connecticut teachers, ensuring more play-based learning, lessening the role of standardized tests, improving teacher evaluation—these are just some of the legislative initiatives that CEA President Kate Dias and Vice President Joslyn DeLancey discuss with State Rep. Jeff Currey, the new co-chair of the legislature's Education Committee.

Danielle Fragoso, a Madison special education teacher, and Pam Penn, an East Hampton speech-language pathologist, join CEA President Kate Dias and Vice President Joslyn DeLancey to talk about the many challenges facing special educators and forcing many from the classroom, including CT-SEDS, the new special education data system.

With two months left in the legislative session it's a vital time for teachers to be having conversations with their lawmakers. In this episode, CEA President Kate Dias and Vice President Joslynn DeLancey talk with the co-chairs of CEA's Legislative Commission, Milford teacher Kellie Choquette and East Hartford teacher Kim Knapp, about CEA's legislative priorities and how members can best share their stories with legislators.