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.

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.

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. 

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. 

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.

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.  

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. 

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.

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. 

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.